5 outdoor games that have stood the test of time

• Posted on 26 March 2021
• By Josephine Walbank
• Posted in ecofriendly, Garden, outdoor area, outdoor furniture, outdoor games, outdoor play, sustainable
• 0

We love drawing parallels between childhoods across the ages. What’s more, we find it intriguing to see just how consistently nature plays a part and how timeless outdoor games are.

Dashing outside and running around like mad with your friends is an activity that’s about as timeless as it gets. 

So much of our childhood was characterised by days spent in nature, either in thoughtful imaginative play, or simply running wild and being as silly as we liked. 

A lot of the games that we see children today playing with their friends are things that we remember playing ourselves. In fact, these games are often even things that our parents (and possibly even their parents before them) played themselves as children. 

It’s brilliant to see how these things hold their own, and truly stand the test of time - no matter what anyone says, video game consoles can’t boast this claim. 

We love drawing parallels between childhoods across the ages. What’s more, we find it intriguing to see just how consistently nature plays a part. 

So, to indulge in a bit of childhood nostalgia, we’ll be using this blog to list five of our favourite completely timeless outdoor games. These brilliantly simple activities have been played by countless children across different generations, and are sure to be played by many more, for many years to come.

Conkers (Chestnuts)

This one feels like it’s been around forever. It’s such a simple concept - thread a string through a hole in the middle of a conker, tie a knot at one end, and your conker is ready. 

Then, you and your mates take it in turns to smack your conkers against each other. Last conker standing is the winner. 

For anyone who’s unfamiliar, conkers are actually the seed of a horse chestnut tree, and they come in a spike green natural covering. You need to squish down on the covering, which then peels away to reveal a gorgeous shiny conker. 

We had so much fun scouting for fallen conkers during Autumn, and we’re still absolutely delighted when we see a ginormous conker revealed from within its protective casing.

Making mud pies

It may be messy, but boy is it fun. 

Looking back, we feel a bit guilty for all those times our parents had to wash our mud-stained clothes after a session of making mud pies. But now, karma has come full circle, and it’s our turn to be stuck washing our children’s muddy clothes. 

A ‘mud pie’ is basically a brilliant mix of mud with water, smooshed together until it forms a big patty. It’s then mixed with mud, stones, leaves and whatever else you can find. Finally, you serve the pie up to your unwitting diner. 

Flying a kite

No matter how old we get, we will never fail to be excited by a session of kite flying. It’s an art that our parents taught us how to master, that they were taught how to do by their parents, and a skill that we now try to teach our children. 

Bringing a kite with you to a day trip on a windy beach is simply exhilarating, and kites are sure to be a firm favourite for many more generations of children to come. 

Rock pooling

I remember the first time that I saw a rock pool so utterly vividly. It filled me with excitement to see all the life that existed within such a small body of water. 

Plants, creatures, shellfish, crabs, tiny fish and so many more - they were all a part of this tiny ecosystem, and I was totally transfixed. I remember that I could watch them for hours, and I had countless questions to ask my parents. Now, I get to answer these same questions to the next generation of keen nature enthusiasts. 

Den building

This one goes beyond a game - it’s almost like a natural instinct that exists within children. 

The feeling of complete freedom that comes with creating your own little natural den, and investing all your creativity and imagination into bringing this hub to life, is something that has stuck with us for many years. 

In fact, it is the memory of feelings like this that led to the idea of Mini beee. The aim behind these products was to enable children to create their own, entirely independent natural space in their garden, where they could connect with the great outdoors and allow their creativity to roam wild. 

For us, these types of games are adored by all children, of any generation, and we’re delighted to have the opportunity to bring these games to our own garden, for our own child to play. 

If you’d like to learn more about the Mini beee ethos, or check out our range of garden furnishings, have a browse through the Mini beee online shop.