Outdoor Activities
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?
This guide is designed to show you the range of possibilities when designing or developing high quality outdoor childcare provision.
The list provides examples of practice combined with site-specific and appropriate design. The images used below meet the specific site
needs and are designed to give an indication of what can be done. There is no one-size-fits all solution and they are not intended to be
prescriptive or exhaustive.
The aims of this teaching material are to make pupils aware of the effect consumers
have on global warming, and to make them reflect on their role as consumers.
Further learning goal is the use of tree as a carbon sink and the importance of
forests to combat global warming.
Young children thrive and their minds & bodies develop best when
they have free access to stimulating outdoor environments for learning
through play and real experiences.
CfE guidelines for Early Years are clear that “all aspects of the
curriculum can be explored outside. The sights, sounds and smells
of the outdoors, the closeness to nature, the excitement most children
feel, the wonder and curiosity all serve to enhance and stimulate learning”.
“Everyone says, the climate is
changing,” says Robert to himself.
“There is too much CO2 in the air. They
say they will do something about it. So will I.”
Wilma-the-wisp sits up in a tree. Robert has
not discovered her, so he cannot see, that she is
smiling. But she is.
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?
Help! – What is a tippy tap?
Help! – Can you help us make one?
Help! How do tie knots and what rope do I use?
Importance of children getting outside due to Covid
Help! How do we build a shelter?
‘Top 10 TARP TIPS’
There are lots of ways of providing handwashing facilities in the outdoors –
some offer a budget solution, some require a little more investment. Working
out how many stations, and what type, will go some way to helping you meet
the latest guidance and help to control infection, germs and viruses.
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.
To develop curiosity in the local environment and respect for it – To recognise instruments for measuring length – To be able to use a range of instruments for measuring length – To develop accuracy when measuring – To work together as a group
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!
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!