It’s the 23rd of September, the first day of autumn, and time to indoctrinate the next generation into my preferred extreme sport… leaf jumping.

The rules are simple, find a pile of leaves - collected by patient hands, or gusts of wind - and jump. There is no scoring, only a feeling of crunchy satisfaction. And I’m not alone, there is even a Facebook group devoted to the art. I can only hope this week brings some cold crispy days to indulge this pastime in.

Leave a comment dedicating yourself to this sport this autumn, or go admire our new Leaf Ninja T’s

tag... our shop, play for today, 2up, 3up, 5up, be healthy, nature, out and about

Right now in the UK, and for three or four weeks to come, there are conkers beneath the mighty chestnuts. Collecting them is so much fun. Arm yourself with a sturdy bag and a polishing cloth for each child and set sail for your local woodland/scrubland/park/garden.

Please ensure that you’re not snaffling them from an area of nature conservation. And even in ‘normal’ areas ask them to sort and select for nicely round ones, leaving the others behind for bugs, weevils and grubs.

Once you’ve got them its time to use them, or they’ll rot in that plaggie bag of yours (in a grim experience this does take a year).

A list of uses follows the jump…

read on »

tag... play for today, 3up, 5up, 8up, cheating, collecting, nature, traditional games