Gentle, hands-on nature learning for curious children
Seasonal activities for ages 4–8, made for home educators and families who want simple, low-prep ways to explore British nature together.
Some days my daughter will happily spend an hour outside. Other days, getting out of the door is the whole lesson.
Choose what works for your family
The Nature Curious Box and Digital Pack contain the same seasonal activities. Choose the format that suits your family, your week and where you live.
Nature Curious box
Printed seasonal activities, wrapped and posted to your child anywhere in the UK.
A good choice if you want everything ready to use, with the printing, packing and postage already taken care of.
£20 per box · sibling box £25 · UK delivery
Digital Nature Packs
The same seasonal activities, ready to download and print at home.
A good choice if you want to start straight away, print activities as you need them or live outside the UK.
£5 per pack · One-off purchase · Available worldwide
Explore the AUTUMN Digital Pack
Explore what’s happening in nature right now
Each Nature Curious collection follows the season, with activities built around the wildlife, plants, weather and questions children are likely to notice outdoors.
See the current Nature Curious BoxExplore the current Digital Pack
Why families choose Buttercup
Low-prep for real family life
Made with neurodivergent learners in mind
Flexible across ages and energy levels
Made by people, not generated by AI
Explore nature your way
Choose the seasonal collection you want and buy it when it suits your family.
Printed Nature Curious Boxes
A printed Nature Curious Box delivered to your door, with seasonal activities ready to pick up and use. Full of ideas to get your child outside, looking closely and asking questions. It’s the nicest kind of post to get. Available for UK delivery.
Digital Nature Packs
If you prefer to print at home, choose the digital version. Download the pack straight away and use the activities whenever you want.
Digital packs are available worldwide.
One collection. Two ways to use it.
Both formats contain the same core seasonal activities, so you can simply choose whichever works best for you.
Hello, I'm Rachel — the person behind Buttercup
I'm a mum, an educator and an animation lecturer and I create Buttercup resources alongside a small group of illustrators I trust.
Buttercup grew from my own experience of finding ways to explore nature with my daughter without turning every outing into a lesson or every activity into another thing we had to finish.
What families say
Feedback from home educators and families using Buttercup at home.
Beautiful poster, high-quality print and paper, and it created lots of lovely conversations about the different bees.
Lovely images. Suitable for young children. The animation brings a new dimension to learning making it fun for all. Excellent!
I like the poster because it tells you the different bee types.
Buttercup are doing the vital thing of bringing together technology and respect/understanding of our natural environment. All of this in a fun and captivating way for young minds to learn.
“Receiving these parcels is always an exciting day and the beautiful packaging makes it an extra treat. The topics are fab and there’s so many different activities each time that there’s always plenty to do.”
As a home-educating mum, I’m always looking for hands-on resources that are interesting but don’t take ages to prepare. Buttercup’s Plant and Animal Partnerships Box was a real hit with my eight-year-old, especially the ant and aphid activity and the oak gall matching. He enjoyed it so much that he asked to take our magnifying glass out on a walk the next day. I also loved how easily the activities fitted into science, nature study, storytelling and literacy, and the fact that everything felt thoughtful, creative and neurodivergent-friendly.
Try Buttercup for free first
Start with something simple and see whether Buttercup suits your family.
A free Curiosity Journal page
Download a printable journal page matched to your child’s age band. No sign-up required.
Download a Free Page
Sensory-Friendly Outdoor Ideas
Simple, flexible ways to explore outside, including ideas for lower-energy days and children who prefer to take things at their own pace.
Get the free guide
MORE FROM BUTTERCUP
The Buttercup
Blog
Nature activities, seasonal ideas and practical support for families learning outdoors.
The Nature Family Facebook Group
A friendly space for home educators and nature-loving families to share ideas and encourage each other.
— Jo, parent and Forest School leader
Before you go — a few quick answers
What’s the difference between the Box and Digital Pack?
They contain the same core seasonal activities.
The Box arrives printed and ready to use and is available for UK delivery.
The Digital Pack is supplied as a PDF for you to download and print at home and is available worldwide.
I’ve got two children. Will this work for both?
Often, yes. Families regularly stretch these from three-year-olds tagging along to ten-year-olds still getting stuck in, because nothing is timed, ordered or marked. And if you’d rather each child had their own set, the sibling box doubles the sheets for £25 a box.
Do you ship outside the UK?
Printed boxes are available for UK delivery only.
Digital Nature Packs are available worldwide and are ready to download after purchase.
Is it too structured for unschooling, or too loose if we like a plan?
You decide how much structure you want. Follow an activity from beginning to end, pick out one idea or leave a resource somewhere for your child to find.
Nothing needs to be completed in order.
Will the activities help with home education?
Yes. Activities include opportunities to explore nature study, science, art, literacy, observation and seasonal change without turning them into formal lessons.
More questions?
More questions? Read the full FAQs.
The Nature Family newsletter
Seasonal ideas, free downloads and simple outdoor prompts for families who want nature learning to fit around real life.