It’s been a little while and since I last posted, I’m now teaching a class once again, so finding time much scarcer than it ever was! Late home every evening and completing lots of extras on my days off, as well as running a home, cooking etc, has taken quite a lot of energy and effort, so my weekends are very relaxed at the moment, especially since there’s no dashing around to swimming, park run, etc.
However, it can’t be denied… we’re getting nearer to ‘that’ time of year, so I’ve started thinking about presents. I’m very aware it’s going to be a very different sort of Christmas for many this year and, with that in mind, am thinking about some homemade, baked, ‘put together’, crafted type presents. I thought I’d start the ideas off with something I put together for my eldest girl last year for her birthday. She’s very much into the outdoors, survival skills, nature and generally, running around woodlands, so when I saw this Den Kit, I thought it was the perfect present…then I looked at the price and considered all the little extra things that really should be in an outdoor kit: hot chocolate flask, binoculars, spotter’s book, collection jars etc. and thought that, for a similar price, I could ‘build my own’ to my exact specifications!
So, that’s what I did…I’m not convinced it ended up cheaper necessarily, but it certainly ended up personalised to her likes and preferences and is something she gets out regularly to use the tarpaulin for a summer den, or the ‘nut cracker’ and tools to make holes in seeds and nuts to string, or the spotter’s guide when we go for a walk.
Our key items:
Click the item link to find out more / purchase – some of these aren’t quite the same as ours as they are no longer in stock.
- Canvas Bag
- Nut holder (cracker)
- Hand drills
- I-Spy Nature
- Tarpaulins
- Mallet
- Dragon’s Sneeze fire steel
- Walkie-Talkies
- Bug Collection Kit
If you’ve got an outdoorsy child, they would love this sort of kit, and because you can choose what goes in, it’s such a personal present! And one to which you can add little by little. While I think of it, there’s also a lovely Lonely Planet ‘Wild Things’ book with all sorts of children’s outdoors activities which would go beautifully alongside the kit.
Keep an eye on future posts for some other gift ideas too – Mini Flapjack jars, Gin Botanical Kits…
*Disclaimer* Some of the links in this blog post may be affiliate links. If you purchase through these links then I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
The Chimney House 