Nature has the ability to calm us, to connect us with beauty, and to reconnect us to the earth and environment.
Here are some of my favourite activities to do outdoors and in nature with your children:
Seasonal activities – depending on the season you could take a basket to the local park or a nearby forest to collect leaves, acorns, shells, sticks, rocks, stones, and pine cones.
Grow your own vegetables – you don’t even have to have a large garden to grow your own. You can start with a grow bag and tomatoes! If you are feeling more adventurous why not set up a potting station with some soil, a scoop and some seeds. Have a watering can at the ready.
All weather exploration
– there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing. So get some great all-weather clothing and shoes and stomp in those puddles, make a snow man, put on a hat and sunscreen and explore the beach, get out each and every day.
Find moments of quiet – find a place to sit and watch the clouds, to sit in silence, listen to the wildlife or just to breathe.
Make treasure hunts – make a list of pictures and work together to find all the items on your list. It could be in your garden, at the park, in the forest, or any outdoor place you have access to.
Build your own den, house, obstacle course.
Make outdoor art – Something we love at The Old School House Nursery - use mud, water, leaves, flowers, soil, seeds, grass and whatever other interesting pieces you can find. Lay them into patterns, make them into shapes, or work together to make a face or an animal.
Make a musical wall – hang in the garden old pots and pans, bells, and any other objects that make some sound when banged. Find some sticks to make some music.
Bonus: Anything to do with water – spraying the windows, filling a bucket and painting bricks with a brush, running through a sprinkler, making rivers with sand and water, or using a water pump at the playground.
Best wishes to you all for 2019 and Happy Outdoor Exploring Everyone
Sally X
