20 Ways for Families to Connect with Nature at Home
Nature Play SA and Green Adelaide have put together a wonderful list of ways families can connect with nature at home.
From collecting flowers and twigs in the backyard to bird watching and planting a garden, there are lots of ideas below to keep little ones in touch with nature at home.
1/. Gather old pots, pans, spoons and measuring cups to create an outdoor kitchen. Can you bake a layered mud cake?
2/. Create an outdoor chill-zone where you can read and relax to the sound of birdsong.
3/. Stay up late and identify a star constellation like Orion’s Belt (also known as the ‘saucepan’).
4/. In your backyard, see if you can spot common birds such as New Holland Honeyeater, Rainbow Lorikeet and Noisy
Miner (look them up online first if you need).
5/. Hold a special outdoor picnic – bake together, set up a picnic rug and enjoy each other’s company.
6/. Plant something you can eat: leafy greens, carrots, beetroot, lettuce and radishes are all easy and fast growing.
7/. Make your own pizza bases from ingredients such as flour, baking powder, oil, water and salt. Put your healthy toppings on and enjoy a backyard dinner.
8/. Set up a comfy spot outside and play a board game or do a family puzzle.
9/. Make your own natural paint pigments by crushing and mixing things – try dirt, flowers, leaves, beetroot, turmeric
and paprika.
10/. Make play dough using flour, cream of tartar, salt, oil, water. Mix in lavender oil or cinnamon, along with natural food colouring, for a full sensory experience.
11/. Set up small world play by filling containers with dirt/sand, pieces of bark, twigs, leaves and water. Introduce some ‘waterproof’ characters (or turn stones into creatures using permanent markers).
12/. Go on a backyard creature forage, searching for common critters like millipedes, slaters, and earwigs.
13/. Practice daily mindfulness: find a ‘sit spot’ where you can absorb sounds, smells and sights for one minute.
14/. Sketch or paint portraits of one another in a nice spot outside.
15/. Practice gratitude. Each evening sit outside and listen to family members share what they have been grateful for that day.
16/. Build a small home or village for lizards, beetles, fairies, goblins or another creature.
17/. Take a walk around your neighbourhood
18/. Collect a flower and press it by using newspaper and heavy books – change the paper every day until it is dry then place it in a nature journal or a special notebook.
19/. Use flowers, grass, string, sticky tape and paper to create nature masks or crowns.
20/. Make a bouquet of flowers, sticks or other natural things in your backyard. Display them at the dinner table when you gather together to eat.
More ideas for having fun at home:
Tips for Gardening with Kids at Home
Cardboard Box Mini Golf | Stay at Home Kids Craft Ideas
Ideas for Kids To Do at Home | Backyard Fun
Ideas for Kids To Do at Home | Baking & Cooking
For more information and to download the list please visit the Nature Play SA website.
At Play & Go Adelaide we make every effort to provide accurate information to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. We recommend confirming times, dates and details directly before making any plans as details may be subject to change.
Image Source: photos by Play & Go
SUBSCRIBE
Want to get all the latest events and activities straight to your inbox?
Subscribe to our weekly email newsletter below to keep up to date with our latest posts and find out all the best events & activities for Adelaide families. Newsletters are only sent once a week, and you may sometimes get a special offer exclusively for our subscribers only!
