T
he Easter holidays are upon us and with the rise of technology it’s becoming increasingly important to get children active outdoors, thinking for themselves and making exciting discoveries. As spring
arrives and the weather warms up, this time of year is ideal for engaging young ones with nature and creating the perfect environment for inspired, adventurous learning.
Naturedetectives.org.uk, a website run by The
Woodland Trust, offers over a thousand nature- based activities available for families, children and teachers to download completely free. Each resource provides hours of fun that incorporates learning, nature and creativity, and can be adapted to suit children of all ages.
Here is a selection of the fun-filled Nature Detectives downloads available at:
www.naturedetectives.org.uk/spring
Spring Nature Trail
Grab your coats and look for Mother Nature’s clues that spring has arrived. This downloadable check list includes frogs, snails, leaves and butterflies and is ideal for slipping in your pocket before a family walk. The check list, along with the DIY spring Nature Trail, is particularly effective at encouraging little ones to open their eyes to the natural world around them. It’s also great for educating the whole family on
species they may never have heard of. Challenge your children to see who can tick off the most things and bring prizes as incentives.
www.naturedetectives.org.uk/download/ trail_spring
Spring play booklet This activity-packed booklet contains a range of ideas for things to do outdoors including the bird nest challenge, the texture scavenger hunt, an ‘animal tracks in the mud’ guide and much much more. Download and print the booklet and work through it with children as the holidays progress.
www.naturedetectives.org.uk/download/ booklet_play.htm
The woodland log booklet This log booklet is a great keepsake for children that they can make about their trip to the woods. It includes lots of space for drawing, writing notes and poems, and is great for keeping the kids busy away from computers and the TV for an afternoon.
www.naturedetectives.org.uk/download/booklet_ play
Spring colouring sheets These printable wildlife art outlines are not only great for colouring in, painting, making collages and tracing, they’re also great for making children aware of the things they might see or hear this season. Let them colour the templates however they please and encourage them to absorb each species name and their particular attributes.
www.naturedetectives.org.uk/download/ colouring_sheets
Colour bingo cards
How many colours can your children spot in nature? Print the game cards, head outside and let children play Nature Detectives ‘colour bingo’. Encourage them to spot the green in the leaves, the brown of mud, or challenge them to find something harder that’s pink or orange. There are two choices of bingo game cards: quick or long, so choose the best set wisely depending on the age of the children and the time you have.
www.naturedetectives.org.uk/ download/bingo_colour
Bug bodies game
On a rainy day these printable minibeasts are fantastic fun for little hands and minds. Print and cut out the templates beforehand, then encourage the children to create their own marvellous minibeasts. Encourage them to swap bug bodies, head and legs, create a minibeast family or even create bug names and personalities! Let their imaginations run free and their enjoyment levels will soar.
www.naturedetectives.org.uk/download/make_ minibeasts_jigsaw
Weather diary Typically the weather is extremely unpredictable this time of year; this simple weekly diary allows children to record the changing conditions be it temperature, rainfall, wind speed or cloudiness. This activity is a great means to get children outside every day and really highlights the variety of weather and climate.
www.naturedetectives.org.uk/download/ weather_diary
Spring spots poster This spring scene poster is jam-packed with wildlife and different habitats. Download and print the poster and accompanying stickers, stick each sticker on the poster where the children spot the plant, flower or animal. If it’s a nice day, take your poster and stickers outside and ask the children to try looking for each sight in the real world first, and then try to match them on the poster. This activity will encourage children to take in their surroundings as well as improve their awareness of the natural environment.
www.naturedetectives.org.uk/download/ spots_spring
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