Simple ideas for finding a dose of nature wherever you live

We know spending time in nature helps our children to learn about looking after the world around them. As it's Earth day on Monday, we thought we’d share a few ideas to get you started playing and learning outdoors (and there are lots more among the ideas on your activities page).  

If you live in a built-up area you might feel that activities with nature aren’t for you, but even in a busy area you can find the natural world, either by finding a green space, noticing the plants and insects which do manage to grow in your street or even planting some seeds to bring nature into your home. 

One study found that spending three hours a week in nature was associated with health and well-being,^[1] so why not try some of these ways we love, so you can spend more time in nature? 

Take a regular trip to a local park or green space  

Make this a ‘time in nature’ trip, so if there are swings, slides and climbing frames at your local park perhaps go to another part of the park, or find a space with plants and trees growing, and spend some time there.  

Play with nature at home 

This might be making a space in your garden, with plants it’s safe for your child to touch and look at, or gathering some sticks and mud to play with.  

If you don’t have a garden, you could bring some nature into your play by growing herbs together and using these in play dough, cooking or simply to look at touch, smell and taste.  

Look for nature when you’re out 

Even if you feel that you live in a built-up area, you can probably spot nature peeking through if you look – this could be seeing a weed growing through the cracks in the pavement, spotting birds flying overhead or noticing bugs scurrying to hide under a stone.  

Get involved with a community group (or start one) 

Have a look on social media and see if there is a local community garden, allotments, or planting project – see if you and your child could get involved.  

If you can’t find one, and why not speak to some friends or family members and see if you can start something – you might find a local community centre or school that would be interested in helping you get started. 

You can read our article about nature and learning here and if you’d like more ideas, we have some ideas for Forest School inspired play here.  

References:  

[1] White, M.P., Alcock, I., Grellier, J., Wheeler, B.W., Hartig, T., Warber, S., Bone, A., Depledge, M.H., & Fleming, L.E. (2019). Spending at least 120 minutes a week in nature is associated with good health and wellbeing. Scientific Reports, 9, Article: 7730.