Your stock as a Nature inspiration to your family will soar when you roll out these activities to try - as will your own confidence in bringing Nature into all your lives in a living and breathing way. (If you get carried away and binge on a few activities today, what a great way to swap screen time for a little green time!)

​

Step 1: Tune In 

​

As usual take a few moments to Tune In to Nature and switch over to a mindset open to enjoying your Nature time today. 

​

Step 2: Pick an activity

​

The activities I have chosen are firm favourites in my home and hold that powerful combination of little effort but satisfying result. Feel a little of the Wow factor Nature can bring as you try these together.

​

Day 4 is about showing that Technology can be our friend when used mindfully, and I am all for using online resources to help get us out into Nature. 

​

Easy Peesy Bird FeederToilet Paper Roll Bird Feeder (thechaosandtheclutter.com) Paper Roll Bird Feeder (thechaosandtheclutter.com)Toilet Paper Roll Bird Feeder (thech                

This is a personal favourite and highly recommended by my own family. You can improvise with this and use substitutes for pretty much every material required to make the feeder if you don’t have the exact supplies at home.  

​

• I use any type of lard, suet, nut butter, tahini, coconut butter or unsalted butter I have at home, together with whatever seeds, grains and nuts I have in the cupboard. 

• Chop the bigger ingredients up a little for smaller birds. 

• The kids will love getting hands on with this and I set mine up on the patio picnic table outside.

• If you don't have a place to hang your bird feeder in your garden, or you don't want to attract birds, you can hang one in a Nature space near your home and visit it regularly. 

• Once the feeder becomes tattered and worn, make sure to remove it and dispose of the parts properly (recycling or composting) so that it does not end up as litter in your area.  

• Follow on activity: Make your own Fat Balls for your Garden Birds - BirdWatch Ireland

​

Get your Green On

​

Taking on a little low prep gardening  is a very fulfilling challenge for any family and one that keeps on giving long after hands are washed and materials put away. This fun Nature experiment shows how food scraps can be regrown into food for your table. This was a new one for me to be honest and it's one that I love.  

​

Watch the video as a family and then rummage around at home for possible options. An onion is a great choice, as well as a head of lettuce, potatoes and ginger.  As always, move outdoors when you can so why not prepare your own experiments out on the patio or balcony.   

​

Bug Living 

​

This is a quirky little idea and one kids of all ages will love. 

​

• Your older kids could take on a tougher challenge - like making a permanent bug hotel structure, making a bigger bug hotel using a different type of container or making a sign from an old branch or piece of timber to mark your bug friendly corner in your garden or green space.  Older children might love getting access to the hammer, nails or handsaw but of course supervision is required for these types of activities. It is a good teaching opportunity for how to use these tools safely.  

• If you don't have access to the materials needed from your garden or home, a short stroll under some nearby trees will produce everything you need for this. Twigs of all shapes and sizes, moss, leaves and pine cones will all work great.

• Again set up camp on the patio, or somewhere outside, as it's easy to clean up the mess afterwards.  

• When the hotels are ready, you can make a bug corner in your garden -perhaps around the garden shed or in a sheltered corner - for the bugs to take up residence.  They will be happiest somewhere out of the way of our trampling feet!  

​

How tall is that tree?

​

Learn how to measure a tree the quick and easy way. 

​

• There are a few smart ways to measure a tree from the ground with just a ruler or a measuring tape. This is another little activity which packs a lot of punch. It is a perfect activity to use alongside their nature journal also.  

​

Once you give it a go, try it another way, without measuring tapes using the link below. 

How tall is that tree? / RHS Campaign for School Gardening 

​

See which one works best.  

​

• Finally, challenge your kids to find the tallest tree in their area and work out it’s height. They can have their nature journal to hand to track the results. 

All of these, and many more family friendly ideas can be found in my easy to use Activity Finder. Make the most of your Nature Days by using this free resource to take the thinking out of getting your family outdoors.