‘Go outside and find something to do,’ was a common refrain in my home when I was growing up. With little choice and left to my own devices (or so I thought–years later I discovered Mum always kept watch), the outdoors quickly became a mix of the magical and the practical.

A clump of pampas grass, despite the razor-sharp leaves, was a hide-out from monsters, our dogs and every now and then, Mum. A large liquidambar tree was a home away from home. Everything was dragged up there including, with some difficulty, the dog (no mean feat, she was a Bassett Hound) and an entire tea set. The

vacant lot behind our home was where wild things dwelled and where my sisters, brothers and I often set off on dragon-hunting adventures. 

The muddy laneway beside our home was the ideal place for baking mud pies, jumping in puddles, painting faces and trying out the latest in bicycle manoeuvres. We had the perfect lavender bush where fairies dwelled–and where we experienced our first bee sting. We became little explorers and collected an extraordinary array of objects, some of which I still have today.

With no structured play, we unwound, recharged and spent plenty of time sitting still and watching nature do its thing. A troupe of ants or a fly tangled in a spider’s web could mesmerise us for hours.

Being outside also taught us many lessons about the environment and our place within it. We learnt not to fear the outdoors, but to respect and love it. We also took the advice of our parents not to eat a berry without first checking and never to trust shiny black spiders.

We fought with free-range bantam hens for a patch of clean grass (all that chicken poo!) and still they rewarded us with delicious eggs each day. Leaves were raked back onto the garden and compost was regularly added to the vegie patch–the resultant vegetables, used to cook simple delicious meals, made us wriggle with pride.

Now, with two young children of my own, I delight in helping them discover the magic of being outdoors. And while their personal patch of outdoors is much smaller than mine was, we still find adventure in the simplest of places. Joining with Susie and Katrina to produce this second book in the Small Fry series has been a joy. The outdoor activities are simple, inexpensive, and rely only on the ready imagination of your child. Undertake a few together and maybe, just maybe, you’ll find that elusive dragon.

Caroline Webster

Caro with Grace and Angus

Photographs by Cath Stace