1. A bug box

We’ve bought a few of these over the years and there’s some lovely designs out there with magnified lids. To be honest, we usually forgot to take them and end up improvising instead. Match boxes work brilliantly as do plastic glasses.

The bought ones definitely made B think about collecting things though. And are useful if you want an activity to get kids outside. Just give them the pot and challenge them to see what they can find to go in it.

2. Magnifying glasses and microscopes

We’ve got a few little magnifying glasses lying around and we NEVER remember to take them or use them which is a shame because I think they’d be useful. B got a small microscope last Christmas. I can definitely recommend for older scientifically minded kids. Great for looking at really small insects, bigger insects more closely and examining rocks and plants.

3. A flower press

A bit like the bug box this. You don’t really NEED it. You can press flowers in any book but the press really helps do them in bulk and sells the idea to kids brilliantly.

We tend to press flowers twice or three times a year now. We do spring flowers and then a few lots in the summer. It’s a great way of remembering a good day and collecting flowers to press on a walk is a great activity.

We went through a phase of making pictures and patterns with the flowers as we put them in the press which made it more creative. We put the pressed flowers in a box to use when crafting (we don’t actually do this much but we both like the idea)

4. A pulley system

This one’s brilliant fun if you have the right place to put it. Ours goes in our garden tree. B climbs up high to fix it to a branch and then can use it to pull stationary or toys or anything she wants up to the top.

We bought ours from Muddy Faces and it’s been brilliant. We got a cable car system too which is fun but more liable to get knotted.

5. Chalk

So basic but so useful. We use ours to make:

• Snail racing grids
• Giant snakes and ladders
• Chalking shadows
• Drawing on stones and putting them in water flows
• Drawing by the sea and seeing how long it takes for the tide to wash it off

6. A Butterfly net

Insectlore are the only company I know of who sells these. We’re on our second and have found them fantastic. You can keep butterflies in them for a day or two (or stick insects for months/years) and insectlore will provide you with caterpillars and eggs too.

Also brilliant for turning a caterpillar infested cabbage patch into a bright side.

7. Spotting books

There are some brilliant wildlife spotting books and guides out there. We have loved the Usborne minis and I-Spy books which have tick boxes and points for different things.

We also have a few plastic ‘take with you’ sheets of different plants, animals and insects to identify which have been really useful.

8. A grabber

Seriously, I’ve yet to see a kid who isn’t attracted to these like a magnet (which ours also has on the end). Great for litter picking adventures but also for blackberry picking and picking stuff off trees. A great tool to have in the boot of the car along with the pet sticks.

Ours is bendable in the middle which helps a bit with storage but it still gets under your feet like nothing else can. Finding a place to keep it where it’s not going to get in the way is a challenge in itself.

9. Potion making kit

I made B a potion making kit a few years ago and had a lot of fun doing it. It has glass bottles, a mixing bowl, fancy spoons and a pouring jug. There are brilliant people out there making up potions ingredients kits out of bath salts and fizzy stuffs which are really fun to play with and work very well with nature challenges. We tend to go out and find what we can and then mix it with the potions kit. B’s school did wonders with cotton wool and glitter too.

10. A basket

I love our baskets. We’ve got far too many but they’re all well used. When I wanted to get B interested in a scavenger hunt a nicely prepared basket was a great help. They’re great to swing and make you feel like Red Riding Hood. Plus very useful for scavenger hunts, collecting potions ingredients, conker hunting and so much more.

11. Binoculars

I’ve always had some binoculars about and never bothered about them. It was only when we started properly wildlife spotting on holiday that they came into their own. We saw a seal one day, and then a swallow and then a bird of prey on a distant post. At that point we remembered the binoculars and started to take them out and about. Great for feeling like David Attenborough.

12. A bucket (& a net)

So basic but again so useful. This is our big crabbing bucket which will also make a very substantial sand castle. Good for carrying stuff around, putting critters in and going pond dipping too.

The net has taken us longer to work out. It’s great for pond dipping and exploring rock pools and essential for crab fishing by line. If you don’t have room for both though, definitely go with the bucket.

13. Gardening gloves and tweezers

This one took us a while to get too but is getting more important as B gets older and more reluctant to touch anything ‘icky’. Also very good for anything that might be poisonous or sting.

We had a ‘kids gardening tools’ stage too but B always ended up wanting to use the big grown up ones.

14. A torch

Another basic but great for getting kids excited about getting out in the dark. There’s so much you can play with a torch.

We can recommend playing with shadows in the fog, playing hide and seek in the dark in the park and exploring by torchlight.

15. Camera

Camera’s which kids can control and which are not phones are definitely worth looking at, particularly for older kids. B had a great one when younger that was designed for little kids. More recently we’ve gained both an underwater action camera and a nature camera which has night vision and is movement sensitive. B is in firm control of both.

16. Kites

After a rocky start we’re both big kite fans now and a lot of that is because we invested in the right kite. We had our fair number of cheap beach front ones and they all failed us. Definitely one of those times when it’s better to do some research first.

Check out 6 steps to successful kite flying to get you thinking.

17. Flying planes

If kites are feeling a bit ambitious, these polystyrene planes have a lot going for them. You throw them into the wind and they curve round. Randomly stocked by shops as part of summer beach games in the summer months and come in different sizes.

Check out the playing outside in the wind in winter blog here for more windy day suggestions…

18. Compass

…and finally, the classic. I had a deep mistrust of compasses, having had too many cheap ones in the past with bent needles. I’ve now discovered it doesn’t cost much to get a good one, you just have to go to the right sort of shop for it (ie, outdoor activities rather than toys).

A great gadget to take with you anywhere and bring out when bored.