Woodland Trust
Go hunting for fantastic fungi. Fungi can grow in all sorts of places: in the woods, in the park even in your garden. Some fungi are brightly coloured, some are brown which is your favourite? Did you know that some fungi smell sweet and others smell rotten? Search for mushrooms under leaf litter and on dead wood Remember some fungi can be very poisonous, so never touch them.
Identify the birds that visit your garden with this handy spotter sheet. All sorts of birds make their homes in your garden. Now it’s time to see how many you can spot. Are you up to the challenge? Use nuts and seeds to tempt different birds to visit Look on your ID sheet and tick off each bird you see in your garden Remember to leave water out for birds to drink and wash in too Try experimenting with different foods. Try nuts, seeds and dried mealworms and see which birds prefer which foods. Are there any that come back time and time again?
Use this iDial to help you identify the birds visiting your garden. Be a real Nature Detective! How many birds will you spot? Go on a garden bird hunt and find out which birds visit your garden Tempt more birds to visit by leaving nuts, seeds and fat balls out for them Have you noticed any other birds coming to your garden? Take this iDial with you when you’re out and about, and see which birds you see on your travels. Are they similar to the birds visiting your garden?
Make the first letter of your name using twigs, fallen leaves, berries and nuts. This is a fun activity for autumn when lots of leaves and seeds fall from the trees. Make an outline on the ground using sticks. Fill in the letter with natural treasures. Can you make the rest of your name?
Collect sticks and make a nest big enough to sit in. Can you create a cosy, comfy nest? Create somewhere for you and your friends to sit in. Choose sticks in lots of different shapes and sizes Don’t forget to add soft dead grass and feathers to sit on! Do you think any birds would be impressed with your nest?
Can you find the tallest tree in the woods? This is a fantastic and really easy way to measure trees. Just find a tree that you think is a giant, and get measuring! Can you guess which tree is the biggest, before you start measuring it? Can you think of any other easy ways to measure trees? Try them out which works best? Once you know how tall the tree is, try measuring how wide it is! Challenge your friends and see who can find the biggest tree!
Grab some paint and get messy! This simple craft is a great way to introduce small children to spiders, and to show they’re not scary! Paint one of your child’s hands black Make two overlapping handprints on some paper Add some eyes Now give your spider a name, and count his legs!
Bake this tasty cake and impress your friends! Hands up who fancies cake for tea? Gather your ingredients and get baking. You’ll need your grown-up’s help as baking cakes can be tricky This cake is super scrummy yum! Invite your friends and family to tea and share your cake with them Can you make any other animal cakes?
Colour in this spiny snuffler using your favourite colours and bring him to life. You might be lucky enough to spot a hedgehog in your garden during spring and summer. Now try colouring one in! Hedgehogs love to eat slugs, worms and beetles Try using twigs and sticks to make spines for your hedgehog Hedgehogs hibernate during winter, so be careful around piles of leaves and sticks Now you’ve created your own hedgehog, try making him a nice cosy nest of leaves to snuffle through and sleep in.
Follow these simple steps to create a hedgehog hogitat. Hedgehogs need somewhere cosy to snooze through winter. Make them a hedgehog house! All you need is a wooden crate, lots of sticks and fallen leaves Make sure it faces away from northerly and easterly winds Tuck your hogitat into a quiet, sheltered spot where the hedgehog won’t be disturbed If you spot a hedgehog during winter, leave some food like dog or cat food and water nearby. Never give hedgehogs bread or milk – it can make them very poorly.
Go hunting in the hedgerows and see what you can find. Look out for hedgerow inhabitants while you’re out and about. How many can you spot? Search among the leaves, grass and brambles Use your senses what can you hear, see, touch, smell? Does anything else make their home in the hedgerows? Go hunting early on a foggy, frosty morning and spot glittering spider webs.
Colour in the glossy leaves and shiny berries of the holly tree. Use your favourite pens, pencils or paints to create a festive picture. You could also: Cut it out and hang it on your Christmas tree Turn it into a Christmas card Use lots of holly pictures to make a wreath or garland Did you know holly is evergreen? It stays green all year round! Head outside to explore – how many green holly bushes can you find? Are they covered in bright red berries?
Make a glittering, icy candle holder to brighten up dark winter evenings. These lanterns are super easy to make and look amazing! Add holly leaves, berries or conifer greenery to the water for decoration Freeze your lantern outside on a cold winter night, or pop it in your freezer When the water’s frozen, ask a grown-up to help you free your lantern from the container Remember, ask your grown-up to light your candle, and never leave a burning candle unattended.
Create icy decorations to hang up in your garden All you need is your imagination and a few woodland items easy peasy! Find unusual and interesting items next time you’re in the woods Ask your grown-up to help you put your art in the freezer Take a photo of your sculptures to capture them before they melt Be patient! The water might take a day to freeze, but it’s so exciting when you finally hang it up!
Keep a record of your adventures: make a super journey stick! Take some coloured wool or string with you next time you’re off on your travels. Then find a stick and tell the story of your journey. Which colour or object represents a different feeling, sight or smell? If you’ve been on a big adventure, choose a long stick
Have fun colouring in a lovely little ladybird. Start making your woodland world by colouring a ladybird in your favourite colours. How many spots can you count? Use lots of crayons or paints to colour your ladybird Do ladybirds wear shoes? How many? Did you know that ladybirds are red to warn animals and other insects that they re not good to eat?
Build a cosy house for ladybirds, lacewings and other minibeasts. Collect sticks, dead leaves and pine cones and create a homely hidey-hole for your garden minibeasts. Lots of minibeasts snooze through winter, and they like to be cosy and hidden Different minibeasts like different types of houses, but ladybirds love snuggling into dead leaves, sticks and pine cones Remember to tuck your ladybird house into a quiet, sheltered spot
Find out all about the life cycle of ladybirds. Use your iDial to discover ladybirds, and help you ID and name the different stages of their lives. You’ll need to look really carefully on and around plants, especially if you’re trying to spot eggs! There are lots of different types of ladybird how many can you find? Check out our ladybird ID sheet to see what sort you’ve spotted
Make your own ladybird stamps. Use a potato and paint to create lovely ladybird pictures. Nature Detectives will love this minibeast craft activity Turn your pictures into cards, wrapping paper and posters Create exciting backgrounds using grass, leaves and twigs Can you make any other minibeasts?
Create colourful ladybird pictures with this simple craft. Potato stamping is brilliant fun! Use it to introduce inquisitive youngsters to one of our most popular insects – ladybirds. Use a potato and paint to create lovely ladybird pictures together Dab spots onto your ladybird with your fingers Turn your pictures into cards to give to family and friends! Can you make any other minibeasts using potato stamps?
Make your own forest friends using autumn leaves! Get creative next time you’re exploring – gather fallen leaves and turn them into woodland animals, or invent your own mythical creatures! Can you make a hedgehog, a fox, a squirrel or an owl? Look for leaves that look like ears, noses, wings and tails Add some googly eyes for the finishing touch!
Collect fallen leaves in this handy bag. Look out for different colours and types of leaves. Gather up the most amazing ones you can find and pop them into this leaf bag. How many different leaves can you find? Discover which trees the leaves have come from with our leaf ID sheet
Make a boat from leaves, twigs and bark! Follow our simple steps to build a boat, then sail it on puddles or ponds. Choose a piece of bark or curved leaf for the hull (bottom) of your boat. Use mud to attach a straight stick to the hull. This will be your mast. Thread a leaf or two onto the stick to make your sails. Find a puddle or pond to sail your boat on. More ideas Experiment with leaves and bark from different trees – which tree makes the best boat? Add cargo. Load small pebbles, nuts or berries onto your boat does it still float, or does it sink? Have a boat race against your family and friends! Stay safe: Take care near water. Always tell a grown-up what you’re doing.
Catch as many leaves as you can! Watch for brightly coloured autumn leaves falling from the trees, then try and catch them! Challenge your friends and see who can catch the most Who can find the most different coloured leaves? Find out which trees the leaves have come from with our leaf ID sheet
Challenge your friends and family to a leaf-hunting competition! Head outside and hunt for autumn leaves. Who’s the first to find an orange leaf, a star-shaped leaf, a tiny leaf? Sort your leaves by colour, shape and size. Make a leaf rainbow!