Today Date Triggered Content

Books can be enjoyed simply anywhere and there is something rather magical about taking a good book outside to enjoy in the forest, by the stream or in the local park. Because reading is fun wherever you do it! We've compiled a list of great books that are perfect for enjoying outdoors. 

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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. 

There is growing interest in the role nature plays in learning, with many people believing that spending time with nature not only helps children (and adults) care more about the planet but also helps them learn more generally. A research review, published in February 2019, concluded that this belief can be backed by research evidence. 

On our podcast we spoke to Charlotte from Parents For Future, an organisation supporting parents to campaign for climate action.

She described the complicated emotions of raising children while aware of the climate crisis - and they shared some small changes or action you can take to reduce that anxiety. Listen to the podcast here, and read on to see how we use research to support our ideas - and to support you. 

It can be really difficult, with so much information and opinions surrounding you both online and in real life, to work you what information to trust. That’s why as well as drawing on our years of experience, and experts in their field such as Charlotte, we look into the latest research to stay up to date with current evidence.

We've gathered some of our favourite books which celebrate the beauty of Earth and give our children (and us) an understanding of how to care for it. This zero waste week, why not see if you can borrow one of these, or another book about our world, from your local library. If that’s not practical for you, you can still enjoy new books without buying new by shopping second-hand, or arranging a book-swap with some friends. 

Simple things often are the best, and that applies to play too. As is gets towards the end of the summer holidays, we thought we’d share some ways to use one of our favourite playthings – the humble cardboard box 

If you have a big cardboard box you might not need any of these ideas, because children of all ages love getting in a box, or filling it with some of their favourite things.  

This week is zero waste week – a week focused on encouraging everyone to reduce the waste that ends up in landfill. While actually achieving zero waste might feel unrealistic, if you’ve looked round your home and wondered how you already have so many toys (lots that aren’t played with anymore), you might be ready for some zero waste play ideas.  

As always, if you’re going to give your child anything to play with that isn’t a toy check it is safe for them and their current skills and be there to supervise their play.