If you are looking for gifts for outdoorsy families then here is a great
selection of ideas suitable for mums, dad, children and the whole family to
share. I have hand selected a range of gifts that are practical, beautiful and
encourage an adventurous spirit for everyone who loves to the outdoors.
Post contains gifted items and affiliate links, but all have been carefully
chosen.
20 Gifts for Outdoorsy Families
Gifts for Children Who Love Adventures
Let's Go - 52 Nature Activity Cards
These beautiful cards were designed by Roxie, blogger at
mumdaysandescapades.com. Each of the cards has an activity idea which will
encourage children to get involved in nature. On one side it has the
suggestion eg "Spot Bugs" or "Make A Nature Bracelet" and on the other side
it provides a bit more information about how to complete the activity. You
could use these cards to inspire a new adventure every week for a year or
keep them in your bag for when you need ideas to keep boredom at bay. They
are well thought out and contain lots of activities you wont have thought of.
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This little pack of cards is full of activity ideas to inspire
children to embrace being in nature
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Away Book written by Dani Seatter and
Ilustrated By Anna Stead
It’s not unusual for children to love being outside, but when they are outside
playing and having fun they don’t always think about the impact of their actions
of the world around them. In
Away, a beautifully illustrated story set in British woodland
a group of animals discover a plastic bag in their habitat, but what can they
do? Aimed at 3 to 7 year olds reading this book will remind young and old about
the beauty of nature and why it’s important to dispose of rubbish correctly.
Available
in hard and soft back from
Eco-Able, a shop founded by the books author, with a range of sustainable items for home,
children and families.
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Away is beautifully illustrated children's book |
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The animals find a carrier bag and don't know what to do with it |
Nap Mat
If you love to be on the go and have a toddler then this Dinosaur World
Nap Mat from Bloomsbury Mill
is great to take with you on adventures. The all-in-one pillow, mat
and blanket provides a cozy nap place that will be familiar where ever you
are, whether it’s a friend’s house, tent or yurt. Not a fan of the
dinosaur print? They have plenty of other designs including a Christmas
Winter Wonderland print, safari animals and one with grey and white stars.
The nap mat rolls up and velcros together and even has a carry handle
making it really convenient. Take the inbuilt pillow out and the rest can be
washed easily in the washing machine. The outer layer is made from a
polyester and cotton mix with a polyester filling. The sleep mat is 135cm
long (including pillow) and 50cm wide making it perfect for toddlers and
preschoolers.
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The all-in-one nap mat is perfect for naps on the go
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Bloomsbury Mill Dinosaur World Nap Mat
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Flying Science Kit
Flying Science from Small World Science aims to help children discover the principles of lift and flight in this science set which will encourages children to head outside. This kit (recommended for age 8 plus) contains 2 flying discs (mini frisbees), whirling propellers, balloons and
parts to build 2 planes and a kite. Through 5 experiments children can
learn to understand better why things stay up and float.
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Contents of Flying Science Small World Science Kit |
Animal Lovers - Where is Everyone? by Tom Schamp
Where is Everyone?
is a lift the flap book by Tom Schamp and published by Prestel. The board
book has an animal hidden behind each flap. Can you guess which animal is
hiding from the clues? Aimed at children age 2 plus this is a sweet book
which will stimulate toddlers minds.
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A different animal is creatively hidden behind each flap in this
board book
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Shoe Skins
If you try to stick to the idea of buying children something they want,
something they need, something to wear and something to read then
Shoe skins
will tick at least one of those boxes. These cleverly designed covers for
shoes pull on and keep the shoes dry (so no more soggy feet). Ok they wont
help if they head for a deep puddle, but if you are walking on wet grass or
similar they work well. They are waterproof and have grips on the
bottom so you don't need to worry about slipping over. Shoe skins come in
different sizes with small fitting children's sizes 11.5 to 2. They take
up hardly any space in a bag and even come with a storage bag. A really
clever and practical present.
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Keep feet dry on adventures with shoe skins
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MIXUPS Card Game
When travelling with children it is always a good idea to take a selection
of games away, and card games that take up hardly any space are perfect.
MIXUPS is a new card game (affiliate link) for 2 to 5 players aged 4 and up (although some 3
year olds could probably manage it). It's a version of snap where you have
to collect as many cards as possible by calling "MIXUPS" when their card
partially matches the last card turned over. Each card has an animal on
which is a combination of 2 animals and to make it easy they can either
work out what the animals are by looking at the animal, looking at the name
(eg POG is a combined pig and dog) or the little icons on either side of
the animal's name.
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A fun card game to pack for adventures
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Packaway Puddlesuit
There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing (or so "they"
say). In the UK rain can hit at any time so it's good to have waterproofs
on hand. This
KIDLY puddlesuit (affiliate link) easily folds away into a pocket making it handy to
pack in a bag for days out. With elasticated wrists and ankles you can buy
it on the slightly roomy side and keep it for longer before they grow out
of it. It wont matter if they sit down on wet grass or fall in a muddy
puddle, this puddlesuit will keep them dry. It's single layer with no
padding so great for Spring and Autumn or with a few layers underneath it
should work in Winter too. Available in a range of great colours and
in sizes from 12-18 months to 4-5 years.
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The KIDLY label puddlesuits come in a range of great (and not very
common) colours
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The Puddlesuit folds up into one of it's pockets making it compact
enough to put in a changing bag
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Weather Pop Up Book
This is quite possibly the most beautiful pop up book I have ever seen.
The Weather: Pop Up Book is written and illustrated by Maike Biederstädt, although "illustrated"
doesn't really do justice to the craft involved. Intricate cut outs illustrate
this short book with detailed descriptions about various types of weather and
climate change. A lovely gift for children old enough to look at it with care
and an interest in what is going on outside.
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The Weather: Pop Up Book talks about the weather and climate change
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The book doesn't have many pages, but each one is beautiful
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Pass The Pugs
Pass The Pugs is a great travel game aimed at players aged 12 and upwards. You might have played pass the pigs and this game by Winning Moves is the same concept except you play with a couple of cute dogs. Toss the pugs and see how they land to win points. First player to 100 points wins. It’s a compact case that fits into any bag so it’s great to take away on adventures.
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A great game for players 12 and above |
Gifts for Men Who Love the Great Outdoors
Waterproof Backpack
This
waterproof backpack
is a perfect size for a day out adventuring and no matter how wet it gets
outside everything inside it will stay dry. You could even drop it in
a stream and no water would get inside (probably, I've not tested that). The 28 litre dry bag back pack is
designed for adventures on and off the water. It has a sturdy design made
from 3 waterproofing layers, the pressure bonded stitching removes seams and
the top folds over multiple times and clips shut. The shoulder straps are
well padded and there are hip and chest straps too helping to distribute the
weight if particularly heavy.
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The perfect size backpack for a day out with children
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This bag will keep everything inside completely dry
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Cozy Hat with Light
Whether camping, walking home in the evening or maybe even out for an early
morning run this
BRIGHT-i beanie hat
will help keep the wearer warm and to be seen. Thanks to the LED light at the front
it can help light where they are going and provide a way for vehicles to see
you coming. It has 3 different light intensities created by the 4 LED's and
the light can be easily removed from the hat too. One of my favourite
features is it can be recharged by pluging into a USB socket giving about 4
hours of light per charge. The dark grey hat is made from soft polyester and
it is one size which should fit most adults comfortably.
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This cozy hat has an LED light in the front which can be recharged
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The light can help guide the way when it's dark and help the wearer be
seen
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Walking Socks
With the right socks and shoes you can walk around all day and still have
happy feet. These
Alpaca walking socks
are unisex and available in 3 sizes (4 to 7, 8 to 10 and 11 to 13). The
natural properties of the yarn make these thick, cushioned socks warm,
breathable and odour resistant. They are 75% alpaca and 25% nylon to help
them retain their shape. They can be carefully machine washed too. Perfect
for long walks or for keeping your feet warm at home. They are available in
a range of colours.
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These cosy alpaca walking socks from Paul James Knitwear are available
in a range of colours
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Whether going on a 10 miles hike or watching a film on the sofa these
socks will keep your feet happy
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and warm
Identification Books
Parents are expected to know everything and while we might know far more
than our children there are bound to be gaps in our knowledge. They don't
need to know that though. Keep up the pretence that you know all the answers with
books teaching you how to identify everything on your walks. If your
memory isn't your strong point you can always encourage children to teach
themselves and find the plants/ bird/ fungi or whatever it is in the book. Ok so there are apps you can download that give you the
answers (I have Seek by iNaturalist which is very clever), but it can't always
identify things and books help you to explore and understand the differences more.
A Multi-Tool
I tried, but I couldn't do it, what gift guide for outdoor loving people
would be complete without some sort of multi tool? I
like this one for it's range of useful attachments whilst being small and easy to transport. With young children around any tools have to be kept our of reach, but you also want them to be accessible enough you have them when needed. This multi-tool seems like a good balance and doesn't come with tools that give me nightmares.
Gifts For Women Who Love To Be Outside
Bottlesoc Bottle Cover
We all know that reusable bottles are best, but they aren't always practical. What happens if you aren't out with a big bag? And at the price of some of those reusable bottles you will want to protect them from bangs and scrapes. Bottlesoc bottle covers are designed to protect bottles and make them more practical while giving them a whole new personality. You can choose from a wide range of prints and to have them personalised with your name, a short motivational phrase or to let the pattern do the talking. Comes with a carry handle (which can clip on to anything) or add on a shoulder strap so you can wear it hands free. It's washable and stretchy so will fit most 500ml bottles (including plastic ones).
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A washable bottle cover with personality (and optional shoulder strap) |
Warm Scarf from Paul James
When you love being outdoors and you have young children it generally means spending a lot of time standing around, or walking very slowly in the cold. I find dressing appropriately is the best way to keep me happy and in winter a cozy warm scarf to keep the chill out is a great investment. Paul James Knitwear is a British company producing beautiful knitwear in Leicestershire like this chunky wide ribbed scarf knitted from Merino wool. At 170cm long it is a good length whichever way you like to wrap your scarfs and it is available in a range of colours. Hand wash only, but it wont need washing often and it will stay looking better for longer that way.
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Grey chunk merino scarf from Paul James Knitwear |
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A soft and warm scarf is perfect for cold days out |
Love Leggings
Whether she loves to be super active or laze around at home Love Leggings will have something that meets a woman's needs. Pictured are super soft black leggings from the Revitalise range, but they also have treggings, maternity leggings and sportswear and more. Ensuring comfort, support and a lack of chafing, a good pair of leggings quickly becomes a favourite item of clothing. Oh and there is no transparency so the patterns on their pants will remain a secret.
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Love Leggings Revitalise leggings are super soft |
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The leggings are available in multiple lengths and sizes (including a plus size range) |
T-shirt from Wilder Waves
A light t-shirt, that's ethically sourced from a small business that reminds them that they love to be by the sea AND donates money to marine conservation with each purchase? Yes that should tick a few boxes. This Vitamin Sea t-shirt is from Wilder Waves. They sell a range of t-shirts, hoodies and other items which will appeal to anyone who loves to go for a walk on a windswept beach and feel sea spray in their hair.
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A walk by the sea makes everything feel a bit better |
Enamel Mugs
Whether you are on a camping holiday or just sharing a flask of hot chocolate on a winter’s walk, having a few
enamel mugs to hand is a good idea. Jina Gelder paints wildlife art which is then printed onto a range of gifts and homeware including enamel mugs. I absolutely love the illustrations which show the animals full of personality. The mugs have an illustration on each side which means that whether you are right or left handed you can enjoy their cuteness. Check out the full
range of wildlife art and giftware to see all the different birds and animals available.
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Really cute illustrations on a practical present |
Garden bird feeders and wild bird seed from Henry Bell
Loving the outdoors often goes hand in hand with appreciating wild life so attracting more birds into the garden is likely to be a popular gift. Henry Bell have a range of bird seed and feeders targeted to meet the needs of different types of wild bird. The family owned British business, established in 1825, have created this stunning Sterling Feeding Station with metal leaves that can hold multiple bird feeders like the Grand Sterling Seed Feeder. This large plastic and metal feeder is great for feeding small birds like House Sparrows and Dunnocks. The products can be found in garden centres nationwide or online.
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Bird feeding station, bird feeder and Robin blend wild bird food |
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The feeding station has 5 arms with leaves on which attach to a central pole which goes into the ground |
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Henry Bell sell a range of bird seeds target at different birds, this is the Robin mix |
Disclosure: Most items in this guide were gifted on request for inclusion.
There are some affiliate items included which means if you click through
and make a purchase I may received a small commission. Thank you if you
choose to do this.
While I have separated this guide out into men, women and children
these sections are pretty arbitrary and other than the women's clothes
they are all unisex. While I'm on this ramble "outdoorsy" is a bit of a weird one too isn't it? "Gift Guide for Families that love to be outdoors" is a bit long though.
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