With the 30 Days Wild challenge quickly approaching in June (more about that at the bottom of the page) I wanted to dedicated this blog to easy and FREE nature activities that everyone can get on board with! Whether you only have fleeting moments to get outside or spend your life in the outdoors these activities are timeless and so much fun for all the family.
Den building
This was one of my favorite childhood activities so clearly has to be top of my list! Fort/house/wigwam/tipi/lean-to/cave/den building is such a fun and easy activity that can easily be transferred from inside to outdoors.
If this is a new activity for you then start simple by stacking sticks and branches along a fallen tree to create a lean-to. Once you start gaining confidence then move on to tipi structures!
Here is a wonderful link to The Woodland Trust on how to get started with den building including 3 different styles of outdoor den to try (and an indoor one as well).
Always dismantle your buildings before leaving the place you have created them!
Crown weaving
Who doesn't love donning a crown? They're so easy and so much fun to make and customize that this is a great activity for all ages! It can be something as simple as a daisy chain crown or try your hand at weaving a more elaborate flower crown! We like to use bindweed plaited together as a base and then fill them with wildflowers. Or for a more sturdy creation you can use Willow or flexible shoots/twigs which can be used over and over and over again.
Try making different designs, patterns and crown bases to see which ones you prefer and let me know your favorites!
This crown is made from pieces of chestnut tree with string wrapped around for extra flower holding. It's been going for 2 months now!
Flower Potions
A personal favorite from my childhood. My friends and I would spend HOURS making potions using daisies, dandelions, bluebells, buttercups and any other flowers we could find. Each one would have a different magical use (that we would change every time) and we would end up with beautiful, magical potions that were easy to make but would bring us hours of joy and laughter. Added bonus if you have any old bottles that you can put them in (spirit bottles usually work well!)
If you were to make a magic flower potion what would you put in it? What would it do? What color would you want it to be?
Try asking these questions to your kids before going on your own flower hunt and get them excited about it!
Nature Bingo
Bingo or treasure hunting? Whatever you call it, it's FUN! This is particularly good if you or your children like a challenge, either against yourself or turning it into a competition with the whole family. Who can find the most items on their card? Who can find them first? Ready, set GO!
I have a free Spring Bingo download that you can jump to at the bottom of the page
My printer has decided that sideways is the new black but I promise this prints properly on a normal page!
Pond Dipping
There is so much life in ponds if you take the time to look for it. I like to think of it as inland rock pooling. You never know what you'll find and this is the perfect time of year to see the metamorphosis of tadpoles to froglets to fully formed frogs! The RSPB have a wonderful page on how to safely and effectively pond dip, along with a fun ID sheet. How many can you find?
We're very lucky to have a pond in our garden and it is where Calliope spends about 80% of her waking hours
Sword fights
This one doesn't need much explanation. Find a stick or 2 and let the epic battle ensue! (Longer sticks recommended for the safety of fingers, light sabre sound effects optional but highly encouraged).
Lauchlan is always ready for battle
Nature art
Nature art can be some of the most calming and effective there is. Either use natural materials for your art, make tree rubbings or simply take your pens and paper outside to be inspired!
Here are 5 easy nature art creations you can do for free with items from around the home:
Dandy Lions - Take a piece of cardboard, cut out a circle and make some holes around the edge, draw a lion face and fill the holes with dandelions!
Tree rubbings - Take a piece of paper and a crayon, lean against a tree and rub the crayon lengthways to see the impressions the bark makes! This makes for great backgrounds for other works of art.
Flower pressing - Take a sheet of paper and a heavy book. Place your fresh flowers in the pattern you would like on half of the paper. Fold the other half of the paper over the top and then place the book on top of that! In 2-3 weeks you will have beautiful pressed flowers!
Flower printing - If you have an old white/light coloured t-shirt (or any white/light coloured fabric) you can make flowers prints on them easily! Take some fresh flowers (the brighter the better, forget me nots are wonderful) and lay them on half of the fabric. Fold the fabric on top of them and then BASH as hard as you can with a rubber mallet or wooden hammer. You'll soon see the colour from the flowers begin to show on your fabric! I recommend using a chopping board/plank under your fabric to protect the surface you're bashing on.
Nature paintbrushes - This is exactly what it sounds like. Take something from nature and make your own paintbrush! You can either use the item directly (grasses for example) or attach them to a stick to make a more traditional paintbrush. See what works best and which makes the best pattern!
We're very lucky to have a flower press but a piece of paper and a book works just as well!
Dandelion magic
Have you ever made a wish on a dandelion clock before? Did you know that each seed can glide for up to 2 miles before landing? Well if you or your kids love blowing the seeds into the wind then they'll LOVE this dandelion clock magic trick. Get a glass of water and a full dandelion clock (The more intact the better) and submerge it and watch what happens when you take it back out!
I was amazed when I first saw this and realized how hydrophobic the seeds are! It's definitely one to impress their friends, siblings, aunts, uncles, grandparents and the postman with!
Foraging
This is such a fun activity to do with children and can be done through most of the year but Spring is particularly good to start familiarizing yourselves with edible wild plants. Wild strawberries will be starting to flower, as will raspberries. Wild garlic is very distinct and fun to cook with. Primroses can be found in abundance along with violets which make wonderful wild decorations for cake baking. Dandelions also have multiple uses and ways to eat (dandelion and burdock any one?). If you're on social media I'm certain you will see dandelion honey popping up everywhere over the next couple of months (along with wild garlic mayo). If foraging and wild cooking is something you're interested in I highly recommend following @foraged.by.fern on Instagram. She also has a wonderful foraging book which you can find here
We also LOVE THIS foraging book for kids by Adele Nozedar. It's really easy to follow for children and adults and a great entry level book to safely foraging.
NEVER eat anything unless you are certain that you know what it is. If in doubt, spit it out.
The birds have been kind enough to *ahem* plant some wild strawberries in our flower beds!
30 Days Wild
This is a wonderful free challenge held by the wild life trust. You're encouraged to do (at least) 1 wild thing a day, every day in June. You can sign up for a postal pack or take part digitally here.
We've taken part in the past but it's something that has somehow completely slipped my mind the past couple of years and I'm excited to start up again once our pack arrives.
I feel like having the physical pack will keep me more motivated and focused on completing the challenge this year, what do you think?
If any of these ideas have inspired you I would love to see what you did on social media! Follow me @reaching_for_rainbows on Instagram and tag me in any wild spring play you have.
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