I’m sure you’ve heard this one. Our kids are typically spending less time outside than the average prisoner. A clickbait headline for sure. Apparently credible (from a recent 2016 survey). And I'm sure you’d agree, pretty grim.
So let’s start there.
I’m John, a full time working dad, married to a full time working wife, living in London raising two full time (and extremely) high energy small people, four year old Finn and six year old Jax.
Now I’d like to think through the odd weekend trip to Wimbledon Park and Tooting Common, our precious offspring are breathing a little more fresh air than the average inmate in Brixton prison a few miles down the road.
Muddy, littler filled and rat infested local green places. Sure.
Wild. Not really.
Before kids I was a rather embarrassingly self proclaimed adventurer and wannabe (but definitely very amateur!) wildlife photographer.
But I loved it. And now as a dad I’ve realised I don’t want to give up on that and more importantly, I don’t want to keep it for myself.
This creates a problem. I’m not going to be able to live vicariously through my little ones and create the next Bear Grylls or Paul Nicklen by doing what we’re doing now.
So I’m creating Beyond The Backyard. This is my way of documenting our family’s attempt to fall in love with nature again. It’s part wildlife photography project, part parenting diary and part a plea to spend some more time outside together.
Along the way, my promise is to share the highs and lows, what works (and what definitely doesn’t!) and highlight wildlife encounters that might be a little closer and more accessible than you think.
Selfishly, I’m hoping this forces the Gunn brood to live a more wild life. Secretly I’m hoping this enables me to dust off the camera again (or even buy a new one!). But Seriously, I hope this might spark something in you too, especially if you’re a fellow parent locked in a concrete jungle, wondering what the great outdoors used to look and feel like.
Newsletters will be published every 2 weeks (hopefully!)
Thanks for reading!
Oh and I promise everything will be written by me, very important in this day and age and given the topic! (although AI did offer to proofread!)
Read on for ‘what we’re loving at the moment’ and ‘photo of the fortnight’
What we’re loving at the moment
I’ll finish every newsletter with a tip or recommendation for ‘something’ that’s helping us feel more connected to nature as a family.
Check out the NatureSpy WildCam 2! A wifi connected wildlife camera for the garden.
This smart piece of kit is getting the kids jumping out of bed in the morning to check for a family of local foxes.
All profits also go to wildlife conservation.
Photo of the fortnight
A byproduct of this project is an opportunity for me to get outside more with my camera and work on my own photography.
This image was taken in Namibia last year, and is very much aligned with my aspirational style of fine art black and white photography
If you enjoyed this, feel free to share it with another parent trying to get their kids outside a bit more!