With Half Term upon us and spring in the air, now is a great time to get outdoors and explore our beautiful British surroundings.
We've pulled together a few ideas to keep the whole family entertained, and we've even got a couple of options for rainy days too!
Do you know all of your nearest woods? You may be surprised!
The wonderful team at the Woodland Trust have pulled together a handy map that shows your nearby woods, with a little blurb with what you can expect to find there. If you want to try out somewhere new for a Half Term adventure, you can check it out here
Need to keep sprogs entertained on a walk?
Journey sticks can turn a grumbly trudge into an engaging journey of discovery. Simply find a stick that’s 20-50cm long and wrap string, elastic bands, or colourful wool around it.
Children then have the task of finding objects to add to their journey stick by tucking them behind the wrapping. This is a great way to keep them entertained throughout the journey, and exercise their imagination!
There are a range of themes you can go for here; telling a story, making art, even looking for themes (colours, patterns, locations).
Want to do something closer to home? A very easy way to introduce gardening to kids (whilst not going as far as weeding duty) is the creation of a welly boot planter! This has the added benefit of engaging in a bit of upcycling - and if you have the time you can also paint the boots before you start to add a bit of colour to the activity.
Simply take an old pair of boots, punch some holes in the bottom, and fill the first 1-2 inches with gravel or stones. Then fill the remainder with compost or soil, and plant away!
Our favourite things to plant are Geraniums, Sweet Peas, and Milkweed (for monarch butterflies!). They can also try planting some vegetables - Carrots and Peas being a favourite here.
Just remember that if you’re planting anything large, you may need to add extra support to the wellies, or a bit of wind might topple your plants!
Another at-home favourite, and this one has the added benefit of including edible components, and being completely biodegradable!
Take the cardboard tube from the centre of a used toilet roll, smother it with peanut butter or lard, and roll it in seeds or sugar-free cereal.
You then thread string down the length of the tube and tie the tube up outside - before long you'll all be watching the local bird life enjoying the snacks you've put out for them.
This project is great because its super easy to do, and if there's one thing people should always have in their house, its toilet roll!
