10 different things to have a go at playing outside with the kids in February. These are based on our favourites from the 365 day nature play challenge we did last year. Most are do-able anywhere. More tricky ones at the end.
1. Go wand hunting.
This time of year there’s an awful lot of small sticks about on the ground. who can find the best wand? What size would you want? Do you want a straight one or a bendy one? What magic can you make it do?
You don’t need a wood for this but the more trees you can find together the more variety you should get. Try and avoid areas which are well kept and tidy!
2. Blow bubbles in the dark
Surprisingly fun and really atmospheric. Dress up warm and see what they look like in the street lights.
Do they show you which way the wind is blowing? Can you make them dance? How many can you pop? Can you keep them on your hands without popping (a lot of soapy water helps).
3. Make a bird feeder
My favourite way to do this is to grind up peanuts and stick the gooey mixture over some pinecones with string tied round them (or you could just use peanut butter). Then cover them with seeds and hang them up somewhere for the birds to find.
Alternatively B’s favourite was to just get some nuts and seeds, make a pouch from a leaf and hide it in a tree.
4. Try wayfinding
Get the kids to work out where they want to go and how to get there. We did it most on the way home from school. B loves ‘leading’ and this really improved her sense of direction.
Lots of ways to do it. We played with written directions (1st right, 2nd left etc) and verbal ones (“can you find your way to the playground?”). B liked making up her own best (“what happens if we keep going left?”).
5. Watch the sunrise
There’s still a bit of time this month to see the sunrise before it starts coming up really early. You need somewhere with a clear view of the horizon in the south east (tricky) and a morning with no cloud (trickier) but it’s do-able.
It will get light a long time before the sun rises. If you’re heading outside make sure you wrap up warm. Key is deciding how long you’re happy to wait before the excitement of seeing the light appearing over the horizon.
6. Look for nature in unexpected places
You may think you’re in a concrete jungle but its amazing what you can find if you look. Challenge the kids to see how many trees or bushes or plants they can find (depending on how much is on offer).
Which is their favourite? What can they pick and what should they leave? Can they make something?
7. Try stargazing
You need a clear cloudless night and a good location. Best is somewhere where you feel safe and where you can lie down and not be too cold.
B knows more about stars than me, but she also makes them up. That can be fun too. We can find Orion and guess which is Sirius (the brightest) and where the north star is.
It was only last year we learnt that the stars can be different in winter than in summer and move about over the course of the year.
8. Find somewhere sandy
There’s a surprising amount of fun to be had in sand in the winter. It reflects heat well and gets more interesting when damp too.
We’ve taken a sledge to sand dunes, made dams in little rivers and found lots of drift wood to make dens with.
Doesn’t have to be a beach. A sandpit works. Take some pots and see if you can make a winter sandcastle.
9. Make a fire
Obviously do this carefully. B’s helped more as she’d got older. You need a safe location to do it (ie, not too near buildings) and a suitable device (ie, a fire pit, chimenea etc). We use natural firelighters, kindling and charcoal but there are lots of options. Remember that the smoke will travel further than the fire will and will follow the wind direction.
We always talk safety before starting. B likes to burn different things she can find in the garden (leaves, sticks, etc). This does make a bit of smoke and lots of ash but leads to good conversations about water content. You could also toast marshmallows.
10. Have a go at being a nature detective
It’s a great time of year to be a nature detective. Look for footprints in the mud and try and work out who they belong too. You can look for poo too.
Think about if you were a hedgehog or a fox where you could and couldn’t go and see if you can see good routes for them. Finding them is tricky but spotting a hole in the hedge or a tunnel under the brambles is much more do-able.
