Using nature-based activities to keep families entertained during the summer holidays
The summer school holidays are fast approaching siting another end to the academic learning, but the learning doesn’t have to stop there. You can use the summer as an opportunity to find fun, low cost to no cost activities and learn meanwhile doing them, helping build important life skills and look after nature.
Take a nature walk
Warmer weather is the perfect opportunity to enjoy the outside world and take in the fresh air where possible. Taking a walk as a family is a great way to burn excess energy or take a relaxing walk on your own. Spending time outside is good for your mental health as well as physical, but always remember if the sun is out, stay hydrated and wear SPF to avoid overheating or burns. And while you explore the outside go on a search for our local bird species, or rare flowers. Or take part in the wildlife trust’s damsel and dragonfly spotting walk. Why not use this child friendly bingo card to see what you can find hidden in nature around us, and learn about the biodiversity (life of all kinds) of our beautiful county.
If you have a dog, it’s also a great opportunity to get some exercise and socialise. However, when the sun is out and it’s a hot day remember to stick to grassy and shaded areas, use a lead rather than a harness where possible and make sure you carry water for them. Ideally on hot days it’s best to wait until it cools down in the evening or walk them early hours in the morning to avoid heatstroke and burning our four-legged friends’ paws. And in the event where we experience day temperatures above 25oC, taking a day off from walking will not harm them. The top tip is if you can’t keep the back of your hand on the pavement for seven seconds then it’s too hot for your buddy’s paws.
Rock Hunting
While you’re exploring outdoors try rock hunting. This can be in the woods, on the beach, or in your backyard. When you come across the perfect rocks, take them home and use paints or whatever you can find to decorate the rocks at home. This is an exciting activity to do with kids, or just something to pass the time yourself. Paint fun patterns or motivational quotes on them and use them to fill your home with colour and memories, or gift to someone. Some rock-artists hide them around town for others to find, this can brighten someone’s day or create a fun scavenger hunt for locals and encourage others to spend more time outside.
The beach is a great place to find rocks, but our own beach in Seaham has a great reputation for sea glass. Sea glass is glass that has been eroded own to be smooth. While doing your rocky crafts, try turning sea glass into some jewellery or incorporate it in some of your crafting like decorating a glass jar or candleholder.
Recycle Crafts
Households throw away so much waste and with a little bit of imagination those plastic bottles, glass jars and cereal boxes can be transformed into something completely new. The Craft Train has some amazing craft ideas that create a fun activity for the kids and reduce household waste at the same time. Some of our favourites being.
Cereal Box Bookmarks: simply cut paint and decorate, these crafts are useful, fun and can make perfect gifts. And due to their bigger size, they are perfect for large children’s books.
On the topic of cereal boxes, you can use them to create your own board game. Take inspiration from existing games or try and create your own, decorate the box together and have fun, the best part is it can be kept and played again and gain without the cost of buying a brand new game.
How about a sensory or science experiment? Using a plastic bottle, oil and water you can create a Lava Lamp. Over one million plastic bottles are purchased every minute, and only 9% of plastic is recycled, so recycling activities like this not only are fun, they can significantly reduce our plastic waste, or at very least get some good use out of it.
Have fun this summer and entertain your kids, or even just enjoy the time to yourself all the while by doing environmentally friendly activities and learning about our local environment.
Keep an eye out on our new Facebook page as we will be sharing some more eco-friendly summer activities over the coming weeks. Durham County Council will also announce any events on their page too, so keep an eye out.
