01 Oct Nature Activities for the Indoors
As summer comes to an end, we can start to say goodbye to family picnics and sunny walks in the local park and hello to activities inside in the warmth. Nature and the outdoors are a key pillar of education and play at both Little Cubs Academy nurseries in Greenwich and Forest Hill. We are fortunate to have fantastic outdoor spaces on our doorsteps such as Greenwich Park, The Cutty Sark Gardens and Greenwich Peninsular River Walk as well as Honor Oak Park and the Horniman Museum a stones throw away from our Forest Hill Nursery to name just a few.
Our days within the nurseries incorporate the outdoors and our little ones exploring the world around us. Having Forest School as part of our curriculum is a fun favourite for our children allowing them to learn through their senses within the local communities and nature. As well as being enjoyable, studies continue to show the remarkable benefits of allowing children to play and learn through nature, including the improvement of physical, social, and emotional health and well-being of children with exposure and engagement with the natural world.
Studies and research have found that the more time our little ones’ spend outdoors or interacting with natural objects, the more likely they are to be engaged in school and interested in learning. Children who take an interest in nature tend to be more curious, inquisitive, focused, and attentive. However, as winter creeps in and we hide away from the rain, playing outdoors can be difficult and less amusing, therefore our Nursery Teachers continue to explore a variety of ways that we can include the wonders of the outdoors in the comfort of our nursery settings.
Below are just a handful of activities that we will be trying this autumn, that you can try too!
Create Autumn Leaf Art
There are hundreds of brilliant crafts you can make with autumn leaves, conkers and sticks and branches. The beautiful colours allow little ones to get completely creative whilst also practising colours, shapes and textures. Using the different coloured leaves you can create sun catchers by drying the leaves, flattening them under books or heavy household items and then hanging them at the windows and watching the sunshine through. You can also use the leaves to create beautiful garlands to hang around the house or paper animals such as hedgehogs or autumn crowns.
Bake a Mud Pie
The best thing about being outdoors, getting messy! Children love making mud pies and with the weather a little damper this makes the mud even more enjoyable. This is an activity that you can bring indoors on a plastic sheet or wooden floor or keep outdoors to the garden. Start by digging a nice mound of mud and by collecting other items from the garden such as twigs and leaves you can create an entire menu fit for worm royalty.
Paint with Nature
Drying leaves or finding rocks and stones in the garden make a perfect canvas for little ones to get to work on creating a masterpiece. Depending on the age group, these painted stones can be used to practice numbers, telling time or even practising writing names on garlands. Another way to let your little one tap into their creative imagination is to use the painted objects to create a colourful fairy garden on your doorstep.
Build a Wind Catcher
Using a longer thick branch and some string you can help your little one create a beautiful wind catcher fit for nature. By incorporating bells and chimes on to the smaller branches you can continue to capture the senses by making music on a cloudy or windy day.
Children love being outdoors no matter the weather. If your family doesn’t mind the rain, there are still fantastic outdoor activities within the local Greenwich and Forest Hill areas throughout the Autumn and Winter months. Put on the welly boots and head to Greenwich’s fantastic parks or explore on a nature walk such as the brilliant Horniman Nature Trail in Forest Hill.
The Nursery Teachers at both our Greenwich nursery and Forest Hill nursery are always on hand to recommend fantastic fun days out for you and your family within the local areas.
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