ATTEMPTS to prise youngsters away from their computer games and the television are under way in Middlesbrough.

Children are being taught how to build dens, the delights of walking, parachute games and art work using recycled materials.

The initiative is designed to better equip youngsters for future life by interacting with one another in group play.

Middlesbrough charity, Environment City, has so far involved nearly 600 children in its Play for All scheme.

Play groups and those involved in running play schemes have been trained in environmental play techniques.

Jill Dodds, environmental play officer with Middlesbrough Environmental City, said: "Computer games have their part. Children may be playing someone else on a game, but that is as far as it goes.

"The main idea is to get them more active and more aware of the environment.''

Earth walks encourage children to use their senses of smell and touch and to sharpen their awareness of their surroundings and enjoy healthy outdoor play.

Mrs Dodds, who is a mother, said: "Part of it is to try and get them to take positive risks; to see how far you can go; how to respect the elements such as playing near water and, through that, learn what they can and cannot do.

"It is a necessary experience for children, they enjoy it and it is not a chore. We do evaluations, all the normal things play projects. And the outdoor activities come out as being more enjoyable.

"If they don't share these experiences, they don't learn and when the time does come when they are faced with a situation they wont know how to respond."

Middlesbrough Environmental City's funding runs out at the end of this year.

Its aim is to persuade the National Lottery to give them a grant to continue for a further year.

In the meantime, children in Middlesbrough can look forward to a week packed full of outdoor fun, including trips, pond dipping, nature sculpting, looking for water voles and visiting a nature reserve.