Woodland Trust
Keep your eyes peeled for fantastic fungi. Fungi can pop up at any time of year can you find these spring specimens? They grow on or around dead and decaying wood. Look carefully some fungi are tiny! Not all fungi are mushrooms some are bracket fungi and some are jelly-like Remember, never touch fungi some can be very poisonous! Fungi are hidden beneath the ground most of the time, but they usually appear above ground after rain.
Keep your eyes peeled for flowers, birds, bugs and leaves as spring bursts into life. Look out for signs of spring next time you’re out and about. Can you find flowers growing among the trees and grasses? Listen for birds singing What will you spot? Remember to use all your senses when you’re hunting for signs of spring!
Grab a collecting bag and hunt for spring treasures! Next time you’re in the woods, take this spring scavenger hunt with you and see what you can find. Search for flowers, twigs and leaves Track down different textures – smooth pebbles, soft feathers and silky petals Look on the woodland floor, in the trees and among the grass What other exciting spring treasures will you find?
Create a colourful squirrel. Grab your favourite colouring pens, pencils or paints and get crafty. Try making this cheeky squirrel from a collage of natural items Maybe you could turn each type of leaf a different colour? Can you find a real acorn for him to nibble on? What colours will you choose? Let your imagination run wild!
Transform into a super stag beetle! Do you love peace and quiet? Do you like spending time by yourself, doing your own thing? Do you love exploring the woods on a beautiful summer’s day? If so, you’re like a stag beetle! Print out and make up this marvellous mask to complete your transformation.
Grab your favourite colours and create a majestic stag. Colour in this stunning stag. What’s his name? Where does he live? Stick leaves and other natural items around your stag to create a forest Use crayons, pens, paints add texture with tissue paper and bits of magazines! Give your stag a leafy crown, or make one out of gold ribbon
Weave string through forked sticks to create a memento of your woodland wander. Keep your eyes peeled for forked sticks, and remember to keep a length of string or wool in your coat pocket! Use seeds, grasses and coloured leaves to create different themes Try using brightly coloured ribbons or wool The more unusual or interesting the items, the better How many woodland items did you weave into your sticks?
Can you ID all these summer flowers? Look out for summer flowers in fields, woods and parks next time you’re out and about. Some flowers might be easy to find, and some might need a bit more detective work! Do different flowers attract different insects? You might spot some flowers in your garden, while others grow in woods Flowers bloom at different times, so keep your eyes peeled!
What will you spot this summer? Next time you’re in the woods, keep your eyes peeled for leaves, minibeasts and flowers. Hunt among the trees and bushes Look up in the sky and on the ground How many different species can you find? Challenge your family and friends and see who can spot the most!
Head outdoors and track down summertime treasures. Keep your eyes peeled next time you’re out and about. Can you collect all these signs of summer? Look for daisies, buttercups and patterned petals Can you find a munched leaf and a nibbled cone? Hunt for fluffy dandelion clocks and blow the seeds away! Count five different types of grass Look out for green hazelnuts Can you track down a four-leaf clover? Remember to take a basket or bag with you to keep everything safe. What can you make with your treasures?
Take a deeeeeep breath! Can you smell the scents of summer? The woods are full of lots of different smells during summer. Sniff them out! Try and smell as many summer flowers as you can Does the wood smell different after it’s been raining? Which woodland scent is your favourite? Blindfold yourself or your friends and guess which smell is which. How many different ones can you identify?
Spot signs of animals and insects, and discover who’s been visiting the woods. Be a real Nature Detective and get sleuthing! Use all your senses while you’re out and about Remember to look in the trees as well as on the ground Sit still and listen: what can you hear? What else can you find? Explore under logs and leaf litter, listen out for birds singing, and keep your eyes peeled around ponds.
Can you find these tree-themed spots on your travels? Next time you’re off on a long journey, keep your eyes peeled for trees. Hunt for trees in unexpected places like street names Can you find any other woodland-themed things? Who can spot trees the quickest? Set themes like trees, woodland animals and birds, and see what you can track down!
Follow a secret trail to discover treasures remember, x marks the spot! Discovered something wonderful in the woods? Leave a trail your friends can follow and lead them to secret treasure. Use sticks and other natural items to mark out your trail If there’s a big group of you, make lots of different trails Challenge your friends to find treasures and make their own trails
Brighten up a cloudy day with this sunny craft. Encourage young children to be creative with this simple art sheet. Help babies fill the outline with yellow handprints Toddlers can experiment with crayons, paint or felt tips Use sparkly sweet wrappers or foil to make a shiny collage Now the sun is shining whatever the weather!
Take this spotter sheet out into the spring sunshine and see what you can spot! Spring is such an exciting time to explore. Are you up to the challenge? Look out for blossom, catkins and early flowers Keep your eyes peeled for minibeasts! Listen for birds singing first thing in the morning Can you find any other super springtime spots?
Help your little one colour in this sycamore leaf and seed. Look out for dark green, brown and yellow leaves and coppery seeds twirling in the breeze. Sycamore seeds are sometimes called helicopters Use lots of different shades of brown and yellow to make an autumnal leaf Try making a creative collage using real sycamore leaves Look out for sycamore seeds while you’re out and about how many can you find?
How many woodland treasures can you fit in a matchbox or raisin box? Collect miniature twigs, pebbles and petals and keep them safe. Challenge yourself can you find lots of tiny things that are the same colour or shape? What can you make from your little finds? What else can you find? Squeeze as many bits and pieces as possible into your matchbox, and see who can collect the most.
Help! – How do we dry hands, kill germs and
save the planet?
A terrific game for thrillseekers! This fantastic game is lots of fun. It’s best played at twilight before it gets too dark to see where you’re going. Head to the woods with a torch. Hide among the trees, and move with the shadows. Capture the flag before you’re caught! Watch out for trip hazards like tree roots and fallen branches.
Create a beautiful butterfly with your favourite colouring pencils, pens or paints. Get inspired by real life tortoiseshell butterflies or let your imagination take flight and make a masterpiece. The Latin name is Aglais urticae Small tortoiseshell butterflies love sipping nectar from flowers Look out for them during spring, summer and autumn We bet you’ve created a masterpiece! Don’t forget to give your butterfly a name and make a space for him on your fridge or wall.
Use this texture hunt to bring the outdoors to life for your mini Nature Detective. Explore the woods together and discover a whole new playground through touch. Let little fingers grasp and hold these enticing textures Gently run the items over hands and arms Describe how each one feels smooth or prickly, soft or rough? Introduce your little one to the natural world. What makes them giggle? Which textures do they like best?
Colour in a tree and start growing your little one’s very own woodland! Inspire your mini Nature Detective to paint their favourite tree on a walk in your local woods. Help your little Picasso paint a totally unique tree. Green in summer or orange in autumn Stick leaves, blossom or berries to their tree to make it complete Which wildlife lives in your little one’s tree? Do they make any special sounds? Create a habitat for your little one’s favourite woodland animals. Stick their designs to cardboard boxes to make a miniature glade!
Help your little one have lots of messy fun fingerpainting their own tree. Use this outline of a tree as the base for a colourful painting of their own. Paint with lush greens in summer and warm orange colours in autumn Use their littlest fingers for small leaves and their thumbs for bigger ones Stick leaves, blossom or seeds to your tree for a wild texture Why not get everyone involved and create your own family tree? Share this stencil with friends and family and plant a whole forest of fingerpainted trees.
Grab a some sticks and tap out a drumbeat! All you need is a sturdy pair of sticks and a tree stump, and you’ve got your woodland drum! Try your drumsticks on different textures is there a difference in the sound? Paint your drumsticks bright colours, or draw a pattern on them Make other natural instruments and set up your own woodland orchestra!