The spring is most certainly coming and it has been pulling us to spend more and more time outdoors! Not that we don't like spending time outside when its cold, Teddy really does not care if its windy, rainy or freezing, he wants to be out and there is always something to do and if you have the correct footwear and clothes it is sometimes even better to be outside in the rain.
Spring is different in the way that we can go out and spend all day outside, taking a rest sitting on the fresh green grass, and having picnic when we get hungry. There is no need to seek shelter to warm up and have something to eat you can just stay out and play.
The best thing about spring is that everything seems to be waking up from the long winter sleep, all the colourful flowers opening their petals making the world a brighter place, the singing of the birds alongside the humming of the bees which diligently work to collect all the pollen and the bugs and other creepy crawlies are starting to climb out of their shelters. There is so much to do and suddenly so much to see!
We just love exploring the outdoors and seeing what wildlife we can spot. Teddy is always keen to learn new names of animals we come across or even plants which makes me so happy. We also love foraging and spring is an ideal time to start collecting some herbs such as coltsfoot that makes great tea when you have a cold or the absolutely delicious wild garlic which flavours almost any dish!
Another thing we love to do is build dens in the forest. I can remember doing it as a child while spending holidays at my grandmothers cottage in the countryside surrounded by deep forests, meadows and lakes....absolute bliss! . I showed it to Teddy when he was really young and he loved it so now every time we enter some wood or forest and he sees some sticks lying around he straight away wants to build a den. We always have fun while den building but its a good skill to have too, not that I expect him to need to know how to make a shelter in the middle of the wilderness anytime soon but you cannot go wrong with teaching your kids basic survival skills, can you?
Whenever we go for a day trip to the countryside I try to think of some activity we could all enjoy as I already mentioned we love foraging and if the season is right we collect fruit or mushrooms which are our favourites or we just collect natures treasures which we take home. Our house is always filled with conkers, acorns, pine cones, sea shells, sticks and stones. Teddy just loves them, we use them in different activities and crafts...or just to have a little bit of nature, always with us.
Sometimes I make a scavenger hunt game for Teddy which he also loves and helps him to really concentrate and explore the place we are visiting.
We did one today on our trip and instead of just writing down every thing he was supposed to find he started to collect the things that were on the list. I thought he might struggle to collect a cloud or a puddle which I helped him look for but I drew the line when he wanted to pocket a spider! We still had lots of fun and apart from finding a squirrel which we usually see on daily basis in our local park we found everything.
You can find a copy of your scavenger hunt template here:
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