Looks like we made it! Hooray for us! It wasn’t too hard (okay maybe it was a little towards the end) but I was making extra effort because of this blog and challenge and so choosing to do things that I could write about a bit more. This week we:-
Photographed nature
We all really enjoyed doing something a little creative out in nature rather than just bumbling about (though there is absolutely nothing wrong with just bumbling about either). Our local community orchard is holding a photography competition so we went there one morning and snapped away.
Made a mini nature reserve
A long term investment this one where you create a welcoming home for flora and fauna and then wait…….to see what happens to it. This activity is a little like gardening in that it’s a slow burner but should be rewarding and also keep us on with our nature activities outdoors too.
Made a mini wormery
We made another home today. This time for worms, to learn about what happens to the soil when they are in it. Could we find any worms? Have a read to see!
Explored Newlands Corner
We were busy bees this week and visited a few new places, which was eye opening as I thought we’d sussed out our local area pretty well already. The Wildlife Trusts have a searchable database of all their reserves. Some are better than others for children to visit. Newlands Corner near Guildford is one of them. It’s ticks all teh family friendly boxes and has great views to boot.
Looked around Lullingstone Country Park in Kent
Into Surrey’s neighbouring county to visit Lullingstone Country Park, another brilliant slightly wilder place that is also family friendly. There are marked walks to do here plus a playground and cafe.
Visited Sheepleas
Back to Surrey and to a hidden wildflower meadow and woodland walks. Hidden gem alert!
Went camping at WoWo, Sussex
What a cracker of a weekend to go camping. We had booked WoWo ages ago with F’s school. I’ve heard about it but never been before. We love camping so jumped at the chance to go to this amazing family campsite in Sussex.
Went for a run in the countryside
I took advantage of the extra pairs of hands at the campsite and escaped for a much-needed run through the gorgeous Sussex countryside.
Went river paddling
I’ve been hunting around where we live for some streams to go paddling in, and WoWo has got lots of them, perfect for kids to scramble in, get a bit muddy and generally splash about.
This is what we did on week 3, week 2 and week 1, as well as all the original ideas I had for what we could do at the start of the 30 Days Wild Challenge. I hope these blog posts give you ideas to also get outdoors with your kids to enjoy nature.
Do I feel wilder?
A resounding YES. I feel like I’m much more in tune with the natural world around me. I’m beginning to know a few names of butterflies and bugs, birds and flowers, as well just appreciating where I am a bit more rather than rushing onto the next thing. I also have learnt a lot about different species and habitats and all the small but important things we can do to protect them, from creating a bee water table to joining the Wildlife Trusts.
I now have an army of creative arts and sciencey (or just plain fun) activities I can do with my kids to make being outdoors even more enjoyable and add a focus to where we are going like making wild art on the ground or making prints out of nature with clay.
Most of all I’ve enjoyed finding new wilder places to visit that are suitable for kids like Whitmoor Common and Newlands Corner but also learning to appreciate the places closer to home like taking a closer look at a local tree and enjoying our walk to school.
And now we all need a rest (outdoors of course!)
