Here are 60 amazing ideas for exploring nature with your child through play, art and investigation!
I recently gave a talk at a nature play group, in the middle of the woods, about activities to do with your child that involve natural resources and that encourage interaction with the natural world. Here are those ideas that I gave in that talk, plus many more, with links to some fabulous articles from some talented writers around the web!
Mud
Use it to make a birds nest The Chocolate Muffin Tree
Concoct with it in a mud pie kitchen
Paint with it The Chocolate Muffin Tree
Have a princess mud tea party The Golden Gleam
Simply play with it Sun Hats and Wellie Boots
Sticks
Paint stick creatures Growling a Jeweled Rose
Make instruments, weave material, and play games with them The Good Long Road
Create a sistrum instrument from a branch Daria Music
Make your own blocks from driftwood Let the Children Play
Push them into play dough Mummy Musings and Mayhem
Wood and recycled materials sculptures Let the Children Play
Stones
Make a rock collection In Lieu of Preschool
Collect rocks and write a journal Creative Family Fun
Paint them to make monsters Red Ted Art
Create a rock shop Let the Children Play
Simply sort and play with them
Leaves
Jump and throw leaves JDaniel4’s Mom
Create colourful prints Putti’s World
Laminate leaves for play and learning Sunhats and Wellie Boots
Paint them Putti’s World
Create some woodland people Red Ted Art
Flowers
Grow sunflowers Kids Activities Blog
Use them to make flower play dough NurtureStore
Make petal pictures Learn with Play at Home
Discover their magic tricks Creative Family Fun
Print with them Nurture Store
Make homemade lavender play dough
Grow a Sunflower Fort in the garden Let’s Lasso the Moon
Pound them to create beautiful art Rhythm of the Home
Pine Cones
Make a sculpture The Chocolate Muffin Tree
Serve them in a pretend play cafe
Create pine cone people Red Ted Art
Turn them into funny creatures Mummy, Mummy, Mum
Water
Jump and Splash Word Play House
Make natural ice boats Reading Confetti
Paint with the rain Sunhats and Wellie Boots
Search through rock pools Tinkerlab
Make your own rock pool at home
20 Ways to explore the rain Sun Hats and Wellie Boots
Collage
Make a contact paper collage using natural materials The Chocolate Muffin Tree
Add natural elements to the art table Let the Children Play
Stick leaves to make a crown
3D sculptural art Sun Hats and Wellie Boots
Nature Walks and Hunts
Search for colours Glittering Muffins
Try out geocoaching Messy Kids
Go on an outdoor sound hunt Sunhats and Wellie Boots
Land Art
Create art with natural materials in a tray Smiling Like Sunshine
Make pebble patterns on the beach Taming the Goblin
Make land art outside with found materials
Small World Play
Farmyard with grass and hay
Dinosaur land with beans and plants
Frog pond with water and rocks Let the Children Play
For the days that you can’t get outdoors and explore nature first hand, go and gather some natural materials from your local woods, fields or beach and gets creative at home! Bring the nature home and let the connection with the natural world continue whatever the weather.
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PuppyLovePrincess says
what a great list of nature activities!
i have a list of easypeasy ideas on my little blog, too: http://puppylovepreschool.blogspot.com/2008/04/environmental-education-kids-preschool.html
Simply Montessori says
These are great, I just shared them on my Facebook page!
Anonymous says
awesome, thanks guys, cant wait to try them out (and thats without the kids too!). lots of messy play to come!x
Jennifer Fischer says
What a great list – making me wish it wasn’t 108 today so that we could go outside right now!! (Oh – 108 w/air quality warnings!)
emma @mummymummymum says
Thanks for the mention Anna! I’ve had a quite a bit of traffic from you today 🙂
I love the small world play ideas too. xx
TammySF. says
I found your blog through the Circle of Moms contest!! Congrats on doing SO well! I’m a new follower and I can’t wait to search through your site more! I hope you can stop by my blog sometime….I’m a mother of 2 and a former teacher of 10 years. Hopefully we can share some ideas!
Tammy
1…2…3…Teach With Me
Dots of Fun! Clip Art
Melissa @ The Chocolate Muffin Tree says
Fabulous Collection Anna and thanks for using our ideas in the round-up!
Growing a Jeweled Rose says
What a wonderful collection! Thanks for including some of our playtimes x
Anonymous says
Looking through the content on here I think there’s a fantastic book to be published and a PHD to be had! Well done, keep it coming x
New Age Child says
So wonderful – you are so clever!! Sonia form Natural new Age Mum sent me over and I am so glad she did I will be sharing this on my facebookpage facebook/newagechild . 🙂
how to decide to start a home daycare says
Wow, I love this post. So many great ideas. I think playing in nature and with natural materials is very important for young children. I have a post on my blog about the importance of playing in nature that compliments your wonderful nature ideas. http://www.howtorunahomedaycare.com/articles/the-benefits-of-playing-in-nature-for-daycare-children/
Juliet Robertson says
Hi Anna
Your readers may find this post a good source of reference for other nature play ideas – it’s the links to 10 of my favourite posts which include nuts, sea glass, snow, feathers, etc. http://creativestarlearning.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/all-i-want-for-natural-christmas-is.html