Schools are out, kids are eager for the summer holidays, and parents are looking at the calendar, wondering how to fill the gap.
Well, it's picnic season, and you really can't go wrong with a few al fresco get-togethers spread out over the summer months. With hopeful good weather, our holidays can be filled with outdoor adventures this year, so it's time to dust down the picnic basket, bundle up the blankets, gather your friends, and find the perfect spot for a fun family picnic.
Follow our tips for the ultimate family picnic.
Don't Overthink It
Having a picnic with kids is completely different to a romantic picnic with views of rolling hills with chilled wine in the cooler. Keep the food simple and pack what you know the kids will eat. Bring the comfortable blanket every loves that is worn and used but loved. Throw everything into a bag instead of a wicker picnic basket. Don't expect to lounge, sunbathe, or spend hours watching the clouds roll by. Picnics with kids are often short, impromptu, and broken into two or three stops. Picnics with kids may even be roaming, roving, constantly moving picnics as you walk the hills or pick up shells along the beach.
Remember The Essentials
Food, drinks, extra snacks, blankets, games, a football, and sunscreen. Whatever the essentials are for you and your family, remember to pack everything you need. A first aid kid may even come in handy, or at least some plasters and wet wipes.
Plan Your Day
Choosing a good location that brings you into nature, such as a forest, open fields, historical sites, hills, and parks, will make your day more fun with adventure and give you a good space to drop everything and shake out the blanket when tummies rumble. Plan your day so that you know where the fun is, such as visiting an open farm or finding your way to a playground. Have everything packed the night before with foods and snacks ready and waiting in the fridge. Have spare clothes prepared in case someone decides to run into a puddle or jump over trickling sea waves.
Abandon The Perfect
We once spread out our blankets beside a rusty gate of a farmer's field because we were all so hungry and little legs begged to rest after a long cycle. We ditched our idea of the perfect picnic spot and quite literally parked our bikes in a ditch. The food never tasted so good, and we laughed at our unique spot as the cows came over to say hello. Abandon the idea of perfect and cherish the memories impromptu picnics create.
