Keeping Warm with Protest Sportswear

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It’s been a strange old year 2020, and it doesn’t look like it’s set to get any better sadly. It’s meant that I have had to rethink our approach to education completely. It can be far too easy to not actually leave the house for a few days, especially as the winter comes and it gets wetter and colder. The children, of course, love nothing more than bounding around in muddy puddles in the rain but I will admit to be less than enthusiastic!

I decided that this year my warm winter coat need a bit of an upgrade. I have a fab light waterproof jacket but my warm coat isn’t waterproof and there were far too many days last winter when I was getting soaking wet through. I always think if you dress well for the bad weather, it makes everything that much more bearable.

Getting wrapped up for the colder months

The children love getting out in the woods, and it’s something I am keen to do this autumn and winter. There are a few spots we really enjoy going to and I am looking forward to exploring them this winter. My top buys for the Mancunian winter weather are:

• Wellies or good strong waterproof walking boots
• Waterproof trousers
• A warm women’s fleece.
• Gloves and scarf
• A warm jacket – I have opted for a ski-jacket this year.

I also find it helpful to have towels and blankets in the car for warming the children (and me!) up after a particularly cold walk. I also have bags that I can throw wet clothes into and then lift straight out to the washing machine.

Keep moving

It’s important to keep moving when out walking; I find that I get too cold if I’m stood still for too long when we get to the colder weather so by keeping moving I can stay warm and keep outdoors longer. The children are often off clambering up embankments and trees and I need to find a way to keep them moving onwards! I have found when I’m out on my own with them if we have a purpose for the walk, such as looking for something or collecting something, it can help bring them back down and carrying on if I find I’m getting colder.

Pick a Regular Day To Head Out

We try and head out for a walk on a Friday afternoon each week, to end the week and recap the things I think they’ve done well at and to chat with them about anything they’ve found a challenge. It’s also a good opportunity to talk about the plan for the week ahead. My children are certainly missing the routine of pre-covid life, and they’ll often ask me what’s next and what are we doing. I don’t want to over-schedule their days, but they (and I) find it useful to have a loose plan to operate within.  We tend to have a few bits and pieces noted down to work on and then we can pick our walks as and when we need them. But, having that regular day to head out really helps us.

Be Bright

I’m a big fan of bright colours on children, not least because it helps me spot them easily when they’re off clambering through the trees or running off into the distance. When Protest offered me a Women’s Ski-Jacket to try I knew I was going to have to choose the bright yellow one! I have been really impressed with the jacket. It doesn’t feel that thick but it is super warm. It’s also VERY water-resistant as I found out when I was doing a long walk with Daniel at the weekend! The rain was relentless but I was kept perfectly warm and dry! The seams are all full tapes which stops water coming in through stitching and there are lots of pockets meaning I don’t need a bag to carry keys or my phone. It’s also super comfy.

The sizing is (I would say) on the generous size, and I probably could have got away with going down a size, but I have been super impressed with the jacket and I know that when the bitterly cold weather arrives I will be kept snug, warm and dry! There’s also a men’s range of jackets and fleeces available too and they’re well worth looking at if, like me, you anticipate a lot of colder walks this winter.

Embrace Nature

Finally, the biggest thing you can do when getting out and about in the colder, wetter weather, is to enjoy and embrace the nature and changing world around you. I love autumn and seeing how the landscape changes. I enjoy watching the children run and kick piles of leaves and watch as squirrels scurry. I enjoy spotting the changing birds that we see on our walks and I’m looking forward to exploring more this winter, especially now H can walk for much further.

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