Getting Outside This Easter!
The Easter holidays are approaching and we are looking forward to two whole weeks with our children. But what better way to spend the holidays than getting outside and learning about the natural world. Here are some low-cost ideas for some fun for all the family activities:
1. Art in Nature
One of our favourite things to do is head out into your local green space and forage for fallen twigs, leaves, grasses, and flowers. Bring them home and use them to make beautiful natural collages for your home! Just remember to only collect items that have already fallen to the ground, leaving flowers for the pollinators to feed from.
2. Go for a walk
It might sound simple, but something as straight forward as going for a walk can suddenly become the best adventure. Get your wellies on and go to your local woodland. Look under dead logs for insects, hunt for fantastic fungi, listen to birds in the trees above you, see what you can find.
3. Community Activities
Look around your local area to see if any of the nature reserves are hosting Easter holiday activities. Many reserves will put on low cost or free activities for the community. These might include learning to ID birds, pond dipping and nature based crafts.
4. Look for frogspawn
Do you have a local pond? Why not pop down to see if there has been any fresh frogspawn laid? Take photos or make notes of what you see and return to the pond at regular intervals over the next few weeks to watch the magic of the frog life cycle in action! Kids (and big kids) will love watching tadpoles develop tiny back legs and eventually hop off on their own adventures as fully grown frogs.
5. Bird watching
Bird watching is an activity that the whole family can get involved in. You don’t have to be an expert. You don’t even have to know anything about birds. Download one of the many free apps that are available on your phone and start using them to ID birds in your garden or bird song when you’re out for a walk. You will be surprised how quickly you start to recognise calls from far away tree tops. Local nature reserves will often have guides around the trails or in the hides who will be delighted to point things out to you and share their passion and knowledge about wildlife.
There are so many low cost and free activities you can take part in in nature, these are just a few ideas to get you started. The Wildlife Community store stocks plenty of fun items to enhance your adventures from bug houses for the garden, to great quality duck and swan food that you can give to the waterfowl in the local pond! No matter where you live, city centre or rural countryside, there is nature to be seen, all you have to do is open your eyes and immerse yourself in the wild world!