Spring: things to do outdoors
Spring has finally sprung so make the most of longer, warmer days by enjoying some fun activities for kids outdoors.
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Below are some ideas to inspire your outdoor pursuits this season. But if the weather lets you down don't forget to check out our suggestions for spring fun you can have indoors instead.
Nest building
Many birds build their nests in Spring, ready for egg laying and chick hatching. Why not try and build your own nest in the garden? You may have lots of materials in your garden you can use or you might need to gather some things from the park - look out for sturdy lengths of dry grass, twigs, sticks and lichen.
You can make your nests in the garden and place them on the ground or in a tree if you have one - find a low branch for your nest to sit in. Is it sturdy enough to hold some small stones or cones (your 'eggs') and would your nest be able to survive a windy day (give your tree a shake!)?
Welly hurling
The traditional British game anyone can play! Welly hurling is one of our most eccentric sports but it's a lot of fun. All you need is some open space, well away from the road, and a welly boot. Then mark out a throwing line. You'll also need to record each competitor's throw by marking the spot where their boot landed - perhaps use twigs to do this. The aim of the game is simply to throw the boot the furthest.
Welly hurling aficionados say that the best technique is to throw as if you were throwing a hammer (turning around first before letting go), aiming to throw the boot in a perfectly positioned arc!
Make a sundial
Now spring has arrived and the sun is higher in the sky, it's an ideal time to have a go at making your very own sundial. The sun makes a shadow on the dial, which moves along the dial as the day progresses. You can find a helpful sundial template on the Met Office website which you can print out and cut to make your own. You'll also need some card, glue, a direction compass (to find north and south) and a drawing compass (to create a perfect circle).
Use your template to make and cut shapes from the card and fold out the two long straight flaps so they go in opposite directions. Glue together the two triangles and draw a semi-circle on the cardboard base. In the centre of the semi-circle, with the thin point of the triangle at the edge of the card, glue the sundial to the base. It's now ready to try out!
Find a nice sunny spot for your sundial, placing it on a level surface, such as a garden table. Using your compass locate south and make sure your sundial faces this direction. Every hour mark the time and position of the sun's shadow on the card - do this throughout the day and you'll then have a fully functioning timepiece.
Make a snail farm
Get up close and personal with the snails in your garden. Feed and observe your snails for just a couple of days before setting them free. You'll need a clear plastic bottle (with its top), some sellotape, soil, lettuce or weeds and, of course, a snail or two from the garden. The bottle will be your snails' home.
First cut a small door in the side of the bottle and carefully pierce the bottle to make some small air vents. Then fill the bottle with damp soil and place your snails inside. Place some lettuce or weeds from the garden inside, such as dandelion leaves. Seal up the door and make sure the bottle top is on. Now observe your snails. How do they move and what do they seem to prefer eating? Have they made a snail trail inside the bottle? Remember to release your snails from the bottle after a day or two.
Fun with eggs
Spring means Easter and Easter means eggs! But you don't have to restrict the fun to eating eggs of the chocolate variety - you can have lots of fun with real eggs outdoors, too. Aside from holding your own egg-and-spoon race championship, how about playing egg catch? You'll need an apron and some eggs.
Stand about three steps away from your partner in the garden and start playing catch with the egg. After a few throws each player should take a step back and carrying on throwing. Every couple of throws each player takes a step back until they are quite a distance from each other and the game becomes increasingly difficult! The loser is the person who fails to catch the egg and it drops and breaks.
Or how about heading somewhere hilly and partaking in a bit of egg rolling? A traditional Spring/Easter pastime, the objective of egg rolling is to see which egg can roll the furthest without breaking.
Make a hanging basket
A manageable way for the kids to try their hand at gardening. Children will enjoy creating their very own hanging basket to decorate the garden with over the coming months, providing lots of colour throughout the summer. You'll need the following: a hanging basket, some Sphagnum moss which you can get from your local garden centre, compost and a selection of plants - you'll need both some trailing/spreading plants (such as lobelia and ivy) to be placed at the lower level of the basket, to trail out of the sides, and some other good hanging basket varieties for the rest of the basket, such as geranium, petunia, nasturtium and verbena.
To begin line the base of your basket with moss and compost then bed your trailing plants into the compost on their sides, carefully teasing out the roots so they are well embedded in the soil. Do this around the edge of the basket, so that the trailing plant leaves are poking out through the sides of the basket.
Add another layer of moss, covering the roots of your trailers. Then add another layer of compost and bed in the next selection of plants, again planted on their sides and poking through the basket. Add more moss until it covers the rim of your basket and one final layer of compost in the centre of the basket - this is where your central plants will go, perhaps geraniums or another 'feature' flower. Now your basket is complete! All that's left to do is find a nice spot to hang it and to remember to keep it watered.
Bird watching
Spring is prime breeding time for many birds so it's a good time to get outside and observe our feathered friends as they get geared up for the new season. You'll hear lots more birdsong now the days are warmer and some birds will be showing off their plumage and engaging in elaborate courting rituals to attract a mate!
You don't need an expensive kit to enjoy looking out for different species but you might like to consider buying a pair of binoculars so the kids can get a really clear view of the birds in the garden, park or nature reserve. You can use them to look out for indigenous birds such as robins and great tits or migrant birds such as chiffchaffs and blackcaps. In the garden look out for nest building as sparrows, blackbirds and other garden birds fly back and forth carrying twigs to make their nests. Perhaps you could place a bird feeder in the garden to attract lots of bird activity.
If you want to explore further afield how about visiting one of the 150 RSPB nature reserves in the country? From coastal areas to heathlands, wetlands to woodlands, these natural refuges are a great place to spot not just birds but a whole host of wildlife.
Try a new garden game
Bored of football and cricket? Then try a different garden game for a change. How about making like the French and indulging a spot of boules? Take a look at our page of garden games for details of boules and other, unusual games such as French Cricket and 500. Or how about holding a juggling competition - can anyone keep three balls in the air? Here's a quick juggling tutorial: start with one ball. Gently throw the ball from right to left then left to right. Now add another ball. Hold one ball in your right hand and the other in your left. As you throw the ball from your right hand to your left, release the ball from the left hand so you can catch the incoming ball! Aim to throw the balls in a nice arc - this will take some practice before you can add in a third ball.
When you are comfortable juggling two balls hold two balls in your right hand and one ball in your left hand. Throw the first ball from the right hand to your left hand, releasing the second ball and throwing it right. Then try and throw that third ball in your right hand over to your left hand! It's tricky but you should perfect your technique with lots of practice!
Hold a May Day party
Late spring sees the May Day celebration, traditionally a time of varied customs in the UK, such as dancing around a Maypole and crowning a May queen. What better excuse to welcome in early summer with a May Day garden party? Gather a group of friends together for a picnic and set up some simple garden games. Or how about making some garlands for everyone to wear? In some parts of Britain the first of May is known as Garland Day because in the past children used to celebrate the onset of summer by parading with garlands of flowers, sometimes fastened to sticks or fixed to hoops. You can make your own simple wearable garlands by threading crepe or tissue paper flowers onto lengths of string or thread.
Alternatively you could make flower garlands to wear on the head - you can do this activity outdoors on a picnic blanket on the grass. Give each child either a plastic or fabric hairband and then a selection of cut-out flower shapes they can decorate with felt-tips and sparkles. These can then be stapled or glued down to the hairband.
