Spring Time!

Its amazing what a difference a little bit of sunshine makes isn’t it.? There’s a real feel good vibe now that Spring has sprung, those cold dark winter months are a distant memory, the days are starting to get that little bit longer and like animals emerging from hibernation, our desire to escape the confines of our homes and head to the great outdoors is stronger than ever.

I always like to think of Spring as the “real” start to the year, everything is beginning  to wake up from its Winter slumber, flowers are starting to pop up and bring their colours back to our gardens and parks, the grey skies make way for blue and there’s a palpable sense that we are all feeling our moods lifted up by the arrival of the new season.  And Spring really is a great time just to reconnect with all those things that we’ve neglected over the winter months, a chance to remind ourselves of the wealth of attractions we have on our doorstep now that the weather is more friend than foe.

So, with the Easter break looming theres obviously going to be a need to keep families entertained and no matter what age the little or medium sized people are heres a couple of ideas that I think will help you get them out in the open air.

For starters, how well do you know your own doorstep?...exactly how familiar are you with where you live, do you REALLY notice the things you probably walk past every day. Treasure hunts are a great way to get the whole family out and about for a few hours exploring and learning, and the great thing is you don’t need to wait till someone organises a group one for you to join. Simply plan ahead and visit www.huntfun.co.uk and you can order a printed hunt for Gloucester that will give you maps and directions to follow and clues to solve along the way as you explore those oh to familiar streets..and they do lots of other cities too, so once you’ve conquered our county you can move on to another, and if you ask me, that's a much more fun way to learn about somewhere than just visiting their shopping mall isn’t it?

Or if you’d rather take the kids somewhere a bit more “earthy” then Puzzlewood in the Forest of Dean should be on your list. The Lonely Planet guide describes Puzzlewood as an “extraordinary area with a maze of paths, eerie passageways, moss-covered rocks, hidden dead ends, weird rock formations, tangled vines and gorgeous untamed scenery. It's a brilliant place for children in the Forest of Dean." Which I have to agree sums it up rather nicely, and on top of that there's a host of animals from ducks to Shetland Ponies to keep the little ones entertained….in fact my 3 year old daughter always asks to go back there because she loves it so much, which is never a problem for me…..they let the under 4’s get in for free !!

So go on….get out there, and embrace Spring. Have fun.