A guide to foraging with your family

In an era where digital screens are taking over our lives, it’s never been more important to get outdoors and get active! Foraging may be one of the lesser-known outdoor activities, but it’s increasing in popularity, and rightly so.

Children, in particular, make excellent foragers and gain so much from it, learning quickly, developing a love for nature and gaining a lifelong respect for the environment.

But what is foraging?

To ‘forage’ actually means to hunt for provisions or food according to the Oxford dictionary. As with the popularity of home veggie patches, foraging food gives you the opportunity to cook what you’ve discovered, bringing a whole new level of satisfaction to the kitchen table.
And what a thing to teach a child! Foraging for edible plants that end up on their dinner plate!
A day can easily be foraged away on the lookout for edible plants and berries, enjoying the views, nature, the fresh air and feeling the sun toasting your skin. In fact, one of the best places in the UK to go foraging and take a foraging course is in Pembrokeshire, South Wales.
Aside from the breathtaking scenery and beaches there, you may join a guided foraging walk, or maybe a day foraging on the beach with toes in the sand takes your fancy?

The benefits of foraging for the whole family

For children especially, foraging is a true gift. It teaches them about nature in a dynamic, tactile way, learning how unique the environment is and what each plant can be used for.

Imagine learning what a plant’s purpose is, and whether it’s good for eating, or to be used in skin and hair products, as examples. And let’s not forget that foraging is just plain good fun! That same buzz you get from a day at the beach comes to those who forage.

You could make a treasure hunt out of a day foraging with the kids, or count how many edible species you come across and use it as maths practice. The best thing though is simply letting the kids explore! Let them loose and go wild – if they want to go barefoot, why not?

Foraging is a wonderful experience for parents and children alike, and there’s history to learn too. If you travelled back to your ancestors’ era, you’d understand that foraging is their main source of sustenance – long before the introduction of agriculture and more contemporary farming methods.

Nowadays, we’ve all but lost that ‘natural’ ability to forage for food, instead opting for so-called easier options of home deliveries and instant meals. It certainly gives us food for thought – pun intended!

Perhaps this is why foraging is so appealing?

Not only does it take us back to our roots, but we have the opportunity to get closer to the natural world too, which is what many of us crave today.

So why not experience foraging yourself and join us in Pembrokeshire, Wales? Register your interest in our upcoming foraging courses today.