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12 Outdoor activities for families with young children
So that's homeschooling done for another half term and we don't have to think about it for another week (yay!). For those of you (including me) who now have no idea how to occupy the kids over half term here are a few tips! Whilst we can't get together for family photography I still want to help everyone through this and make some stonking memories along the way. Fear not if you don't have your own garden, most of these can be done at the park or open spaces or even in your own living room.
1. Go on a nature trail
Go on a nature trail round your garden. Write down or photograph what you see. Look for butterflies, worms, caterpillars etc. Don't forget to look under garden ornaments and loose paving slabs.
2. Build an assault course
Kids love climbing and scrambling so why not harness that and build an assault course using things in your garden. If you've got a competitive streak you could do timed trials.
3. Make some rubbings
I had completely forgotten that this was something we used to do as kids. All you need is paper and crayons. Make rubbings of leaves, stone walls, tree bark or anything with texture. Just hold the paper up to it and rub with the crayon. How colourful can you get?
4. Make a bug hotel
Kids love bugs and what better way to embrace that than by building them a cosy hotel (rent free of course!). Remember to provide lots of natural hiding holes. Try using old bricks, pipes, wood pallets, pine cones, bamboo canes, straw, bark or logs drilled with holes. The key is to build up layers upon a level surface. When you're finished just wait for the critters to move in, it won't be long.
5. Grow some vegetables or sunflowers
Most young kids will be learning about what plants need to grow at some point in the curriculum so although it's fun it's also a great learning experience. Although likely all the hard work will be down to you at least some home grown organic fruit and veg is yours at the end (unless you built that bug hotel next door!).
6. Paint some pebbles
The best thing about this is keeping all the mess outdoors! You need some large round smooth pebbles, which you can look for yourself, and some poster paints or permanent markers (works best if you can paint them white first). If you can't find your own you can buy kits from another small local business such as Creative Critters with Lauren.
7. Chalk drawings
Remember doing these as a kid? I do! Give them different colour chalks, let them go crazy on your patio or path and when the rain comes, it's washed away. You could even play noughts and crosses or hopscotch!
8. Make and bury a time capsule
If you have the time, or want a project to do a bit of each day of the week, then this is a great idea. No one can deny that we aren't living through a major piece of history right now and what a great way to document your family at this time for the future. All you need is a waterproof container like a tin. Fill it with newspaper cuttings, drawings, letters, photographs etc. then find a good spot to bury it. Don't forget to remember where that is!
9. Have a teddy bear's picnic
Which child does not have a hundred teddies? Now that you've invited the bugs to move in it's time to invite the teddies to an exclusive event! Bonus points if you can remember the song!
10. Hold a family sports day
This is one thing so many kids are going to be gutted to miss, the annual sports day. So why not hold your own? Just don't let the parent race get too competetive!
11. Daisy chains
Go old school and teach the kids how to make daisy chains, if you can remember how!
12. Press flowers
If it's not just daisy's littering the lawn why not teach the kids how to press flowers. You don't need a flower press just place them between sheets of paper and between 2 heavy books. Once dried they could use them to make cards to tell their grandparents how much they love them.
I really hope that's given you some ideas to try out in the half-term with your children. Don't forget to take lots of photos to document this time. If you do any please share with us below, and I hope to be back photographing your lovely families soon!
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Stay safe!
