One for the bucket list

50 things to do before you turn 12

With childhood obesity on the rise and fears increasing about the amount of time kids spend online, the National Trust has decided to get children off the sofa and back out in the great outdoors.

The main campaign centres around the launch of the National Trust’s group of Elite Rangers - experts who’ll be on hand over the Trust’s Free Weekend (April 21-22) to offer top tips of making the best of the outdoors. Although the initiative is primarily aimed at kids, it’s also managed to capture our imaginations with the release the Trust’s list of 50 Things To Do Before You’re 11 ¾.

ABOVE: The National Trust Elite Rangers - from left to right: Midas the treasure hunter (Nigel Stannett, 29), Captain Skim (Mark Astley, 49), Tree-Man (Des Cotton, 38), The Bug Catcher (Laura Broadhurst, 31) and Den Boy (Andrew Hunt, 30)

Sparking nostalgic reveries about our own childhoods, the list encourages traditional ways to play like going sledging, playing conkers and rolling down a big hill, as well as outdoorsy activities including camping out in the wild, eating blackberries from bush, wild swimming and watching the sun rise.

ABOVE: Sledging and playing in the snow is essential say the National Trust

Check out the list below and see how many things you’ve already done – and why not make 2012 the year to try and complete it?

The 50 Things to Do Before you're 11 ¾

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

ABOVE: The great outdoors - perfect for camping, watching the sun come up, and perhaps even a spot of wild swimming

7. Fly a kite

8. Catch a fish with a net

9. Eat an apple straight from a tree

10. Play conkers

11. Throw some snow

12. Hunt for treasure on the beach

13. Make a mud pie

14. Dam a stream

15. Go sledging

16. Bury someone in the sand

17. Set up a snail race

18. Balance on a fallen tree

19. Swing on a rope swing

20. Make a mud slide

21. Eat blackberries growing in the wild

ABOVE: Nature's harvest - the National Trust encourage trying wild blackberries and eating an apple straight from the tree

22. Take a look inside a tree

23. Visit an island

24. Feel like you're flying in the wind

25. Make a grass trumpet

26. Hunt for fossils and bones

27. Watch the sun wake up

28. Climb a huge hill

29. Get behind a waterfall

30. Feed a bird from your hand

31. Hunt for bugs

32. Find some frogspawn

33. Catch a butterfly in a net

ABOVE: Number 7 - fly a kite

34. Track wild animals

35. Discover what's in a pond

36. Call an owl

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

41. Plant it, grow it, eat it

42. Go wild swimming

43. Go rafting

ABOVE: Number 16 - bury someone in the sand, maybe while you're doing number 23 on the list?

44. Light a fire without matches

45. Find your way with a map and compass

46. Try bouldering

47. Cook on a campfire

48. Try abseiling

49. Find a geocache

50. Canoe down a river

ABOVE: Number 19 - swing on a rope swing

What do you think? Are there things you did as a child that the National Trust should include? Tell us your thoughts on Twitter or in the comments section below...