Outdoor Activities
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?
Why are trees important?
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.
According to the Toy Hall of Fame in the USA, the humble
stick is the oldest toy in the world, played with by humans
and animals alike.
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?
Great for…
• History understanding how Viking culture has affected
British society
• RE rituals and the religious significance of death
• English creative writing
Fun activity to start your Forest School session.
What can you and your class expect? The topic of water in the forest is quite common. Why then should you
use this particular guide? Isit not just another set of worksheets? This time we tried to approach it from a
“different” perspective. We planned the worksheets and the individual activitiestogether with teachers and
experts as one unit, thatshows teachers and their class a way to tackle the topic from different angles(pupils
will not only find out about some of the intracacies of the forest ecosystem, observe water directly in the
forest, but also plan how to correctly pack for a trip to the forest and have a go at doing something good for
the forest)
Play is an essential part of children’s lives and is vital to their development. The importance of play in contributing to the health and
well-being of children, extending through childhood and beyond, is
universally acknowledged. As an essential ingredient to the
social, physical, intellectual, creative and emotional development of
children, play provides a mechanism for them to explore the world
around them, develop and practice skills.
This resource has been developed to inspire you to provide and
create playful opportunities for children in your care. The resource is
divided into five sections. Each section provides an overview of play
along with some ideas of things that you can do to support it.
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!
Looking at how animals and plants are linked together
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
What to wear outside
“Help – I’m starting Outdoor Nursery, what should I wear?”
To develop curiosity in the local environment and respect for it – To work together as a group – To promote responsibility among the senior pupils – To stimulate creativity – To learn new skills
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.
The next time you are out and about
with your little ones, encourage them
to make the trip more interesting by
taking a walk on the wild side!
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.