FROM rolling down hills to birdwatching, these are the 50 activities every child should do before they turn 11 3/4. How many did you grow up doing?

More than four in five adults say their children spend less time playing outside than they did at their age, according to research by the UK's National Trust.

So, in an effort to entice youngsters away from their TV screens, the charity asked children to name their favourite outdoor activities. As a result, 15 fresh ideas - including running barefoot in the grass, star-gazing and exploring a cave - have been added to last year's list of '50 things to do before you're 11 3/4'.

The initiative followed a study that found if children do not form a connection with the great outdoors before they are 12, they are far less likely to later in life.

"In Australia, we are so lucky to have so many opportunities to get outside that are right on our doorstep" says Kidspot's mum of three Ella Walsh. "My family are so fortunate to live in an area where we are close to the beach as well as big open spaces where my kids can happily play for hours. They have grown up clambering over rocks, trawling for shells, and hunting for crabs. They learnt to ride their bikes on the coastal walkways and to kick a ball in the parks near our home."

Almost a third of the 1,700 youngsters who took part in the research said going on a long bike ride was their favourite outdoor pursuit.

Interestingly, another popular addition was bird watching, with one in ten children listing it in their top three outdoor activities.

"Star gazing is a great one as well," Margaret Rafferty from Kidspot's Parent Exchange told news.com.au. "Last December I got my nine-year-old up at 1am so we could go and look at the Geminids meteor shower. It was such a special experience."

And while it's puzzling to some, Kidspot's Ruth Devine loves the inclusion of conkers on the list. "Playing conkers was a rite of passage in our house growing up," she said. "We'd spend hours baking them in the oven or soaking them on vinegar to harden. Now I love doing this with my own kids. Gathering conkers is a favourite way to spend a blustery autumn day. And as for playing Pooh sticks, I cannot walk across a bridge without having a go and nor can my kids."

Here's the list - what are your favourites?



ADVENTURER

1. Climb a tree

2. Roll down a really big hill

3. Camp out in the wild

4. Build a den

5. Skim a stone

6. Run around in the rain

7. Fly a kite

8. Catch a fish with a net

9. Eat an apple straight from a tree

10. Play conkers (a game played using the seeds of horse-chestnut trees)

DISCOVERER

11. Go on a really long bike ride

12. Make a trail with sticks

13. Make a mud pie

14. Dam a stream

15. Play in the snow

16. Make a daisy chain

17. Set up a snail race

18. Create some wild art

19. Play Pooh sticks (A game played in Winnie the Pooh, where you drop a stick off the upstream side of a bridge to see whose comes out first downstream)

20. Jump over waves

RANGER

21. Pick blackberries growing in the wild

22. Explore inside a tree

23. Visit a farm

24. Go on a walk barefoot

25. Make a grass trumpet

26. Hunt for fossils and bones

27. Go star gazing

28. Climb a huge hill

29. Explore a cave

30. Hold a scary beast

TRACKER

31. Hunt for bugs

32. Find some frogspawn

33. Catch a falling leaf

34. Track wild animals

35. Discover what’s in a pond

36. Make a home for a wild animal

37. Check out the crazy creatures in a rock pool

38. Bring up a butterfly

39. Catch a crab

40. Go on a nature walk at night

EXPLORER

41. Plant it, grow it, eat it

42. Go swimming in the sea

43. Build a raft

44. Go bird watching

45. Find your way with a map and compass

46. Try rock climbing

47. Cook on a campfire

48. Learn to ride a horse

49. Find a geocache

50. Canoe down a river

- With Nick McDermott and Kate Midena