As the sun warms the earth and our days grow longer, make time to enjoy nature with your kids! Time spent outside in nature is crucial to the wellbeing of our children. Studies show that children who experience diverse natural settings are more creative, physically active, and better able to focus.

If you want your kids to spend less time on their screens and more time outside, then you’ve come to the right place! At The Educational Garden Project we prioritize fun, wholesome & educational nature activities that can be enjoyed by children of all ages.

These are some of the activities we facilitate in our program, modified so that you can do them at home with your family for free or very low cost, using materials from your very own home and front yard:

1. Build A Fort

Allow your child to exercise their imagination by building their own fort. Start by collecting sticks, branches and bamboo found in your yard or the local park, then get building! There are endless ways you can fashion your materials into forts, fostering your child’s creativity and problem solving skills. At Garden Camp, we also like to bring in things like measuring tapes and other tools to play with and use to build, teaching children about using math in everyday life. 

2. Go Birdwatching With Homemade Binoculars

These binoculars are beyond easy to make: All you need are two toilet paper rolls, some tape, and a piece of string.  Tape your rolls together, then poke a hole in each side, tying a string in each hole.  For an extra flair, your child can decorate their binoculars using whatever art supplies you have on hand. That’s it! You’re ready to go bird watching.

3. Grow Your Own Peas

Peas are a great spring-time vegetable to grow with kids. They prefer cooler weather, and can be planted once danger of frost is over. They also grow fairly quickly, and yield a high number of peas, so you and your family can watch as they grow and enjoy snacking on them throughout the spring. Radishes and beets also make for a great spring garden.

4. Make Hanging Nature Mobiles

Half the fun of nature crafts is foraging for your own materials! Take your child on a walk, whether it be around your neighborhood, local park, or even just your front yard. All you need for this project is sticks and string, and whatever foraged materials you like. Pinecones, small branches, flowers, rocks, and leaves make excellent additions to any mobile. These beautiful and unique hanging mobiles are an excellent addition to any household.

 5. Make Bee Watering Stations

Just like humans, bees also need water. You and your family can help provide a reliable water source for these little pollinator friends in your own front yard! All you need for this is a shallow pan or dish, some marbles and water. If you don’t have marbles, you can use small rocks or little trinkets. These items give the bees spots to land on so they don’t drown. Once you have your watering stations, place them around your yard and watch the bees drink! 

In Closing:

When we find ways to engage with nature, we create more opportunities for our children to grow and learn about the world around us. Whether it's enjoying time spent outside foraging for craft materials, or growing food to share with friends and family, these easy, free activities are sure to expose your children to the natural world and foster their creativity.

By Klari Farzley, The Educational Garden Project