The great outdoors
Obviously, here at LCS we love getting the children outdoors. Outdoor activities are so good for physical and mental wellbeing and our mantra is ‘it’s never the wrong weather, only the wrong clothing’. Thus, Forest School is often seen operating in the wind, rain and snow, helped along by a flask of hot chocolate and the odd s’more. So, on World Mental Health Day and with half term only a week away, here are some great ideas for getting your children to spend more time in the great outdoors.
Set up treasure hunts. Make a short, simple list of things for your children to look for outside - such as “a shiny object,” or “something you can hold liquid in.
Identify things. Get a book - with pictures - about birds, bugs, leaves, trees, or flowers in your local area, and go outside looking for specific creatures in the book to identify. Matching leaves to pictures and names has a reinforcing 'treasure hunt' appeal. The same goes for bird calls - try the RSPB eGuide to British Birds app (available for iOS and Android).
Give them the tools to discover. Gifts like a bug box, a magnifying glass or a shovel will promote ways to explore the outdoors with a fun new tool that feels professional and empowering.
Go to an outdoor performance. Find outdoor performances and enjoy the arts in the beauty of nature.
Start a collection. You can find small parts of nature like rocks or shells almost everywhere, and starting a collection encourages the activity to continue.
Use the technology to your advantage. If your child is hooked on any and all electronic devices, have them bring along a camera or phone and create video or photo journals of various nature trips. They will still be near a piece of technology, but will be using it to focus on the world around them.
Go fruit or vegetable picking. Coming home with a basket of food that they’ve gathered on their own is both rewarding and might make them appreciate their food, and where it comes from, more.
Plant a garden. Tracking the progress and seeing the eventual product of a seed your child planted provides a different, deeper sense of achievement than beating a difficult level in a computer game or getting a lot of likes on your last Instagram post.
Take a hike. Walking on a path to a destination, such as a breathtaking view, also gives children a sense of accomplishment, rewarding them for their physical efforts during the hike. This goes for bike rides, too.
Make art projects. For the children who would rather sit inside with some arts and crafts, get them to use objects from nature for their art. Picking flowers to press onto paper, or collecting pinecones and rocks to decorate, are ways to infuse nature into activities they already enjoy.
Build something. You can also reverse the process and make art with your children that will support and nurture the natural world, such as bird feeders or flower boxes. Children will keep coming back to watch an object they created provide for other living things.
Inservi Deo et laetare
