Family trades television for 100 adventures

Parenting Tips with…

Katie Carlin | Essential Kids

A self-proclaimed ordinary family gives their daughters 100 extraordinary challenges to entice them away from the television and into the great outdoors.

Primary school teachers Tim and Kerry Meek from England, were hoping they could encourage independence, resilience and a sense of inquisitive, creative freedom in their two daughters, 10-year-old Amy and eight-year-old Ella, by setting them 100 tasks that would literally take them out of their comfort zone in front of the television and on a year-long adventure of a lifetime.

The outdoor challenges included everything from adrenalin-fuelled activities such as coasteering (jumping into water from rocks) and climbing a winter summit, to survival skills that included foraging for food, tracking and mapping, and going without electricity. The girls were also set character building tasks such as make a stand and support a cause, in which they stood up in front of their school to talk about a charity they chose to support.

44-year-old Mr Meeks says he and his wife are far from adventure junkies but simply saw an opportunity to give their girls memorable and worthwhile experiences.

“We’re just normal, everyday people and not adventurous ourselves, but as we saw our kids growing up, we became more reflective as parents and wanted them to grow up with balance in their lives,” he said in an interview with the Daily Mail.

But what would inspire two parents to come up with such an extensive list of experiences?

“I think kids these days spend more time indoors than we did. They may do a lot of activities, but they don’t necessarily have freedom to express themselves or explore freely,” said Mr Meek.

“They are protected from risks which makes them very safe, but it makes them unable to take or to manage risks themselves.”

“Of course, we always want Ella and Amy to do things safely, but in most of the challenges there’s an element of something could happen, they could graze themselves or trap a finger, say.”

“Now, if they fall over they tend to shrug it off. Our girls have taken on a role as ambassadors for adventure.”

But what do the girls think about their year-long list?

Tags: Strong Females