What we did on the 30 Days Wild challenge: week 1

It’s already the end of week one of the 30 Days Wild Challenge and it’s flown by. So far I’m really enjoying being creative and planning fun but simple activities with my kids to get outdoors and enjoy nature on the doorstep. It’s also been rather challenging to find the time to fit it all in, but actually getting outdoors doesn’t have to be an onerous task – it can be as simple as just stepping outside the backdoor to peer at the clouds, listen to the birds and smell the fresh air. And, even though I’m extremely passionate about nature and conservation and how beneficial it is for myself and my children, I don’t often do these simple things so it’s been good to check in and make sure I am. Anyway, pondering over, here’s what we’ve been up to on week one of 30 Days Wild.

Beachcombing in Felixstowe

We were lucky enough to catch the end of the half term holidays as it started up and we were staying with my parents, so we made the most of being out on the beautiful Suffolk coastline. Day 1 took us to Felixstowe for a super interesting activity – beachcombing. You don’t need to be guided to do this, but it is hugely beneficial as you’ll have someone on call to tell you what stuff is and give you some background information. You may also hear some gruesome marine stories as my post will tell! Both boys loved pottering about scavenging for coastal debris – they are naturals at it.

Crabbing in Walberswick

On day 2 we went to gorgeous Walberswick – one of the best places in the country to go crabbing. We’d never tried it before and it’s safe to say it was a massive hit. We had to go back three times and I’m sure it will be top of the list when we visit my parents again. I think next time I’ll be a top parent and even print out some information about crabs and seaside nature to chat to my sons about, and I’m going to search out a book about our coastal wildlife at the library next time we go.

Making nature creatures

This was a quick activity for after school. I loved it as there was NO MESS and it was a very funny and creative game to play with my kids. Check my post above for full details (and the best shell crab you’ll ever see) but the idea is to collect some bits and pieces from around the garden or your local park, then create creatures of your choosing out of them.

Watching garden wildlife

Another easy win for after school. This is a nice one for all ages, as it makes you stop and just be in the moment. It was quite a lovely half and hour of just wandering around looking in the flowers and bushes for insects and birds. My boys loved this and it also calmed them down a bit before bed!

Exploring Headley Heath

I had my toddler for the day so we went off exploring a new patch – Headley Heath in Surrey, which was an awesome find. It’s managed by the National Trust and it’s even rarer than tropical rainforest – staggering! Go visit if you haven’t already. My son was still talking about how ‘he spotted the butterflies’ there today. It’s buggy and dog friendly and there’s lots of wildlife spotting opportunities.

Planting wildflowers

If you signed up for the 30 Days Wild challenge, you should have received a small packet of wildflowers. We planted ours today. I’m not that hopeful ours will come out as I used very old compost (I am not a gardener) but we’ll see. Apparently ox-eye daisies are very easy to grow so I hope they like where we’ve sown them. The boys really enjoyed helping with this so let’s see how our daisies progress over the month.

Making art with mud and feathers

I can’t believe I’ve done another crafty activity with my sons. I never do craft as I hate all the mess. But! The beauty of all these outdoor activities is that it is outdoors. The house stays clean 🙂 Admittedly this is a messy task so we did it before bedtime, and we all had fun and enjoyed messing about outdoors in a creative and muddy way.

Roll on week 2!