Easter isn’t all about eating chocolate! Easter break is the perfect time to get the kids outdoors and connect with nature.
So whether you’re struggling to get the kids off their screens this April, or looking for some fun nature activities for the whole family to spend some quality time in spring sunshine, we’ve got you covered!
Here are 10 outdoor nature activities, suitable for the whole family!
Photo by Matt Seymour on Unsplash
Make a bird feeder
Encourage feathered wildlife into your garden this easter – make a bird feeder! Simply mix peanut butter and bird seed or nuts together and squash using a spoon into the gaps of a pine cone, before hanging with garden twine from a tree. Alternatively, follow Nat Geo Kids easy step-by-step guide to make a bird feeder using orange skins here!
Garden Easter Egg Hunt
Celebrate Easter with a fun outdoor easter egg hunt in your garden or local park. Hide the eggs in nooks and crannies – in flower pots, behind shrubs and in the low branches of trees. Use paper clues and riddles for an extra challenge. Why not try using vegan easter eggs to make your easter celebrations more environmentally friendly!
Obstacle course
Obstacle courses are a fun way to get kids exercising outdoors this easter – crucial to nurture their mental health and wellbeing. You don’t need fancy equipment to do this – flower pots will make brilliant cones to weave in and out of or jump over!
Wildflower spotting/ Flower pressing
Photo by Cary Bates on Unsplash
From buttercups, to daffodils, wild garlic flowers to bluebells there’s plenty of beautiful spring flowers to be spotted in woodlands, hedgerows, parks and gardens this April. Here’s a few to look out for. You can press wild flowers by sandwiching them in paper and placing books on top. Leave for 3 weeks to dry out, then use them for craft projects and handmade cards! Primrose flowers can be crystallised with sugar syrup and used to decorate easter cupcakes and other bakes.
Bug Hotel
Using cardboard, sticks, pebbles and anything else you find around the garden – why not make a hotel for the little creatures inhabiting your backyard!
Stargazing
Wrap up warm, make a flask of hot chocolate and head out into your garden or local park after dark. How many constellations will you spot? Orion’s belt, the plough and the even sisters are some easy patterns to identify! Pick a cloudless evening, turn off your torches and go where there’s little light pollution to have the best view!
Painted Easter Pebbles
Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash
Get creative and into the Easter spirit this April – collect pebbles from your local beach and paint them to produce beautiful colourful decorations for your mantlepiece or kitchen table!
Easter Nest
Just like a bird, gather twigs, straw and leaves and build a little nest for your easter eggs or garden toys!
Forage Wild Garlic
Photo by Pascal Debrunner on Unsplash
Wild garlic is fantastic for making pesto, soups and stews. It can be found in woodlands and hedgerows. Make use of this yummy, free resource and get the kids outdoors at the same time!
Grow a bulb
Spring is the perfect time to plant summer-flowering bulbs and help the kids connect with nature. Purchase bulbs from your local garden centre. Hardy varieties, like crocosmia, gladiolus, lilies and polianthes, can be planted straight outdoors!
Photo by Judith Strik on Unsplash
We hope you found these suggestions inspiring!
See our other blog articles for more tips and tips on how to live more sustainably and get your kids connecting with nature.
Have a lovely Easter!
The Buttercup Team
