We’re here to bring the trees to you! Read on to keep the kids busy with our top seven activities you can do at home.
1. Play Tree Trumps
Download our Tree Trumps game to get to know the different trees in our woods and forests and love them for their wonderful secrets!
Completely free to download and print, this full set of Tree Trumps is an enjoyable way to bring the forest to you while staying at home.
2. Compete at 'nature bingo'
To help you be more mindful of your surroundings, or keep the kids busy for a few hours, try playing nature bingo. We’ve put together a checklist to get you started:
- Seek something made of wood. Can you see lines and patterns in the grain?
- Spot a nearby evergreen tree. How many different types can you see?
- Look for some winter berries. What colour are they?
- Spot some winter wildlife. Look out for robins, foxes, siskins and coal tits!
The first person to find and photograph everything on the list shouts “Bingo” and is crowned champion!
3. Draw a tree from memory
Think of a tree in your favourite forest, woodland, park or from your garden. Do you have a favourite tree? Or one from your imagination?
Spend some time drawing it and share your creations with us on social media. There's some fantastic tutorials on YouTube if you need some inspiration.
4. Create a forest scene inside your home
If you don’t have a view of nature, you could draw or paint a forest and stick it up somewhere to look at.
Why not add a different tree or animal to it every day? You could repeat the draw a tree from memory activity until you have a whole forest with wildlife dotted throughout.
5. Put on an indoor picnic
It's certainly not very warm outside right now, but that doesn't mean you can't have a picnic! Make picnic grub and roll out the picnic rug to enjoy an indoor picnic with your family. If you're looking for extra inspiration and things to do, download our free Gruffalo party pack. In the pack you'll find...
- Invitations
- Gruffalo picnic food ideas
- Fun party games
- Forest exploring ideas
- Arts, crafts and colouring (bunting, masks, medals and party flags)
Want to make it feel even more ‘foresty’? Grab all the plants from around your house and place them around your picnic blanket to make it feel like you are in the woods. Why not play some forest sounds in the background too?
6. Relax with our colouring sheets
Add a splash of colour to your dreary winter day with our forest themed colouring sheets.
From beautiful birds, amazing acorns and terrific trees, these six patters will bring hours of therapeutic entertainment for the whole family.
7. Become a sound collector!
While you’re pottering about the garden or enjoying your daily exercise, encourage your children to listen and ‘collect’ sounds.
Then when you get home, help them to write and recite poems about their surroundings. Look to Roger McGough’s ‘Sound Collector’ for inspiration.
