It’s been a funny couple of months here in England. From rainy days throughout our week-long half term to a whole summer without “proper sun” (as we Brits now refer to it). Top it off with a week of snow in early March this year (the first snowfall in years!). It’s now clear that 2017-18 has been one to go down in history – even for Britain’s standards.
Last summer was epic for complaining about the weather.
I remained optimistic, however, waiting until the very last two weeks for the heatwave that the weather reports had promised weeks prior. We had so many plans for beaches, playing in the fountains, picnics, and lazy days in the sun. Unfortunately, mother nature had other plans. Much of our summer was rainy and cloudy. The long days I had planned outside were often cut short and instead spent under the nearest shelter.
But what all of these surprising weather changes have taught me is that kids can and will thrive in any weather. They learn from what they experience, see and do. And the more extreme, the better. Here are a few of our highlights:
Autumn this year was amazing for showing the changing of the leaves and feeling them crush beneath our feet.
Rainbows appeared when we least expected them, showing us the brightest of colors I’d ever experienced.
Bike rides in the cold and bitter evenings provided opportunities for backyard fires and late nights.
Rainy mornings meant a chance to wear our wellies, break out the brollies, and shriek with laughter at getting wet.
Bright sunsets meant amazing cloud formations and opportunities to spot a dragon in the sky! Amazing isn’t it?
Snow both in the autumn and in early March this year has been invaluable for the kids to explore. The cold feel of the snow and the excitement of seeing it fall has been lovely to watch. Growing up in Canada where it snowed five months of the year, the novelty of the snow had worn off. But seeing it through the eyes of my little ones has been fantastic. Even the icicles, which formed on cars and buildings in the morning were enchanting!
And I’m not just talking from the comfort of my own home. Even as the ground thaws, we have plans to go camping for the first time as a family this weekend. Last weekend’s snow was both surprising and painful given we’d been planning this trip for a couple of months. The weather has been both unpredictable and frustrating.
We are committed to going through with our plans. Not just because we’ve invested time and money into our trip but also because the talk of cold and severe weather has only made the experience more exciting for our girls. “What shall we bring? How many sleeping bags do we need? How close will we set up to the fire?” Unpredictable weather in a forest where there are no loos, no water but the chance of bugs, fires, and barbecue is absolutely what being outside is all about. Wish us luck!
Read on about our upcoming camping weekend at Mixed.Up.Mama.
Latest posts by Fariba Soetan (see all)
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