Get outside with activity ideas from our Forest School leader

Whether it’s a day to pack the suncream and sunhats, or puddle suits and wellies... we’ve got ideas for you. This week we’ve asked our community manager, Becki (a qualified Forest Schools leader) for her favourite activity ideas for everyone who wants to get out and about this weekend.  

Don’t forget you’ll find a variety of ideas for playing inside and outside on your activities page too!  

Becki’s activity ideas 

Baby - Toes and textures  

What you need

• A safe outdoor space, such as a back garden or park  

What to try

• On a nice day, find a safe outdoor space for your baby to explore.  
• Take off their shoes and socks so that they can explore the textures of grass or mud under their toes, and let them have some tummy time in the grass.  
• If you’re concerned about the grass getting into your baby’s mouth, you can place them on a blanket, with their feet over the edge so that they can still feel the ground under their toes.  
• Encourage them to reach or move forwards, towards you or an interesting object, and notice how they use their feet to help make the movement.  

Good to know  

You can offer your baby lots of opportunity to explore new sensations with their feet by placing them on different textures. Wet mud, sand, soft carpet, hard floors, grass and even foil will all give different experiences which will help your baby understand the signals their feet send to the rest of their body when they are developing their fine motor muscles.  

As their toes press into the ground, they might take a moment to be surprised by the new sensation of grass or mud, and want to explore it further by wiggling their toes or kicking their feet. 

Toddler (great for older children too!)  - Muddy masterpieces  

What you need  

• A small container to take on a trip to a muddy place (an empty plastic tub from the recycling is ideal)  
• Either paintbrushes or some sturdy twigs and sticks  

What to try  

• Head outside and get ready to make some messy marks on the go.  
• Make mud paint by mixing small amounts of mud with water. You can experiment with amounts to get a smooth paste.  
• Use a stick to mix the mud paint.  
• Get your toddler involved in mixing it up then show them how you paint using either paintbrushes or strong twigs and sticks – or even your hands.  
• Let them explore the mud paint and see what they can create. The paint can be used on tree trunks, paper, an old sheet or simply a clear bit of ground.  
• You may need to show your child how to dip the stick into your mud paint and transfer it to the surface a few times; doing your own mud painting alongside them is a perfect way to do this.  

Good to know  

Mud can be replaced with water for a less messy version of this activity. Encourage your child to paint on pavements or walls with sticks, paintbrushes, toothbrushes or perhaps a feather dipped in water. This is especially fun on a hot day when the sun dries the artwork, making it vanish! 

Child - Big, bigger, biggest – use a walk to master comparisons 

What you need 

• A place for a walk where you can collect leaves, sticks or stones 

What to do 

• Tell your child that you are going to collect some leaves (or sticks or stones) on your walk.  
• Ask them to look and see if they can find one.  
• When they’ve found a leaf, ask, “Now can you find a bigger one?”  
• Collect a few then put then stop and put them all down, ask your child if they can put them in order from smallest to biggest.  
• Chat about the different sizes as they put their collection in order.  

Good to know 

Understanding the language we use to compare size can be confusing at first, starting with objects that are very different in size might make it easier. 

Have fun getting out and about and when you get back, don’t forget to check and see if your child has mastered any new skills.