Woodland Trust
Find your very own special tree. Trace the lines on your hands in mud, and search for a tree whose branches, twigs or bark match them. The matching marks might be tiny, so look carefully! If you’re very lucky, you might have more than one tree twin Can you find any trees that match the other lines on your hands? Trace the lines on your family’s hands and find a whole family of trees to match!
How many faces can you find in the woods? When you’re out and about, keep your eyes peeled for faces peeking from the trees Look for eyes hiding in the bark, and gnarled noses on branches How many animal shapes can you find? Can you tell how the tree is feeling, just by looking at its face? Tree faces often peep out from the most unlikely places who’s looking back at you from branches, trunks and stumps?
Get ready to fly off into the night, whoosh! Every good witch or wizard needs a broom to travel around on (or to play Quidditch!). Make your own in the woods. You’ll need: A long, straight stick A handful of smaller, slender twigs Some string A twig broomstick makes a great addition to a spooky Halloween costume!
How many different types of twigs can you find? Ready to be a real Nature Detective? Go on a twig hunt adventure who will find the most? Look for twigs on the woodland floor Can you find any sticks that birds might use to build their nests? Do you know where they’ve come from? You can find twigs all over the woodland. Try finding your favourites and collect them all together what will you make from your twigs?
Identify trees just using their twigs. Ready to be a real Nature Detective? Keep your eyes peeled for these twigs while you’re out and about. Do you think birds would use any of the sticks to build their nests? Look out for twigs on the woodland floor some are thin and short, some are fat and long Can you tell which trees they’ve come from? Look for twigs all over the woods. Use them to build something twig-tastic!
Use this iDial to help you identify trees all year round. Twigs give us lots of clues for tree ID, even if the trees are leafless – can you find out which trees your twigs have come from? Hunt for these sticks on the forest floor and among the branches Can you spot any new leaves coming through on the twigs? When you find a twig, try guessing which tree it comes from, then check your iDial to see if you were right. Make sure you take this iDial with you when you go to the woods or play in your garden. Once you’ve spotted some twigs, try making something from them.
Build a raft using twigs and leaves. Twig rafts are really easy to make. Just follow our simple steps. Try sticks of different thicknesses and lengths what works best? Float your raft on a puddle or pond how far does it go? Experiment with different types and numbers of leaves. Does it go faster with one long leaf or three short ones?
Use twigs, seeds and leaves to create this spooky skeleton. Use woodland items to make your skeleton all you need is your imagination. This activity is particularly perfect for Halloween Try making a whole family of skeletons you could even make a dog skeleton! Keep your eyes peeled for the perfect materials Leave your skeleton in the woods for other people to find. Watch our video and get ready to make your own twig skeleton!
Find twigs of different sizes and use them to build a tower. Twigs are so versatile you can use them to create all sorts of things! Gather some twigs next time you’re in the woods and have a go at making your very own sculpture. Build towers of different shapes and sizes Make a small stack or a giant tower! Use our twig ID sheet to learn which trees your sticks have come from.
Head into the woods after dark what can you see, hear, smell and feel? Take your torch and your grown-up and explore at night! Lots of animals are active at night how many can you spot? Use all your senses Wrap up warm and take a flask of hot chocolate Will you discover any creatures you don’t see during the day?
Predict and record this week’s weather using this weather diary. Try your hand at weather forecasting! Make predictions for the week ahead, then record the actual weather and see if you were right. Will it be sunny, cloudy, rainy or windy? Can you guess how much rain will fall in one day? Which type of weather is your favourite? Remember, whatever the weather there’s always lots to do in the woods. You just need a good rain coat and your favourite wellies!
Splish, splash, splosh – welly wanders are great fun for rainy days! You’ll need: Wellies Puddles Lots and lots of mud! Keep your eyes peeled for slugs and snails while you’re on your wander
Find out why leaves turn red and gold in autumn. Nature really puts on a show during autumn. And brightly coloured leaves are its crowning glory. Find out why and how leaves change from green to gold Learn the names of the other coloured leaf pigments Discover how the weather affects leaf colour
Identify birds that live in the woods with a printable iDial. When you go down to the woods today, look out for woodland birds and use your iDial to identify them. Keep your eyes peeled while you’re walking through the woods Listen out for bird song Some birds will be in the trees and some will be on the ground How many woodland birds did you ID? Which was your favourite? Did you hear them singing? See if you can spot any other birds while you’re on your travels.
Collect keepsakes from your woodland wander and turn them into badges. When you’re out in the woods with your little one, why not make a woodland badge? Make a mini memento of your journey Name each item as you thread it onto the string, and let your Nature Detective hold them How many different items will you find? When you get home, make a natural mobile using the items you find.
Build cosy winter homes for woodland creatures. Lots of animals and minibeasts search for somewhere snug to sleep when it gets colder. Make them a home! Pile up sticks, fallen leaves and other bits and pieces Remember that different creatures need different sorts of homes Make sure you build the home somewhere out of the wind Pop back to see if any little creatures have moved in!
Head off on a winter scavenger hunt and get collecting! How many of these winter signs can you spot? Be a real Nature Detective and tick them off when you find them! Keep your eyes peeled you may be surprised where winter treasures can hide! Items can be smooth, delicate, rough and prickly. Which is your favourite? Collect as many fallen items as you can and use them to make something amazing Remember to take a basket or bag with you when you set off on your scavenger hunt. That way, you won’t lose any items!
Use this guide to help you ID trees in winter. Trees have lots of clues when it comes to identifying them during the colder months. Find out what to look for. Take a close look at any buds are they pointy, sticky, clustered? Can you see any catkins? Use our twig ID sheet to identify other species
Look out for fresh snow, frost and icicles! Next time you’re in the woods, keep your eyes peeled. Can you find all these wintry treasures? Look for animal footprints in frost or snow who do they belong to? Can you find the biggest icicle or frosted spider web? Look carefully and you might spot glittering snowflakes Which other wintry spots can you find?
Buds. Catkins. Poo! What will you spot this winter? There’s still so much to spot during the coldest months of the year. So what are you waiting for? Get outside! Use your senses what can you see, hear, smell? Remember to look on the ground, on deadwood and in the trees Winter is an exciting time, and the bare trees make spotting animals and birds much easier How many have you managed to tick off? Did you spot any other wonderfully wintry signs?
Look out for these woodland birds next time you’re out and about. Lots of wild birds make their homes in the woods. How many can you spot while you’re on your woodland wander? Some birds prefer to eat seeds and insects in the trees, but others search for food in leaf litter. You might hear the birds before you see them, but keep your eyes peeled Sit still and quiet and wait to see if any birds appear Some birds are harder to spot than others, so you’ll have to look carefully. If you identified each bird on this sheet, try finding others. Which are your favourites?
Make up stories about woodland items. Use your imagination to describe things you find in the woods, and challenge your friends to guess what the objects are. Be as imaginative as you like look for fairy houses and dragon claws Try not to give too much away when you’re describing the items Make up a story about what you find and write it down when you get home Did your friends correctly guess what you found?
Go for gold and compete in the woodland Olympics! Will you be crowned champion of the woods? Find an obstacle course through the trees See who can throw cones the furthest in pine cone shot put Race your friends in a twig relay Make your own medals from leaves and award them to the winners.
Cast a spell to create the perfect wood! What are the magic ingredients for an amazing woodland? A dash of dazzling autumn leaves? A handful of giant muddy puddles? A sprinkling of trees to climb? Collect ideas, smells, sounds and textures. Mix them up, cast a spell, then go on a hunt to find your perfect wood.
Make your own Green Man or woodland spirit. The woods are said to be home to nature spirits, elves and fairies. Create your own using leaves, mud and other natural items. Choose a spot for your sculpture a tree trunk, large rock or the forest floor is best Gather fallen ferns, pine cones, twigs and leaves and make a face If there’s a big group of you, try making a life-sized figure Leave your sculpture behind for other people to find. Maybe they’ll be inspired to make their own spirit too!