Guiding The Young Ones

Tag: nature

  • Simple Forest School Activities for Little Explorers

    Simple Forest School Activities for Little Explorers

    There’s something magical about the forest — the way the light dances through the trees, the crunch of leaves under little feet, and the freedom children feel when they’re surrounded by nature. Forest School isn’t just about being outside — it’s about being with the outdoors. It’s about curiosity, confidence, and connection.

    Whether you’re running a Forest School session or just heading out to your local woods with little ones, here are some simple yet powerful activities to spark learning, laughter, and a love of the wild.

     1. Stick Man Story Walk

    Inspired by the beloved book Stick Man by Julia Donaldson, take a walk through the woods and encourage children to find their own “Stick Man.” Use sticks to retell the story, act out scenes, or make your own woodland puppet show.

    Extension idea: Collect sticks of different lengths and sizes — can you measure them? Sort them? Build a den?

    2. Playdough & Clay Tree Faces

    Bring along some natural-toned playdough or forest clay and let imaginations run wild! Children can create faces on tree trunks using leaves, twigs, stones, acorns, and other natural treasures. Will it be a friendly forest spirit, a cheeky goblin, or a wise old woodland watcher?

    We’ve even made Gruffalo characters before — it’s a wonderful way to mix storytelling, fine motor skills, and sensory creativity!

    Top tip: Take photos of their creations to revisit and reflect later — especially if the weather changes them!

    3. Nature Potions

    Set up a little “potion station” using bowls, ladles, pestle and mortar, or even just open-ended containers. Encourage children to mix mud, leaves, petals, and water to create magical mixtures.

    Why it matters: This activity supports imaginative play, fine motor skills, and sensory exploration.

    4. Bird Nest Building

    Challenge children to build a nest using only natural materials — twigs, moss, grass, and leaves. Talk about where birds live, and what makes a good home. Compare your nest designs and see how well they hold an “egg” (a small stone or pinecone works well!).

    Learning link: This activity introduces early engineering, problem-solving, and empathy for animals.

     5. Listening Walk

    Slow things down with a mindful listening walk. Ask the children to close their eyes for a few seconds — what can they hear? Birds? Wind? Cracking twigs? Create a sound map by drawing or marking where each sound came from.

    This is a wonderful way to promote mindfulness, awareness, and calm.

     6. Campfire Snacks (With Safety!)

    If you have the training and setup for it, a small campfire can be an unforgettable part of Forest School. Try making chocolate baked banana, popping corn in foil, or even making dampers (twisty bread on a stick).

    REMEMBER — Always follow strict safety guidance, ratios, and permissions — and model respectful, responsible fire use.

     Forest School Is About Being, Not Just Doing

    Some of the most powerful moments in Forest School aren’t planned. They happen when a child crouches to watch an ant carry a leaf, or when they proudly balance on a fallen log for the first time. Let go of outcomes. Follow their lead. Nature is the teacher — we’re just there to walk beside them.

    Final Tip: Bring a journal or camera to document the wonder. The small moments — muddy smiles, a feather found, a whisper of “Look what I made!” — are worth remembering.

    Let’s keep nurturing a generation who loves the earth, plays with purpose, and grows with freedom. 

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  • Dandelion Sensory Playdough – Simple Play to Spark Big Magic

    Dandelion Sensory Playdough – Simple Play to Spark Big Magic

    This nature-inspired sensory activity is perfect for spring and celebrates the simple joy of playing with what the season offers. Using dandelions collected by the children, we create homemade playdough together — combining fine motor skills, sensory exploration, and a love for nature in one calming invitation to play.

    You will need:

    • Collected dandelions (Just make sure to leave some for the butterflies and bees – Dandelions are the most important first nectar and pollen sources for beneficial insects).

    (Here is a basic homemade playdough we use but there are many other simple recipes available and other methods of making it, that you may like to try or adapt)

    • 2 cups plain flour
    • 1 cup salt
    • 2 tbsp cream of tartar
    • 2 tbsp oil
    • 1.5-2 cups hot water cooked over a low heat
    • Optional: A few drops of lemon or lavender essential oil for additional scent

    How to make it:

    1. Prepare the dandelions: Let the children help gently pull apart the petals — this is a sensory experience in itself!
    2. In a bowl, mix the dry ingredients together and 1/2 of the dandelion petals.
    3. Add the oil and hot water and stir over a low heat until it forms a dough (please remember to discuss safety rules with your Young Ones if they are using the hob – there are also no cook recipes that you can use, if you are not able to safely cook your dough).
    4. Add the remaining dandelion petals and knead well (once suitably cooled).
    5. Enjoy the gentle texture and sensory experience!

    Creating an invitation to spark curiosity and excitement – Suggestion for a natural and simple invitation to play… Offer the dandelion playdough with natural loose parts (sticks, pebbles, leaves, pine cones, more dandelions, small wooden bowls and/or cutters)
    No agenda, just open-ended sensory play.

    Learning Outcomes:

    • Understanding the natural world – identifying and gathering seasonal flowers. You can also use this as an opportunity to learn more about this amazing plant… For example: did you know the whole of a dandelion is edible and it actually contains more nutrients than most common vegetables (how amazing is that)?!
    • Fine motor development – Mixing, kneading, moulding, squishing, rolling, and pinching playdough strengthens small muscles in the hands and fingers, which supports handwriting and other fine motor tasks. That’s without mentioning the hand-eye co-ordination and fine motor skills used to collect and pull apart the dandelions.
    • Sensory exploration – engaging touch, smell and sight in calming ways.
    • Language and communication – talking about textures, colours and the nature around them. Sensory play is also a great opportunity to incorporate new language and to use lots of fantastic adjectives.
    • Emotional wellbeing – using nature-based play to ground, relax and calm.
    • Creativity and Imagination – Children can create anything from insects and animals, to imaginary creatures, encouraging imaginative play and storytelling.

    This activity is as much about the process as the product. It encourages connection, mindfulness, and creativity — while nurturing a lifelong love for nature, right from the earliest years.

    🌼 Because the biggest memories are often made in the smallest, most natural moments.

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    Georgina Young – Early Years Specialist

  • Spring hygge 

    Spring hygge 

    A change in the weather,

    As spring comes along,

    Buds blooming on trees,

    As the birds sing their song. 

    The sun is shining,

    High up in the sky,

    The insects reappearing,

    And catching our eye. 

    Back out come the microscopes,

    As we search for more bugs,

    Laughter fills the air, 

    Fun and happiness hugs. 

    The array of bright colours,

    As flowers start to bloom,

    Exploring lifecycles,

    Watch metamorphosis resume. 

    There is so much to learn,

    As spring fills the air,

    But most importantly with nature ,

    It’s important we care. 

    ©️ – Poem by Georgina Young – Guiding The Young Ones 

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  • Let’s talk about – The benefits of learning through nature in Early Years

    Let’s talk about – The benefits of learning through nature in Early Years

    All children are born with a natural fascination for the world around them. Our role, as early years practitioners, educators and even parents and family units, is to spark and nurture that curiosity, guiding them to explore and learn more about nature. With the Department for Education and the UK government pushing for more conscious sustainability practices, and as the early years sector sees a greater emphasis on nature-based play, it’s vital that practitioners and entire settings understand both the reasoning behind this movement and, most importantly, the incredible benefits nature-based learning has on young children.

    It’s proven that nature plays a crucial role in early years development, with countless benefits for every child’s physical, cognitive, social, and emotional growth. In fact, it’s becoming widely recognised that children should be spending at least three hours of outdoor free play each day. Yet, a recent study revealed that most children spend only around 4-7 minutes outdoors each day! This statistic is alarming, but we have the power to change this and provide young children with the opportunities they need to thrive! All children, regardless of the setting, benefit from being immersed in nature – both through outdoor play and by bringing elements of nature into the indoor environment.

    The Benefits of Nature-Based Learning

    Nature-based learning supports children’s development in a meaningful and holistic way. By allowing children to engage in free play, investigate and connect with the natural world, they’re given opportunities to develop a sense of awe and wonder, spark curiosity and build a lasting appreciation for the environment. Nature is a rich sensory playground that stimulates vocabulary development, language skills and cognitive growth. At the same time, it helps children develop self-awareness, confidence and independence – all while reducing stress and anxiety in both children and adults… This means that nature play benefits not only the children but also the educators and caregivers who engage in it.

    Learning through nature can take place both outdoors and indoors. By incorporating natural resources, loose parts and nature-inspired materials into the learning environment, we encourage children to connect with the world around them. One of my favourite indoor activities with the children is exploring mini-beasts and animal lifecycles. We can create transient art using loose parts, make bugs out of playdough and research various types of insects. These activities can easily be extended and explored outdoors – whether it’s going on a mini-beast hunt with magnifying glasses or visiting a pond to observe frog lifecycles firsthand. The possibilities for nature-inspired learning are endless!

    Physical, Emotional, and Social Benefits

    Being outdoors also provides children with more opportunities to explore physical experiences, engage in gross motor activities and take part in ‘risky play’. These experiences help foster overall development, promote healthy lifestyles and even boost immune systems. There are so many ways to take learning outdoors and integrate nature into the pedagogies and curriculums of early years settings. Nature play can be introduced from the very beginning and doesn’t have to be complicated. Simple activities like creating nature treasure baskets filled with natural resources, hanging natural objects for visual stimuli or simply taking babies and young children outdoors to feel the grass beneath their toes all help to engage them with the natural world.

    Introducing nature play from a young age lays the foundation for positive environmental awareness and stewardship. It nurtures a love for nature that will help children develop a sense of responsibility for the planet and future sustainability.

    A Call to Action

    So, whether you’re taking babies outdoors to experience the grass between their toes or going on a mini-beast adventures with older children, every moment spent in nature is an opportunity for growth. Let’s embrace the beauty and potential of nature-based learning to nurture the next generation of explorers, stewards and environmental advocates.

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