The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Summer fun for all come rain or shine
Ideas to keep your youngsters entertained and active during the summer months
The Woodland Trust has come up with a selection of super summertime activities to keep your little ones entertained. Some can be done indoors on bad weather days, while others are ideal for when the sun is shining. Just remember to follow the government guidelines on social distancing.
Spot signs of summer
When you are out in the garden or visiting the local park, can you see certain summer flowers blooming, or spot butterflies fluttering by? Keep your eyes peeled for caterpillars, bees and trees in full leaf, too.
Have a twig boat race
Make a wee raft out of twigs and challenge another member of your family to a boat race. Simply gather some twigs from your garden or park, line them up and fasten them together with string. Slot an upright stick into your raft to make a mast and thread a leaf or two on to it for the sails. Try your boats out in the paddling pool or the bath and see who can blow their boat from one side to the other first! For an extra challenge add some cargo, such as small pebbles, nuts or berries.
Make a minibeast mask
Cut a paper plate in half, or cut out a semicircle from some card. Make two eye holes and cut out a notch for your child’s nose. Now decide which minibeast they’d like to be and get creative with the decorating. You could paint your mask, stick on scraps of paper or fabric, or even use natural materials from your garden. When you’ve finished, punch a hole at either side and attach some string so your child can wear it. Afterwards, why not do some research about your child’s minibeast and see what you can find out?
Listen to the sounds of summer
Encourage your children to listen to the sounds of summer with this mindful activity and help them use their senses to connect with nature. Head out into your garden or open a window, close your eyes and listen out for buzzing bees, tweeting birds or leaves being ruffled by the breeze? What else do you hear?
Butterfly spotting
Butterflies are all around at this time of year – but which ones can you spot while outside? Take a note of what they look like and once back home, draw your favourite and do a bit of research to find out more about them.
Stick weaving
Find a Y-shaped stick and wrap some wool around it to make a loom. Then gather natural items from your garden or park and weave them into it. Just make sure you don’t pick wild flowers or pull bits off trees – look for fallen petals and leaves instead. And there you have it – these activities will help keep your kids occupied while teaching them all about nature this summer.
Gardening for kids
Dobbies Garden Centres has a gardening podcast just for children. Gardening writer Louise Midgley and Dobbies’ expert Louise Golden answer lots of questions posed by children from across the UK, and share tips on making the most of family time in the garden. Dobbies’ popular online Little Seedlings Club has activity sheets, recipes and tips ranging from how to grow a grass head to growing bee-friendly flowers. The Gardening with Children podcast is available at www.dobbies.com/content/ podcast.html For Little Seedlings visit www.dobbies.com/ content/littleseedlings.html
Searching for treasure
Hide little notes around your home containing clues that cleverly lead to the next note. Eventually, they’ll find the treasure which could be some sweets, a fun game for you to all play together or a box of freshly baked goods. Take it in turns to plan one each week for something fun to do together.
Fun photoshoots
Photographs capture our special memories, so spend an afternoon organising a fun photoshoot in your home. Gather your household together and take pics which capture the positive moments you’re sharing together. Take a mixture of candid snaps or a posed group photo and have fun by donning different clothing and accessories. Top tip: Blowing bubbles makes young children smile.
Hollywood blockbusters
Plonking your child in front of the TV doesn’t have to make you feel like a bad parent... Education expert Becky Cranham, of PlanBee, suggests how to include learning activities they can try while watching their favourite films. The Lion King: How many animals can they count?
Challenge them to classify them into groups; write a story about one of the animals they’ve seen or find out more about the animal’s habitat, diet and features. Toy Story: Ask children to note what materials each toy is made from – wood, metal, etc. Challenge them to find out what their own toys are made from or ask them to write a story about what they think their toys might get up to at night. Harry Potter: Get youngsters to write down all the spells they come across and what each one does. They could then make their own spell book, classifying the spells into groups and draw instructions on wand movement. They could do a similar activity on the mythical beasts which appear in the films. Frozen: The film is a great way to get children thinking about the seasons. Write a list of words describing the seasons; list the clothes people would wear, different activities, etc. Try wrapping different materials, such as newspaper, tin foil, etc, around a cup of ice cubes and see which keeps the ice cool for the longest time. Record the results and make a chart or graph to illustrate them.