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Explore · Wild and Tumble activity

Helicopter seed drop

Drop it high and watch it spin! Sycamore seeds twirl like tiny helicopters.

  • 10 min total
  • Low mess
  • Ages 2–5*
  • Indoors or out
  • Autumn
Let's do this

*Illustrative age guidance. Your child's development and circumstances matter more than a number.

A tiny plan for your day

Estimated time: 4 min to collect · 5 min to play · 1 min to tidy. It's fine to stop early.

Before you start

What you’ll need

  • A handful of fallen sycamore seeds, the ones with wings

Let's begin

Five simple steps

That's the whole activity. Tick each step off as you go, and stop whenever you like.

  1. Look under sycamore trees for the winged seeds.

  2. Hold one up as high as you can.

  3. Let go! Watch it spin down.

  4. Race two seeds. Which lands first?

  5. Try dropping from a step, with an adult holding hands.

All done!

That's every step. However it went, you made a little moment together.

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