Nursery •
Nursery
Begin making your first den
Use this table to record which colours you find where.
Create a colourful nest for this snuggly dormouse. Dormice spend their summers hiding in trees, then feast on hazelnuts and fruit ready for their winter hibernation. Colour in this dormouse and his nest. Create a collage using natural materials you find on the woodland floor Add felt or fake fur to your dormouse to make him super fluffy Did you know? Dormice are nocturnal
Transform into a dozy dormouse! Do you love naps and lazy lie-ins? Are your PJs your favourite clothes? Do you love snuggling under a cosy blanket with a yummy snack? If so, you’re like a dormouse! Print out and make up this marvellous mask to complete your transformation. Then strike a pose, snap a selfie and share your pics with us using #NatureDetectives
Using calk outdoors
What’s in the dustbin?
Can you find all these Easter-themed treasures? Head outside and explore this Easter, and keep your eyes peeled! Can you find everything on the list? Did you spot any different Easter-related items? Treat yourself to something chocolatey once you’re finished!
Turn an egg box into a treasure chest! Download our printable scavenger hunt lists, then stick them on an egg box and head off on a nature hunt. It’s brilliant fun for the Easter holidays! Decorate your egg box – make it unique Pick your own theme for your hunt colours, textures, scents… Use the different sections in the egg box to store different woodland treasures
Obstacles to getting outside and getting over them
Enter into a magical world and spot tiny traces of elves and fairies. Tread carefully through the woodland and keep your eyes peeled for signs left by woodland people. Look for secret doorways beneath trees and among rocks Remember, leave everything you find behind so that the fairies can use it again Have you spotted anything else the little people could use? Fairies and elves take care of the woods and trees and are very shy, so you might not see them when you visit but that doesn’t mean they re not there. How many signs can you spot?
Build a cosy home for woodland elves and fairies. Head to the woods and hunt for natural building materials you can use to make an elf house. Look for sticks, leaves, fallen flowers and seeds. Think about the walls, roof, doors and windows. Don’t forget furniture! Leave your forest friends a house-warming gift to welcome them to their new home. Elves and fairies are very secretive, so you might not see much of your new neighbours!
This sensory activity is great fun for young children. Go on a walk and look for natural objects with interesting shapes and textures. At home, set out your finds and some playdough then get stuck in. Press pine cones and leaves into the playdough to make patterns and impressions. Try chopping and rolling with sticks. ‘Plant’ sticks into the playdough to create a mini forest. Make funny faces with leaves and seeds. There are so many possibilities with this activity let your little one experiment and see where it leads! Grown-ups: please keep a close eye on your child when doing this activity, and don’t let them explore any items with their mouth.
A Curriculum for Excellence recognises that learning is embedded in experience. Outdoor learning is active, hands-on and can provide a real
Invite fairies to visit your garden through a secret door! Make a magical fairy door out of lolly sticks, buttons and beads. Stick the lolly sticks together in a door shape. Add a doorknob, letterbox, or window. Place your door against a tree, away from big feet and curious cats. Fairies and elves are very shy so you might not see them, but listen out for them knocking on your door…
Throw a tea party and invite woodland fairies to visit. Next time you’re in the woods, set up a tea party and give elves and fairies a treat. Keep your eyes peeled for food, cutlery and other party items What do you think fairies and elves like to eat? Decorate the party with flowers and bunting Don’t forget to make furniture like tables and chairs!
Super simple bird food. Your feathered friends will love these scrummy homemade treats. Little brothers and sisters will have fun helping with this activity Lots of birds will enjoy these treats keep your eyes peeled for ground feeding birds like robins, blackbirds and sparrows Make sure you keep feeding birds once you start they rely on it and may go hungry without your help This is messy fun, so make sure you wash your hands afterwards!
Get festive with these fantastic pine cone baubles. Add some seasonal magic to your home or Christmas tree. Paint your pine cones to add a pop of colour Keep some cones natural to help the others really stand out Attach some string or ribbon Ask your grown-up to hang your pine cones up on your tree or place them in your house.
Grab your favourite pens and pencils and create some leaf art! Get inspired next time you’re in the woods. Look out for a field maple tree and take a closer look at its leaves. Then get creative with this art sheet when you get home. Choose bright, spring greens or autumnal oranges Use tissue paper, grass and fallen leaves to create texture Make it look realistic by add tiny details like veins
Using items from your grounds to create an artistic feature
Gather bendy twigs, grass, leaves and flowers and make a crown. Will you be king or queen of the woods? Crown yourself or your friends using items you find on the woodland floor. You might need a grown-up to help you make your flower crown it can be tricky Add different colours and sizes of flowers Your flower crown can be as big or as small as you like it’s up to you! Remember to only collect items that have fallen to the woodland floor.
Head outdoors and see how many flowers you can find. Flowers burst into life during spring and summer. That makes it a great time to set off on a flower hunt. Are there any busy bees or fluttering butterflies among the petals? Some flowers turn into fruit, like raspberries, strawberries and blackberries Try using fallen leaves and petals to make your own flowers Flowers come in all colours, shapes and sizes
Use bright red pens and pencils and colour in this mushroom. Fly agaric mushrooms are the red and white toadstools often found in fairy tales. Draw a fairy peeping out from behind the mushroom, or sitting on top of it Cover the mushroom’s cap with red cellophane sweet wrappers that way, it’ll look like it’s out in the rain Did you know? There are more than 1.5 million different species of fungi on Earth!
Fun game to play outside
This video takes a look at some brilliant adult-led learning experiences in the forest school in Bradley Green Primary School in Hyde.
Colour in this fantastic fox. If it’s too cold or wet to play outside, create a foxy friend instead. Give your fox little black ears and feet Use crayons, pens, charcoal even old sweet wrappers and bits of newspaper! Make up a story about your fox. Where does he live? What’s his favourite food?