It's School Holiday time and we love to encourage children to get outdoors and Autumn is such a great time to do outdoor activities with lots to see.
Here is a little Nature Hunt that we have put together which you can do either in your own backyard or at a local park... have fun.
Getting outside makes us feel good. Rain or shine, there’s heaps of fun you can have right outside your own backdoor. From playing hide and seek, to spotting birds in the garden, finding the bugs that are living under the leaf litter to kicking around Autumn leaves in the park. Why not inspire your children to discover and experience the beauty of nature.
Experience the beauty of nature with your little Botanist
It's important that children get to experience the wonders of nature that are growing, blooming and living all around them. But many little ones today are so connected to gadgets and screens that most of them don’t know anything about the natural world.
Here are a few ideas below for keeping active little minds occupied.
Bug Spotter Kit 
Designed to safely catch and release garden creepy crawlies. With two levels of magnification in the lid (2x and 5x) and a scale grid in the bottom of the container enables accurate measurement. Ventilation holes around the lid make sure bugs can breathe. Includes guided activity book is filled with bug tips and activities - perfect as a nature hunt activity.
BOOKS FOR YOUR LITTLE BOTANIST
Take some time out for reading outdoors and soak up all that nature has to offer. We have some great books available which teach about our New Zealand Flora and Fauna
New Zealand's Backyard Birds :: Ned Barraud
New Zealand’s Backyard Birds is an engaging guide for children to the birds that that they see and hear in their daily lives, those that live in their backyards.
Some of these might be native birds, such as the tūī, korimako/bellbird, kererū and pīwakawaka/fantail. But just as likely they will be introduced birds such as the thrush, blackbird, sparrow and starling.
New Zealand’s Backyard Birds, brings to life our most accessible wildlife, with details on the different birds we are likely to see around our homes, and useful background information about birds in general. It is the latest book from leading author and illustrator, Ned Barraud, and will be an essential companion for every Kiwi child.
In The Bush :: Explore & Discover :: Ned Barraud
In the Bush is a fantastic book in the popular and award-winning ‘Explore & Discover’ series. The successful author and illustrator combination of Gillian Candler and Ned Barraud, turn their attention to the New Zealand bush and its iconic animals and plants.
Young readers will be fascinated to learn more about familiar New Zealand creatures as well as discover other intriguing plants and animals and see how they relate to each other in the forest ecosystem. Learn about pests and other dangers to our native wildlife and catch a glimpse of animals and plants that thrive in wildlife sanctuaries.
In the Bush includes insects and other invertebrates, fungi, ferns and mosses, birds, bats, introduced pests, vines, epiphytes, and trees.
Bird House :: Libby Walden 
The perfect book for a little one to learn about birds and their nesting habits. Beautifully illustrated and super cute, this gorgeous little book will appeal to children and adults and is the perfect gift to help educate young ones about nature and gardens.
Slow Down :: 30 Mindful Activity Cards
With 30 nature-inspired activities to do on your doorstep, help your little one feel grounded, find calm, improve focus, practice loving-kindness and relax. Whimsical full-colour illustrations on both sides of the cards break down each practice into easy-to-follow steps. Tips on individual cards, plus an 8-page instructional booklet, show modifications that make these activities inclusive for children of all abilities.This boxed card deck includes 30 creative mindfulness games, visualisations and exercises inspired by nature and the bestselling Slow Down which is stunning which you can find here
INDOOR ACTIVITIES
Rainy days can also be fun for jumping and splashing in puddles but we also have lots of ideas for indoor activities too.
PUZZLES TO INSPIRE THE IMAGINATION
We have a beautiful range of puzzles and activity books for children for those rainy days which you can find here
Jackalope Day Dream
Enjoying the outdoors with friends
OUTDOOR CLUBS FOR CHILDREN
There are also some great outdoor clubs for encouraging children to get outdoors, and "The Kiwi Conservation Club" from Forest & Bird is a great organisation which has been running for over 30 years connecting children to New Zealand's amazing wildlife and wild places. They have both outdoor activities and online quizzes and games which will keep your little nature lovers entertained for hours. Check out their website here for loads of fun activities based around nature and the outdoors.
Activities can be simple and here are few little ideas that just involve taking some time out with your young ones and engaging their creative minds.
- Create your own nature journal in an exercise book and stick in leaves and flowers and write about them
- Make a birds nest
- Pick some flowers and arrange them in a vase or make a collage with them
- Watch and record the different birds in your garden
- Set up a bird feeder somewhere safe in the garden to attract birds
- Make some bird seed biscuits for our little feathered friends for the colder months - see our recipe here on the Garden Journal :: Attracting Wildlife To Your Garden.
Read our other Garden Journal articles here
Enjoy the outdoors with your little Botanist this Autumn break.
Happy Discovering
Leave a comment