No matter where you are, you can embrace nature and make it fun for children with these easy activities
Between the homeschooling and daily PE, parents have plenty to keep them occupied right now. With the Covid-19 crisis restrictions requiring us all to stay home and exercise within a 2km radius, the days can become repetitive very quickly. We’ve put together some easy activities for children and parents to try that might help to liven up your time at home.
Make a nature trail within your 2 kilometre radius:
By now you’ve probably seen all there is to see within 2km of your home, but there’s always more to discover. Check out this handy nature trail guide for young children, to help them to discover natural wonders on their doorstep. Made by KidsDaysOutReviews.co.uk, you can download and print the PDF here.
Or try a scavenger hunt where you can bring home the items you find:
Make a bird cake and watch the birds enjoying it:
From balconies to back gardens, there is always some sort of bird watching that can be done with little ones. See this handy window chart on CJ Wildlife. The website specialises in wildlife tools and learning – check out their live camera feeds to see brand new chicks in their nests. They also have a great recipe for making a colourful bird cake – see the full PDF here.
Instructions:
- Chop up the peanut cakes into a bowl and microwave until melted.
Stir every 2 minutes. Be careful – the fat will get very hot as it melts! - When melted, add the bird cake mix and stir until all ingredients are
coated in fat. Add to your moulds. - Refrigerate until the fat hardens – this can take up to 24 hours.
- Carefully remove from the moulds when fully set.
- Melt some fat to use like glue and create your cake.
- Soften and mix the unsalted lard so it looks like whipped cream and
place in the piping bag. You can colour the lard with natural colourings
such as berry juice. - Pipe the softened lard onto your cake to decorate.
- Add seeds, dried fruits, mealworms or berries to complete your
creation. - Put in your garden for the birds to enjoy!
Collect colourful flowers and leaves to make place mats, cups, posters and more:
On your next outing, encourage kids to get creative and collect as many colourful flowers, plants and leaves as they can. Once home, have them lay them out on the table and try and identify each one as they separate them into different piles by colour or size. Then, it’s time to decorate. This involves creating a colourful canvas using the plants, by sticking them to card or paper. You can then cover the artwork with translucent paper (or even clingfilm) to create posters, place mats or even decorate the outside of your child’s favourite cup. An easy-to-follow guide can be found on familyeducation.com.
