Active Kids Weekend: Some Local History on Earth Day

A post formally known as Youth Sports Weekend*

This morning we woke to very ordinary weather. It was cold, heavily overcast and drizzling with rain. We started off enjoying a lazy Sunday of reading the papers and lounging around in our pajamas.

But there is only so long before cabin fever set in…..We really needed to get out of that house and get some fresh air! Luckily, by about 3pm the sun began to peak out from behind the clouds…. so we headed out to enjoy the last hours of sunshine…..But what could we do??

Well, just next to our suburb there is a little waking track that I have driven past countless times. Today, as a way to celebrate earth day, I thought it would be lovely to take the family on a walk in the beautiful autumn leaves.

I was surprised to discover that the site of the walk was actually an old village called Palmerville…and is actually the namesake for the suburb I now live in. Throughout the walk, the track was signposted with interesting little local stories

I guess this is why the autumn colours were so picturesque as the early settlers had planted many deciduous trees. There was even a gigantic bay tree and we guessed that’s where an old kitchen must have been! The kids just loved collecting acorns.

There is a new suburb being built just beside us called Crace. Much to the somewhat morbid fascination of my children, the signs described the fate of poor old Mr Crace. Apparently, he was found floating in this very creek after flash flooding from a severe storm…..The things you discover!!

Our family really enjoyed our walk…the kids even enjoyed learning about the history of the local area that was described on the signs.

 I think it gave them a sense of place and perspective to know that only 100 years previous there was an entire settlement on this very spot….but now nothing remains save for the trees they had planted.

It gave us parents a great opportunity to talk  to the kids about how important it is to look after the earth and preserve it’s beauty for future generations.

*Sports wise,  we are in a bit of  ‘in between time’ at the moment as it is the middle weekend of the autumn school holidays here in the ACT.  The little athletics and summer season of swimming is over for the year. The winter short-course swimming season, the soccer season and school sports  has yet to start.

But having an active lifestyle is much more than organized sports.

Getting out and going for a walk, exploring nature, finding the beauty in ordinary things, playing at a park or in the back yard, and the list goes on. These are all ways to participate in an active and healthy lifestyle.

…..it’s truly amazing what you can discover and learn…..

So, I have decided to rename my little weekly meme to…..

‘Active Kids Weekend’.

I will often be posting about Youth Sports. However, I will also be posting about having an active lifestyle outside of youth sports.

If your family has participated in a youth sport or in an different activity such as a nature walk, going to the beach and horse back riding are just a few examples. You could tell me about them in the comments,  or on my Facebook page….I’d just love to hear them. If you write a blog post about your active weekend, you could even add it to the linky tool at the bottom of the page. Together, the posts could serve to motivate other families to enjoy an active lifestyle. Wouldn’t that be great!