Letting Your Children Go Wild!

Today is national Child’s Day, the theme this year is Go Wild. Parents are being encouraged to let their children explore, have fun, take risks and make their own play ideas in the great outdoors. While trotting off to the woods may be a great day out for some parents for others it may be a little more difficult; so we’ve taken a look at other ways you can use natural habitats and materials to let your child Go Wild.

Let the Children Play

Make a safe play area which includes lots of natural materials for excite your child’s senses. Touch, sight, smell and even taste can be experienced in a well thought out garden area.

Let the Children Play

It wasn’t that many years ago when many of us made our own games and fun playing in the garden, especially with wet, gooey mud! Let your child step back in time and explore all the wonderful things nature has to offer – don’t forget mud and dirt washes off clothes and kids so it shouldn’t be a big deal if they get covered!

Little Eco Footprints

If you can’t get to the beach, bring the beach to your garden. Adding sea-shells and interesting objects will make a sandpit far more interesting for older kids. Let them take their shoes and socks off and experience getting sand between their toes.

Chasing Cheerios

Sawn down logs make great stepping stones and are a great way of helping your child to learn balance and co-ordination. Bare feet will add to the outdoor adventure.

Flights of Whimsy Ece

Any natural materials can be used to ignite a child’s imagination. An immaculately tidy garden maybe ideal but leaving a few leaves and twigs about will give kids endless hours of fun; and it won’t cost you a penny!

UIUC

Give older children a piece of paper a crayon or robust pencil and send them off to see how many different tree bark rubbings they can make – a great idea for children who don’t like getting dirty.

Pinterest

I’m loving the concept between this simple, yet stunning, pebble arrangement – a great way to display those treasures from the beach that you never know quite what to do with.

Sofawned

Taking risks is all part of growing up; doing it with supervision will make you and your child feel a little better – scraped knees and a few scratches are well worth the experience of climbing trees.

Marghanita

It’s a mantra that holds true to this day.

Right from the Start

Make a hat and search for bugs with your wellies on – oh, to be young again!

Baby World

Pond dipping is a fabulous experience for kids of all ages – just as long as there’s responsible adults on hand to supervise.

Alice Fox

Beach combing is an adventure that every child, in my opinion, should experience more than once in their lifetime.