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10+ Activities for Outdoorsy Families

Lockdown has left everyone with a little bit of cabin fever, especially the kids! Thankfully, there are still many activities you can pursue as a family under the current regulations. We’ve listed 10 activities below that are perfect to try with both young and older children. Each activity will not only provide them with hours upon hours of entertainment, but will also present excellent learning and skill building opportunities.

Fossil Hunting


This one is great if you have a little one interested in dinosaurs, but it’s also a great way to teach children about the prehistoric period, and perhaps even learn a little more yourself! Pack a picnic, some waterproofs and some sturdy walking boots and head to the beach with your family. Be on the hunt for fossilized wood, shells and even dinosaur bones (usually black or brown with a honeycomb-like structure). However, be sure the beach you are visiting allows fossil collecting as some places may be protected and won’t allow you to actually take anything home. If your beach does allow fossil collection, be sure to take some plastic bags with you so that you can take your findings home. Take the time to comb through everything you have collected with your kids once you get home and use this opportunity to teach them about the creatures which once roamed the earth. If you’re lucky enough to find any fossils, let your child pick a place to proudly display their discovery. Remember, there are also countless books and online resources dedicated to fossil hunting including tips on the best places to visit and advice on how to find fossils.
fossil hunting

Garden Obstacle Course


You don’t need a large garden to create a fun obstacle course for the kids, but if you are very limited on space you can always head to your local park or field and set up course there. The great thing about this activity is that it’s totally free since you can easily create a course using things you have around your home already. It’s also a fantastic way to get active with the kids and burn off some steam as well as providing mental stimulations and helping kids with their problem solving skills. Tailor your course to suit your child’s age, but make sure it’s not too easy. For tots and young children create spaces they can crawl through and step over. You can make things more challenging for older kids by adding more rules to the same course or making things a little bit trickier mentally. Here is a list of 25 different ‘low prep’ obstacle course ideas to help you get started.

Boat Race


This is a fantastic activity to try with young children; use empty and cleaned plastic containers, cartons, boxes and whatever else you can find to create sailboats with your kids. Then, get to work on your racecourse. Many different items can be used to create this: a piece of plastic guttering works wonders but you could also use a plastic sheet or bin liner. Arm your kids with a spray bottle, water pistol or straw and get them to spray/blow on their boat to help it to the finish line.

Woodland Scavenger Hunt

A scavenger hunt is one of the best ways to encourage children to explore nature. You can create your own scavenger sheet or easily download one online. The younger your kids are, the more simple and easy-to-find things you will want to include on your list to keep them interested. Things such as ‘pink flower’ or ‘white butterfly’ would be ideal. For older kids, make things a bit more challenging by including specific species of flowers, plants, insects and wildlife. You can take your scavenger hunt to the woods, the park or the comfort of your own back garden
family walking in woods with two children

Nature and Wildlife Photography


Thanks to the progression of modern technology, and the increasing quality of mobile phone cameras, photography has become a hobby almost anyone can take up. The next time you find yourself coming down with a case of cabin fever, gather up the family and head out to the woods, park or front lawn to take some snapshots. Of course, you don’t need a mobile phone to take pictures, if your kids don’t have phones/cameras of their own or they are simply too young kit them out with some cheap disposable cameras instead. Once everyone has taken some shots, have them printed or developed and create a scrapbook of your photographs. Some companies will even now print your photographs for free!
boy with camera in garden

Nature Art


Twigs, stones, leaves… nature is full of fantastic crafting materials that can be used to create an endless amount of artsy projects. We’ve listed a handful of our favorites below:
 

Leaf Rubbings

All it takes is some crayons, a piece of paper and some leaves to create a colourful picture that your kids will love. If you’ve never tried leaf rubbing before all you need to do is place the leaf under a sheet of paper and scribble over the top of it with a crayon. Make sure the paper is pressed firmly onto the leaf underneath to get the desired effect.

Stone Painting

Painting stones is a fun afternoon pastime that will leave your kids with a memorable souvenir of their day out. Encourage your little ones to collect stones and rocks that they like the look of the next time you head out for a walk or play with them in your garden. Give the rocks a clean then use acrylic paint or special markers to create colorful patterns and designs on them.

Clay Prints Leaves are excellent natural stamps and can be used to create pretty impressions in clay Gather up some leaves and get printing with your kids. Once you’ve baked your clay you can choose to paint it or leave it plain for a natural look that doubles as an expensive art piece lookalike.
colourful crayons on white background

Flower Pressing

Flower pressing is an inexpensive and reward hobby that can be enjoyed by kids and adults of all ages. You can choose to press flowers with a real flower press or simply use a heavy book and a sheet of parchment paper to create pretty designs that you can frame. Spend an afternoon with your kids, taking cuttings from flowers in your garden or wildflowers in your local area and press them together.
pressed flowers

Tree Climbing

Tree climbing is a humble, yet extremely fun activity that has been enjoyed by children since the dawn of time! Encouraging children to explore and express their adventurous side by climbing trees has been said to improve and develop kid’s confidence, build muscle strength and develop the ability to assess risk. So what are you waiting for? Make a day of it and set out on a hunt for the best and most climbable trees in your local park?
boy climbing tree

Planting Vegetables

Planting vegetables with your children offers many benefits: along with the satisfaction of growing your own food, it allows you and your kids to get outside, get your hands dirty and teach them where some of their food comes from. To keep kids interested, choose veggies that sprout fairly quickly such as salad leaves, peas and spring onions, all of which can be planted in summer. You can make it really fun and interesting for little children by giving them their own watering can and gardening gloves too!
girl watering plants
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