Play Day in Richmond Park

On Wednesday I had the pleasure in attending one of the National Play Days sponsored by Savlon and hosted by Donna from Not Yet a Yummy Mummy. Donna organised the day perfectly, even though she will deny this and it was lovely to meet up with a couple of her friends along with Bianca from Richmond Mummy and Sarah from Sarah's Superfluous Thoughts. We couldn't have asked for a more glorious day and having never visited Richmond Park before I was amazed by the sheer size and beauty of it. What a wonderful part of the country it is to live in and even more so when you live close by (like Donna and Bianca).

I blogged previously about the Play Day here and we basically wanted to just have some outdoor fun with our children. The children had various toys to keep them amused including a tent and tunnel, a ball pit, balls, a dolls buggy (a massive hit), various inflatable toys, crayons and most importantly each other! They happily played with all that was provided but what was lovely to see was how they all played in harmony and were happy to just wander round looking at the surroundings. We were also quite set back from the adjacent road so it was an extremely safe environment for them.

We all enjoyed a picnic lunch whilst enjoying the great outdoors. We all discussed how easy it is for people to visit their local park and make use of the amenities. The parking in Richmond Park is free and that makes it perfect for a low cost family day out. There are so many places you visit nowadays that charge extortionate rates, making family fun that little bit harder to achieve. They say the best things in life are free and I have to agree. It has certainly encouraged me to make the most of the great outdoors this summer and enjoy what nature has to offer.

Here are a few pictures rounding up the day, I was shattered when I eventually got home (mainly due to the heat) but it was a great day and I came home armed with lots of Savlon goodies!

Not Yet a Yummy Mummy showing off her bump whilst using her new Flipcam

Richmond Mummy and her beautiful daughter

Beastie enjoying the ball pit

William and Beastie - Firm friends on their first meeting

The 'bag' we all wanted from Pink Lining

Part of the many wildlife roaming around

Time out in the tent 'just us boys

Play Day 3rd August

Did you know Wednesday 3rd of August 2011 is the National Day for Play? The idea behind Play Day is, that according to recent findings, we don't take our children to play outside as much as we used to when we were younger.

Savlon undertook some research about outdoor play which revealed some shocking results:

• 42% of children have never made a daisy chain
• 32% have never climbed a tree
• a quarter of children have never rolled down a hill
• a third of children have never played hopscotch
• 1 in 10 children have never ridden a bike

These really are such sad statistics and a sign of our times now. Times have changed so much from when  we were small but that is no reason not to get out there and enjoy these simple childhood adventures. I think these figures should be a reminder to everyone to get outdoors, even just for a little while.

You can look here to see what is going on in your local area or for more information on how to host your own event visit Play Day. The venue or size of the event doesn't matter, it's simply about encouraging children to experience and enjoy outdoor play. Events are already being planned up and down the country, from Jubilee style street parties to backyard play dates.

I am teaming up with Not Yet a Yummy Mummy to host a Play Day in Richmond Park. So if you live local (or not so local like me) and would like to join us then feel to tweet us @mummyandbeastie and @NotYetaYummyMum or you can email us at mummyandbeastie@live.co.uk and notyetayummymummy@gmail.com. 

We would love to see you and your little ones, the more the merrier!