Stick and leaf nature wands
Create a make-believe woodland wand with big leaves and a smooth stick, then invent a little nature story.
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Explore a little wonder.
Curated, nature-inspired ideas. Find something worth trying, then make it your own.
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Nature sun catchers
Arrange large, safe leaves in a translucent paper window and see how daylight changes their colours.
Colour walk and sort
Go on a little colour walk, then group the safe things you noticed by shade, shape or texture.
Nature-inspired playdough exploration
Press safe, large natural textures into suitable playdough and explore the patterns they leave behind.
Leaf paint brushes
Use big, safe leaves as playful mark-makers and see what happens when you dab and sweep.
Woodland patterns
Arrange big fallen leaves into circles, trails or repeating colours, without needing a perfect pattern.
Woodland characters
Create an imaginary woodland character with modelling material and safe nature-inspired textures.
Woodland café
Open a pretend outdoor café with big leaves, empty pots and lots of imagination.
Changing seasons display
Make a seasonal picture display using safe leaves and colours, inspired by hanging nature mobiles.
Leaf picture stories
Turn a handful of leaves into curious creatures, little landscapes and whatever else you can imagine.
Nature colour detectives
Go on a tiny colour-finding adventure, in the garden, from a window or on a walk.
Tiny woodland pathways
Arrange safe sticks into winding trails, shapes and imaginative little journeys.
Hidden leaf patterns
Let nature leave its mark with simple paper and chunky crayons.
Rainy-day sound hunt
Listen to rain, wind and the changing sounds outside without needing to head out.
Little stone landscapes
Build temporary miniature landscapes using a few large stones and imagination.
Tree texture explorers
Meet the surprising patterns on trees by noticing texture, colour and shape.
Petal and shape spotting
Notice interesting shapes and colours in flowers without needing to pick anything.
Cloud shape stories
Look up together and turn changing cloud shapes into little stories.
Autumn colour crowns
Decorate a paper band with carefully selected leaves for a seasonal celebration.
Muddy mark makers
Make temporary patterns in a small safe patch of damp earth.
Window wonder journal
Pick one interesting thing through the window and capture it in words or marks.
Little journey sticks
Collect a little treasure at each part of your walk, then tell the story back together.
Leaf bashing prints
Tap fresh leaves and petals until their colours print onto fabric.
Leafy garlands
Thread fallen leaves onto string to make a garland for your window or door.
The great snail race
A gentle race for the slowest racers in the garden.
Nature's little band
Tap, crunch and splash your way to a little nature song.
Magic mud jar
Make a jar of muddy water and see the layers magically appear.
Fizzy mud potions
Turn ordinary mud into bubbling potions with two kitchen cupboard bits.
Puddle stomp
Make the most of a puddly day with a little splashing adventure.
Pine cone bird café
Make a tasty pine cone feeder and see who visits.
Teddy's tiny den
Build a little den from sticks and leaves just the right size.
Frozen nature treasures
Freeze little bits of nature, then free them the next day.
We're going on a nature hunt
Turn your walk into a story-hunt adventure.
Sink or float?
Guess, drop and find out with things you've found outside.
Stick people
Turn a stick into a little character with a face, arms and a story.
Follow my twig trail
Lay a secret trail, then follow it to a surprise.
Tree face friends
Press a ball of clay onto bark and give your tree a friendly new look.
Little bug hotel
Fill a plant pot with cosy hidey-holes and see who checks in.
Wool web wonders
Wind wool between sticks to make a web, then hang little leaf "bugs" in it.
Leaf cookie cutters
Use cookie cutters to press little shapes out of soft leaves.
Mud dough
Mix soil and flour into a squishy dough for rolling, squishing and shaping.
Sunshine prints
Lay leaves on dark paper by a sunny window and wait for the magic.
Footprint detectives
Look for real footprints outside, then make your own with toy animals.
Cress head friends
Plant cress in an eggshell and see it sprout in days.
Egg box treasure hunt
Fill an egg box with things that feel soft, rough, smooth and more.
Nature noughts and crosses
A classic game made with things you've found.
Quiet as a mouse
Move like a mouse and see what you notice when you're super quiet.
Little nature obstacle course
Make a little course from what's already there.
Rolly polly hill
Find a gentle grassy slope and enjoy the giggly ride down.
Hedgehog hideaway
Pile up leaves and sticks in a quiet corner so wildlife can snuggle in for winter.
Gutter rivers and dams
Send water racing down a slope, then build a dam to hold it back.
Barefoot feely path
Make a little path of trays and see how nature feels under your toes.
Conker roll painting
Let conkers do the painting as they roll through blobs of colour.
Goodnight sun
Wrap up warm and watch the sky change colour as the sun goes down.
Moon and star spotting
Wrap up, look up and spot the moon and the first twinkly stars.
Story stones
Draw little characters on smooth stones and tell stories with them.
Woolly worm hunt
Hide bright bits of wool around the garden for a hunt.
Tiny leaf boats
Make a little boat from a leaf and a twig and set it sailing.
Frost hunt
Head out on a frosty morning to find the most beautiful icy patterns.
Cosy nest makers
Make a little nest using only your finger and thumb, just like a beak.
Sticky nature bracelets
A sticky bracelet that collects tiny treasures as you go.
Pumpkin scoop and explore
Explore what's inside a pumpkin with hands, spoons and noses.
Bird bath splash
Make a shallow bath and watch who pops in for a splash.
Windy day streamers
Make a quick streamer and watch it dance on a breezy day.
Cardboard loom weaving
Tuck grasses, leaves and flowers through a simple cardboard loom.
Plant a spring surprise
Tuck bulbs into the soil and wait for a colourful surprise.
Ice cube painting
Freeze coloured ice cubes, then slide them over paper.
Snow colour spray
Spray coloured water onto fresh snow and make pictures.
Snow buddies
Make little snow people and decorate them with things you find.
Explorer binoculars
Make a pair from cardboard tubes, then head out spotting.
Stick measuring
Use a stick as a ruler and measure the world around you.
Upside-down mirror walk
Hold a mirror under your nose and see the world flipped upside down.
Little weather watchers
Look out each morning and draw what the weather is doing.
Dandelion wishes
Watch dandelion seeds float away like tiny parachutes.
Butterfly spotting
Find a sunny spot and see how many butterflies visit.
Seaside sand pictures
Draw in wet sand with a stick and decorate with shells.
Garden camp-out
Pop up a tent or den in the garden for stories and snacks.
Leaf pressing
Press leaves and petals in a heavy book, then peek a week later.
Leafy jar lanterns
Cover a jar with leaves and light it up with a battery tealight.
Leafy wellies
Decorate your wellies with wet leaves and see which ones stay on.
Clinky wind chime
Hang shells, keys and sticks from a branch to make a tinkly chime.
Autumn sensory tub
Fill a tub with autumn treasures for scooping, pouring and exploring.
Wildflower seed balls
Roll muddy seed balls, then throw them where you'd like flowers to grow.
Cinnamon stick bundles
Tie little bundles of cinnamon sticks and twigs to hang up.
Orange slice garland
Dry orange slices and thread them into a glowing garland.
Leaf shadow puppets
Make leaf characters and bring them to life in the shadows.
Stick hopscotch
A classic playground game made from sticks on the grass.
Our special tree
Choose a tree to visit and photograph throughout the year.
Tiny fairy doors
Make a tiny door from twigs and prop it against a tree.
Wishing leaves
Whisper or draw a wish on a fallen leaf, then set it free.
Make a garden rainbow
Make your own with a hose and a little sunshine.
Leafy fairy wings
Decorate cardboard wings with leaves and petals, then take off round the garden.
Garden treasure map
Draw a simple map of your garden or room, then follow it to hidden treasure.
Washing-up bowl pond
Turn an old washing-up bowl into a home for wildlife.
Little litter pickers
Tidy up a little patch of park, beach or street for the wildlife.
Mini witch's brooms
Make a little broomstick from a stick and a bundle of twigs.
Hanging stick tree
Tie sticks from short to long, then decorate with nature finds.
Evergreen plate wreath
Stick evergreen sprigs and pine cones onto a paper plate ring.
Wildlife-friendly reindeer food
Mix up a safe sprinkle that won't hurt garden wildlife.
Snowflake catchers
Catch them on dark paper and look closely before they melt.
Nature heart hunt
Look for heart shapes in leaves, stones, puddles and clouds.
Easter twig tree
Pop twigs in a jar and hang decorated paper eggs on them.
Steamy window drawings
Draw pictures in the steam with your finger.
Nature discovery bottles
Fill a bottle with treasures and water, then tip, shake and watch.
Little photographer walk
Let your child be the photographer on a nature walk.
Spring signs hunt
Go looking for the first clues that winter is ending.
Mermaid's purse hunt
Hunt along the strandline for egg cases left by sharks and rays.
Little weed posies
Pick a little bunch of garden weeds for someone special.
Bird beak challenge
Try picking up "bird food" with different pretend beaks.
Onion skin Easter eggs
Wrap eggs with leaves and dye them with onion skins.
Bluebell wander
Visit a bluebell wood and enjoy the colour and the smell.
Pick-your-own adventure
Visit a pick-your-own farm for strawberries, apples or pumpkins.
Muddy animal wash
Splash plastic toys in mud, then give them a bubbly bath.
Tree stump birthdays
Count the rings on a tree stump to guess its birthday.
Nature washing line
Hang nature finds on a low washing line with pegs.
Leafy animal impressions
Use leaves as props to turn into animals and guess each other's.
Little fossil dig
Uncover hidden "fossils" in the sandpit with brushes and spoons.
Puddle portals
Look into still puddles and take magical reflection photos.
Tree shake surprise
Give a branch a gentle shake over a white sheet and see who drops in.
Recipe for a woodland
Make up a recipe for your favourite outdoor place.
Team stick sculpture
Take turns adding sticks to a shared sculpture, then give it a name.
Muddy water filter
Build a filter from layers of stones, sand and grass.
Woodland house hunters
Find the perfect new home for a toy animal.
Stick ramps
Make a ramp from two sticks and race conkers, acorns or balls down it.
Stick fishing rods
Make a pretend rod and catch leaf fish from a puddle or pond of grass.
Choose a walking stick
Find the perfect walking stick and take it on an adventure.
Wattle and daub wall
Weave sticks into a little wall, then cover it in squishy mud.
Giant ice marbles
Freeze coloured water in balloons to make huge ice marbles.
Glowing snowballs
Pack snowballs around a battery light and watch them glow.
Soapy wet felting
Turn fluffy wool into a felt ball with soap and warm water.
Yule log centrepiece
Decorate a log with evergreens and pine cones for winter.
Well-dressing petal pictures
Press petals and leaves into a slab of clay to make a picture.
Take it apart
Gently take apart a flower, pine cone or seed head to find all its parts.
Stick xylophone
Hang sticks of different lengths and play a woodland tune.
Painty toes walk
Walk through paint and make a footprint trail on a long sheet of paper.
Pebble balancing towers
Stack smooth pebbles into wobbly towers.
Sandcastle kingdom
Build sandcastles and decorate them with seaside treasures.
Sand mermaid tails
Cover legs with sand and shape a shimmering mermaid tail.
Seaweed explorers
Explore all the different seaweeds washed up on the beach.
Dig to the other side of the world
A big, happy digging adventure.
Nature self-portrait
Draw around your child in chalk, then fill the outline with leaves and sticks.
Petal fairy dresses
Draw a little fairy and give her clothes made of petals.
Bottle scoop catch
Make a catcher from a milk bottle and catch pine cones or soft balls.
Garden centre role play
Set up a pretend garden centre with pots, soil and "plants".
Painted leaf prints
Print with leaves to see their veins and shapes.
A to Z nature walk
How far through the alphabet can you get on one walk?
Garden herb biscuits
Pick a little rosemary or lavender and bake it into shortbread.
Follow a bumblebee
Quietly follow one fluffy bumblebee from flower to flower.
Wildlife webcam watch
Watch wildlife webcams when it's too wet to go out.
Little nature sketchers
Sit with a leaf, flower or snail and draw it.
Matchbox treasures
Fill a matchbox with the smallest things you can find.
Stick pirate ship
Lay out a giant pirate ship with sticks and set sail.
Squirrel spotters
Watch squirrels gathering and burying their winter food.
Leafy teddy hospital
Set up a woodland hospital and care for your toys.
Clay tea-light holders
Shape a clay holder and press in leaves and seeds.
Water drop leaves
Drip water onto different leaves and watch what happens.
Nature time capsule
Fill a tin with treasures and a drawing, bury it, and dig it up next season.
Pass the story stick
Build a silly story together, one line at a time.
Leaf bubbles
Put a fresh leaf in water in the sun and watch tiny bubbles appear.
Winter spiral walk
A gentle midwinter ritual with evergreens and a lantern.
Nesting material basket
Offer a little basket of soft, natural nest materials.
Grass dolls
Bundle and tie long grass into a simple doll, like an old harvest corn dolly.
Little wassail
Sing to a tree in midwinter and leave a treat for the robins.
Coffee filter leaves
Scribble on coffee filters, spray with water and watch the magic.
Pine cone weather forecaster
Let a pine cone tell you the weather.
Nettle and dock spotters
Learn to spot stinging nettles, and find their dock leaf neighbours.
Warm and cool explorers
Touch stones, walls and grass in sun and shade.
Nature reserve hide visit
Visit a bird hide and spot wildlife from a secret window.
Glasshouse jungle explore
Explore a warm, tropical glasshouse at a botanic garden.
Magpie counting rhyme
Count magpies on a walk and say the old rhyme.
Grow your name
Sow cress or grass seeds in the shape of your first letter.
Ice window hunt
Lift thin sheets of ice from frozen puddles and look through them.
Smooth stick sanding
Sand a stick with sandpaper and feel it change.