Looking for simple outdoor activities to explore with children this season? Here are 50 nature-themed ideas to inspire lots of creative fun, whatever the weather.
3. Make a conker spiderweb. Stick 5 thin sticks/wooden skewers into a conker. Attach some string & start weaving from the middle all the way to the outside.
4. Take your favourite books outside with a blanket & share a story in the autumn sunshine.
5. Make leaf kebabs. Find a stick & thread on as many leaves as you can find. How many different colours & shapes will you discover?
6. Go on a hunt for spider webs first thing in the morning. What do they look like when the sun shines on them, or when decorated with dew?
7. Capture the pattern of a leaf or a flower in some clay.
9. Make a mini outdoor shelter for some pebble pals
12. Go on a leaf hunt & see how many different colours & textures you can find.
13. Be a fungi detective. How many different types can you see? Are they all the same colour?
14. Get digging & plant some bulbs ready for Spring!
15. DANCE, JUMP & PLAY in a pile of leaves. Check for hedgehogs first though!
16. Go foraging for wild blackberries or hazelnuts. Remember to leave plenty for wildlife too.
17. Pick an apple straight from a tree. What does it taste like?
18. Make prints with muddy wellie boots! Great for exploring patterns, shapes & textures.
19. Wrap up warm & go star gazing one evening. Which constellations can you see?
20. Make your own Hedgehog from clay & sticks like these.
23. Create a game of Tic-Tac-Toe with nature finds.
25. Go on a tree hunt with paper & wax crayons! Make bark rubbings of each tree you find, & check out the different patterns.
26. Play outside on a windy day with a pot of bubbles & watch them fly!
27. Make a 3D Autumn Canvas with conkers, leaves, sticks & more!
28. Grow your own tree! Plant an acorn or a conker in a plant pot & watch what happens next Spring!
29. Make a picture on the ground using sticks & different coloured leaves.
30. Go on walk with friends. How many different nature goodies you can collect? Why not make your own nature scavenger hunt.
31. Make your own stick tree
32. Turn a feather into a writing quill.
33. Throw sycamore seeds into the air & watch them fly like helicopters.
34. Make your own Autumn Owls
29. Make a picture on the ground using sticks & different coloured leaves.
30. Go on walk with friends. How many different nature goodies you can collect? Why not make your own nature scavenger hunt.
31. Make your own stick tree
32. Turn a feather into a writing quill.
33. Throw sycamore seeds into the air & watch them fly like helicopters.
34. Make your own Autumn Owls
35. Pick your own Pumpkin and decorate it with your family.
36. Help the birds make a nest with mud & sticks
37. Make a drum kit with sunflowers!
38. Go on a crunchy leaf walk.
40. Paint with leaves instead of paintbrushes.
41. Make a Café for the birds in your outdoor area.
42. Play hide & seek. If you only have a small outdoor space, why not hide small toys outdoors for the kids to find.
43. Climb a tree.
44. Explore a haystack at harvest with your family
46. Play or build with cardboard boxes outdoors.
47. Look for your breath on a chilly day. How far does it travel?
48. Explore play dough, seeds, leaves & twigs outdoors.
49. Harvest seeds from plants in your garden ready to use next year.
50. Create your own Land Art with sticks!
Whatever you choose, I hope you have oodles of fun outside exploring this beautiful season together.