51 Things to do Before You’re 12

There are some things that every kid should get to experience. How many of our 51 things have you done? Why not challenge your friends to see who will be the first to finish the list!

1.  Climb a tree

2.  Sleep under the stars (even in your backyard)

3.  Fall off a bike

4.  Learn to swim

5.  Build a cubby or a tree house

6.  Find a geocache* in your neighbourhood

7.  Go beach combing after a storm

8.  Cook damper in a campfire

9.  Go on a school camp in the bush

10.  Catch a wave (start with a small one)

11.  Play chasy in the rain

12.  Catch a prawn in a river (or at least have fun trying)

13.  Make a water slide with builders plastic and a hose (do it on your watering day)

14.  Find a cave

15.  Make something with things you find

16.  Play in a creek

17.  Do something you’re scared of

18.  Watch kangaroos in the wild

19.  Slide down a sand (or grass) hill on cardboard

20.  Yell “cooeee!” in a gorge or a valley

21.  Camp on a beach

22.  Build a sandcastle city

23.  Skim a stone

24.  Plant something and watch it grow

25.  Play spotlight

26.  Ride your bike on a bush trail

27.  Visit an island

28.  Go for a two-day hike

29.  Snorkel at the beach or on a reef

30.  Ride a flying fox

31.  Play under a sprinkler

32.  Climb a big rock

33.  Play in the bush for a whole day

34.  Visit a waterhole

35.  Meet kids in a park and invent a game

36.  Paddle a kayak

37.  Dig for worms in your backyard

38.  Catch a crab

39.  Learn the Aboriginal names for five plants and five animals

40.  Visit a national park

41.  Catch a fish

42.  Play on a rope swing

43.  Eat bush tucker

44.  Make a kite and fly it

45.  Jump off a jetty (check the water is deep enough first)

46.  Identify the birds in your backyard

47.  Go abseiling

48.  Catch a tadpole (and release it)

49.  Make a mud pie

50.  Find a lake, puddle, pond etc and use a magnifying glass to spot the living creatures in it

51.  Play beach cricket

 

* global GPS treasure hunt you can do with most phones

Nature Play is leading the Outdoor Classroom Day campaign in Australia.