Butterfly spotting
Find a sunny spot and see how many butterflies visit.
June to August
Summer ideas.
Long light evenings, warm grass and sandy toes. Summer play can be slow and splashy.
Look out for
- Bees and butterflies on flowers
- Rock pools at low tide
- Seed heads and grasses
- Shady trees on hot days
Especially for summer
59 ideas that shine in summer.
Plus 141 more that work any time of year.
Barefoot feely path
Make a little path of trays and see how nature feels under your toes.
Dandelion wishes
Watch dandelion seeds float away like tiny parachutes.
Follow a bumblebee
Quietly follow one fluffy bumblebee from flower to flower.
Garden centre role play
Set up a pretend garden centre with pots, soil and "plants".
Garden herb biscuits
Pick a little rosemary or lavender and bake it into shortbread.
Grass dolls
Bundle and tie long grass into a simple doll, like an old harvest corn dolly.
Gutter rivers and dams
Send water racing down a slope, then build a dam to hold it back.
Little weed posies
Pick a little bunch of garden weeds for someone special.
Muddy animal wash
Splash plastic toys in mud, then give them a bubbly bath.
Painty toes walk
Walk through paint and make a footprint trail on a long sheet of paper.
Petal and shape spotting
Notice interesting shapes and colours in flowers without needing to pick anything.
Petal fairy dresses
Draw a little fairy and give her clothes made of petals.
Pick-your-own adventure
Visit a pick-your-own farm for strawberries, apples or pumpkins.
Well-dressing petal pictures
Press petals and leaves into a slab of clay to make a picture.
Garden camp-out
Pop up a tent or den in the garden for stories and snacks.
Grow your name
Sow cress or grass seeds in the shape of your first letter.
Hidden leaf patterns
Let nature leave its mark with simple paper and chunky crayons.
Leaf bashing prints
Tap fresh leaves and petals until their colours print onto fabric.
Leaf bubbles
Put a fresh leaf in water in the sun and watch tiny bubbles appear.
Leaf paint brushes
Use big, safe leaves as playful mark-makers and see what happens when you dab and sweep.
Leaf pressing
Press leaves and petals in a heavy book, then peek a week later.
Leafy fairy wings
Decorate cardboard wings with leaves and petals, then take off round the garden.
Little bug hotel
Fill a plant pot with cosy hidey-holes and see who checks in.
Mermaid's purse hunt
Hunt along the strandline for egg cases left by sharks and rays.
Nettle and dock spotters
Learn to spot stinging nettles, and find their dock leaf neighbours.
Painted leaf prints
Print with leaves to see their veins and shapes.
Sand mermaid tails
Cover legs with sand and shape a shimmering mermaid tail.
Sandcastle kingdom
Build sandcastles and decorate them with seaside treasures.
Seaside sand pictures
Draw in wet sand with a stick and decorate with shells.
Seaweed explorers
Explore all the different seaweeds washed up on the beach.
Take it apart
Gently take apart a flower, pine cone or seed head to find all its parts.
The great snail race
A gentle race for the slowest racers in the garden.
Tree shake surprise
Give a branch a gentle shake over a white sheet and see who drops in.
Water drop leaves
Drip water onto different leaves and watch what happens.
Wattle and daub wall
Weave sticks into a little wall, then cover it in squishy mud.
Woodland café
Open a pretend outdoor café with big leaves, empty pots and lots of imagination.
