Here are a few ideas for avoiding the daytime cartoons. We all feel better for getting some fresh air and children especially thrive from it.
Build a den
A very simple and easy activity. What’s especially lovely about this one is that the whole family can get involved.
Go on a bug hunt!
Feeling brave? Grab a plastic container and head out into the woods for some bug hunting. The children will love you for it.
The Woodland Trust have a great range of spotter sheets.
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/naturedetectives/activities/2015/06/minibeast-hunt/
Please be careful not to harm the wildlife found and ensure that they are returned to the habitat in which you found them in.
Play Pooh Sticks
A favourite pastime for many and forgotten by most. This is a lovely simple family activity that can easily occupy a couple of hours of the day.
How to play
Every player selects a stick from the local area. At the same time players must throw their stick on the upstream side of the bridge. The first stick to reach the other side wins. It is best to play a best out of 5 to avoid an uproar!
Go sweet chestnut picking.
Autumn is the best time to go exploring in the woods. The trees are beginning to shed their leaves and it is such a beautiful sight, not to mention fun running in all the leaves!
Sweet chestnut picking is another great family activity. It’s best to take a tough bag for collecting if you won’t be de-shelling them on the walk. Sweet chestnuts are monstrously prickly so it is best to stamp on them with walking boots!
How to cook your bounty.
The best ways are to boil or roast. Score the flat side of the chestnuts with a cross first. This should be done for both cooking methods, as it helps with the pealing after cooking. Boil or roast for 15-20 minutes.
Make a mud pie!
You don’t need a trendy looking mud kitchen to make a few mud-cakes. Raid the kitchen cupboards or even grannies for some old pots and pans and create an area in the garden for children to create some recipes and let their imagination run wild!
Help your child collect a bucket of mud or you can use a mixture of play sand and potting soil. Add just enough water to make it mouldable.
Other things to consider adding.
- Glitter
- lentils
- Seasonal flowers
- Old cookie cutters
- Scoops and whisks
- Water dispenser or an outdoor tap that you can monitor!
Build a Stick Raft
Simple and inspiring activity that both boys and girls will enjoy.
- Collect 4-5 sticks per raft that are fairly straight, about 1cm thick and are about the size of a pencil.
- Tie a simple knot around each end of the sticks and continue adding the others with the same simple knot.
- Tie a double knot on the last stick.
- Add sails to the rafts with leaves or a little bit of old fabric.
- Find a local stream to race the rafts together.