As the seasons change, so does our farm. The hills become green, the trees change colour and the sky turns grey. The garden awakens. It is the perfect time to pop on some boots, jump in puddles and come explore. But in a world where people are so reliant on electronic devices, sometimes people struggle to think of what they can do when they get into nature.
Treasure hunts are fantastic, whether it be searching for 8 different leaf shapes, or 12 different colours around the farm. Or finding things in nature in accordance with the alphabet (Artichoke, Bee, Carrot, Duck etc) you can get creative with the words when you are trying to fit in with an alphabet, whilst exploring and going on your own adventure. Part of the adventure is working out what you can create out of the tools provided to you, and nature has so many tools you can utilize. Here are some options of activities to get you back into nature and enjoying some nature therapy:
- Flying a kite
- Collecting leaves and making craft- even cutting them up and gluing them onto paper to make your own image
- Seeing what shapes or pictures you can see in the clouds or the tops of the trees
- Plan a Treasure Hunt
- Look through the grass and see what bugs you can find
- Outdoor, landscape or macro photography
- Kick a ball, throw a frisbee or play cricket.
- Go for a walk and explore the farm
- Find things in nature to paint with, have you ever tried to use a leaf or rock as a stamp?
- Put leaves under paper and draw over them to see what shapes and lines come up
- Play a search and find game for small insects
- Play tag or hide and seek
- Count how many different types of animals you can find
- Listen to bird songs and count how many different birds you can hear
- Do yoga in the field
- Plan and have a picnic
- Sit under a tree and read a book, draw, or write
Create your own adventure, mystical animals to search for whether the theme be Pokémon or mythology you can make up stories as to what animal would live where, and what type of tracks they would leave. Even creating little contraptions out of leaves, sticks, and honkey nuts or whatever you may find to create fairy wagons or hats and bags. Pressing flowers to go onto images of flower fairies, there are so many options.
If it is a wet day, you can play cards or board games, write a story about one of your favourite characters adventuring through the farm. Bake a cake or watch the way the rain sweeps over the valley. If you have your raincoat and gum-boots then why not go out and see how the environment differs in the change of weather, or dance in the rain and jump in puddles, it is the little things that give so much enjoyment!
