Outdoor Activities
Let your little Picasso spread their wings with this butterfly colouring page. Brilliant blue, garden green, pretty pink or regal red. Whatever their favourite colours are, help your mini Nature Detective embrace their creative side. Inspire your little one with a butterfly spotting adventure Use paints or crayons the more colourful the more beautiful Count the spots and see how many more they can add Make some friends for your butterfly in different colours and create a beautiful butterfly garden
Create a butterfly feeder for your garden. Help butterflies with this simple nature activity and get a closer look at these beautiful insects! You just need some mushy ripe fruit, a paper plate and some string. Experiment with different fruits which are more popular? How many different types of butterfly visit your feeder? Do any other insects or animals come to your butterfly feeder? Use different sized and coloured paper plates to see which attracts more butterflies.
Paint your little explorer’s feet with bright colours and make a butterfly. Step into nature and help your mini Nature Detective to get creative! Every new beautiful picture is totally unique to your little one Layer their footprints with different colours the more the better Name your new breed of butterfly
Make an iDial to identify butterflies you spot on your travels. Keep your eyes peeled while you’re out in your garden or the woods. Spot butterflies basking in the sunshine Which flowers are their favourites? Try following a butterfly as it flutters. Where’s it going? Did you know? Some butterflies hibernate during autumn and winter, emerging again in spring.
Rustle up a sugary slap-up supper for visiting butterflies. Tempt butterflies and other insects to visit your garden serve up supper! Do they prefer brown or white sugar? Try golden syrup and treacle what to the butterflies like best? Which other creatures stop by for supper? Make sure you put the sugary supper among the flowers.
Make beautiful butterfly wings using the magic of symmetry! We’ve spotted a new butterfly in the garden but where are its pretty wings? Can you help it to fly by creating them? How many colours can you see? Where does your butterfly live? Find a real butterfly for inspiration Make sure you give your new butterfly a name. And don’t forget to show your friends and family all the pretty colours.
A problem solving task
To develop curiosity in the local environment and respect for it – To develop an understanding of camouflage in the local environment – To know animals that camouflage and why – To work together as a group
Bake this scrummy snack over your campfire! This recipe is super simple and tasty and what’s not to love when you’re cooking over a campfire? All you need is flour, sugar, salt and water. And a campfire, of course! Don’t forget jam, honey or chocolate spread yum! Ask your grown-up to help you Always ask the landowner’s permission before starting a campfire, and remember to put it out properly before you leave.
We asked outdoor practitioners from across the country for their ultimate all time TOP TIP. For tips that save your socks and your sanity, look no further!
Presentation about Carbon Dioxide and climate change
Can you escape from the cat in time?
Head off on a caterpillar hunt and see how many different types you can find. Look carefully under leaves and on plant stems to spot caterpillars. Caterpillars are the larvae (young) of butterflies and moths They can eat up to 27,000 times their own weight to get enough energy to transform into a butterfly The hairs and markings on caterpillars are designed to warn predators that they don’t taste very nice Make sure you don’t pick up or touch any caterpillars. They can be very delicate, and they can also make your skin itch.
School grounds focus: • Where are we now? • Where do we want to be? • How can we get there?
Making chalk drawings etc.
Easy peasy pine cone bird feeders. Feed your feathery garden visitors with these simple homemade treats. This is a great activity for little brothers and sisters they’ll love mushing the mixture together! Hang your feeders near a window and keep your eyes peeled for visitors It’s important to keep feeding birds once you start they rely on it and may go hungry without your help This bird feeder activity is messy fun, so make sure you wash your hands afterwards!
A treasure hunt for spelling and language work
We had to search for the stocking. There was something red hidden in the thick trees
Keep your eyes peeled for holly, ivy and mistletoe! Woods are magical in winter, and there’s an extra-special sparkle at Christmas-time. Head to the forest for a festive adventure: Listen for robins singing among bare branches Spot glittering frost on evergreen leaves Look for fat red berries nestled among prickly holly leaves Can you find any other Christmassy signs?
Head to the woods and track down festive signs! Can you get a photo of each item on the list? Look for Santa’s boot prints. Can you find a tree shaped like Rudolph’s antlers? What’s red like a jolly robin’s breast? What other Christmassy signs can you find?
Make a festive picture or turn it into a Christmas card! Get creative and decorate this fir tree ready for Christmas. You could… Choose your favourite colours for the baubles Use real pine needles that have fallen off your own tree Recycle old cards or sweet wrappers and stick them on to create decorations When you’re finished, why not turn it into a Christmas card for a special friend? Eco-friendly tree decorations Many Christmas decorations are made from plastic – tinsel, garlands and glittery baubles – so they’re not kind to the planet. Have a go at making your own plastic-free Christmas decorations instead using natural objects, paper and wool!
This is a great activity to do when children are a little tired after an energetic game.
A simple activity to write creatively
Use this spotter sheet to help you hunt out all the colours in nature. Grab your best detecting kit – it’s time to find these colours! How many will you spot? Look for colours in flowers, leaves and berries Can you find them all in the woods? What’s your favourite colour? Once you’ve ticked off all the colours, try looking for others. You could even make a picture using the colours you spot.
Grab your favourite pencils and pens and create your own comma butterfly! Rain or shine, you can colour in at any time. Use this comma colouring sheet and make a masterpiece. The comma’s Latin name is Polygonia c-album Get inspired by real life butterflies or use your imagination Use felt tips, pencils, paints or felt to make a magnificent picture What have you called your comma? Maybe you could colour in some other butterflies and create some friends for him?