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60 Nature Play Ideas for Kids!

August 9, 2012 by Anna Ranson

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

Make herbal play dough

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

Make rose petal perfume

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

Sensory Tubs and Trays
Make a treasure basket for babies with natural materials

Make a scented nature tub The Good Long Road
Explore natural textures Growing a Jeweled Rose
Autumn Sensory Tray Pre-School Play

Make a gardening sensory tub for garden centre pretend play

Small World Play
Farmyard with grass and hay

Dinosaur land with beans and plants

Frog pond with water and rocks Let the Children Play

Make a magical fairy garden

 

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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Filed Under: Art and Craft, Natural Play, Nature, Outdoor Tagged With: Art in Nature, Outdoor Activities, Outside Play

« Colourful Activities for Kids on It’s Playtime!
Looking after Snails »

Comments

  1. PuppyLovePrincess says

    August 9, 2012 at 3:17 pm

    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

  2. Simply Montessori says

    August 9, 2012 at 6:28 pm

    These are great, I just shared them on my Facebook page!

  3. Anonymous says

    August 9, 2012 at 6:28 pm

    awesome, thanks guys, cant wait to try them out (and thats without the kids too!). lots of messy play to come!x

  4. Jennifer Fischer says

    August 9, 2012 at 9:09 pm

    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!)

  5. emma @mummymummymum says

    August 9, 2012 at 10:58 pm

    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

  6. TammySF. says

    August 10, 2012 at 7:38 pm

    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

  7. Melissa @ The Chocolate Muffin Tree says

    August 12, 2012 at 2:48 am

    Fabulous Collection Anna and thanks for using our ideas in the round-up!

  8. Growing a Jeweled Rose says

    August 13, 2012 at 3:27 am

    What a wonderful collection! Thanks for including some of our playtimes x

  9. Anonymous says

    August 16, 2012 at 8:11 pm

    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

  10. New Age Child says

    August 16, 2012 at 11:49 pm

    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 . 🙂

  11. how to decide to start a home daycare says

    August 22, 2012 at 2:29 am

    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/

  12. Juliet Robertson says

    August 28, 2012 at 11:23 am

    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

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About The Imagination Tree Hello and welcome! I'm Anna, Mama of 4, early years teacher and play enthusiast from the UK! Click here to read more about me.

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