outdoor play – Nannyjob blog

The Great Outdoors: Nature Activities for Kids

With the ever-increasing screen time in children’s lives, it’s high time to embrace the boundless benefits of the great outdoors. Engaging children in nature activities is not only fun but also essential for their physical and mental well-being. Whether you’re a parent, nanny, or child carer, here are some stimulating nature activities that can create lasting memories and foster a love for the environment.

The Benefits of Nature Activities for Kids

Before we jump into the activities, let’s explore why the great outdoors is so great for kids:

Physical Health: Outdoor activities often involve physical movement, which is great for cardiovascular health, muscle building, and bone density.
Mental Health: Nature has a calming effect on the mind, reducing stress and anxiety.
Learning and Creativity: The outdoors is an endless source of new experiences that can spark a child’s imagination and curiosity.
Social Skills: Outdoor activities often require cooperation and communication, which can help develop social skills.
Connection to Nature: Exposing children to nature fosters a connection to the environment and encourages them to be more eco-conscious as they grow up.

Nature Activities to Get Kids Engaged

1. Nature Scavenger Hunt

Create a list of natural items for children to find, such as a pinecone, feather, or smooth rock. This encourages them to observe and explore their surroundings in detail.

2. Gardening

Teach children how to plant seeds, water them, and watch them grow. Gardening is an excellent way for kids to learn about the life cycle of plants and the importance of caring for living things.

3. Bug Exploration

Equip them with a magnifying glass and let them explore the world of bugs. This can be a great introduction to biology and the ecosystem.

4. Nature Crafts

Collect leaves, twigs, flowers and use them to create art. You can make leaf prints, fairy houses, or painted rocks.

5. Bird Watching

Identify different types of birds and observe their behavior. This can be done in your backyard or at a local park.

6. Outdoor Picnic

Pack a lunch and have a picnic in a local park. This is a simple yet effective way of enjoying nature and spending quality time together.

7. Tree Climbing

Climbing trees can be a thrilling adventure for kids. It’s not only fun but also great for developing their coordination and strength.

8. Nature Walks

Take a walk in nature, be it a forest, beach, or park. Encourage children to take in their surroundings using all their senses.

9. Stargazing

On a clear night, lay out a blanket and gaze up at the stars. Share stories about constellations and planets.

10. Play Nature Detective

Encourage children to be nature detectives, looking for animal tracks, listening for different sounds, and identifying different plants.

Safety First!

While outdoor activities can be exciting, it’s crucial to ensure children’s safety. Teach them about the importance of not wandering away, the need for sunscreen, and the types of plants to avoid.

In Conclusion

The great outdoors is the ultimate playground that offers limitless opportunities for exploration, learning, and fun. Engaging children in nature activities can enrich their lives and create a foundation for a healthy and eco-conscious lifestyle. Let’s get those little boots dirty and hearts racing with the wonders of the natural world!

The Joy of Cycling: Learning to Ride a Bike and Its Benefits

For many of us, our first bicycle represents an unforgettable milestone, a token of independence and a gateway to countless adventures. As nannies and childcarers, facilitating this life-changing skill can be a joyful and rewarding experience. Here’s why teaching children to ride a bike is a win-win and how to do it effectively:

1. The Benefits of Cycling

Learning to ride a bike isn’t just fun, it comes with a host of benefits:

Physical Health: Cycling is a fantastic form of cardiovascular exercise, helping to maintain a healthy weight and increase fitness levels. It also improves balance, coordination, and strength.
Mental Well-being: Outdoor activities like cycling can enhance mood and contribute to better mental health. It can foster a sense of achievement and independence in children.
Environmental Impact: Riding a bike instead of using motorised transport is a practical way to reduce carbon footprint. It’s never too early to introduce children to environmentally friendly practices.

2. Tips for Teaching Bike Riding

Safety First: A helmet is a must. It’s also beneficial to have knee and elbow pads, especially in the early stages.
Start with a Balance Bike: Balance bikes help children learn balancing skills before introducing pedalling, making the transition to a regular bike smoother.
Choose the Right Environment: Start in a safe, traffic-free area. Flat, open spaces like a park are ideal.
Be Patient and Positive: Every child learns at their own pace. Celebrate small victories, like a few seconds of balanced gliding, to keep motivation high.

3. The Joy of Shared Cycling

Don’t forget that cycling isn’t just for children! It’s a great way for carers and children to bond over shared outings. Cycling can also become a regular part of your routine, perhaps as a fun way to commute to school or local activities.

Remember, teaching a child to ride a bike isn’t just about the skill itself. It’s about instilling a love for physical activity, an appreciation for the outdoors, and a sense of self-confidence that can carry into many other areas of life.

Puddle jumping

It’s springtime, it’s a tiny bit warmer but it’s still pretty darn wet! What better way to make the most of this than to go puddle jumping?

“There is no such thing as bad weather, only inappopriate clothing” – Sir Ranulph Fiennes

Many parents and nannies believe that every day, rain or shine, children can get out and about. With a good set of waterproofs, plenty of layers and some sturdy welly boots everyone can get out to play. If you do get wet then when you get home dry off, change clothes and warm up with a hot drink. Hot chocolate tastes even better when it’s going into a chilly tummy.

Jumping in puddles is just a natural childhood instinct. It’s also a way for children to see that they can have a big effect on the world around them. They can spend ages jumping in and out of puddles, watching the water fly everywhere and then return to its tranquil state or examining reflections or making water muddy and watching it settle again. This is the start of science, in a playful way.

Puddle jumping a universal game. There’s a little spark of childish glee in all of us when we see a puddle and we get to jump in it. Don’t hold back! Children thrive on experiencing fun alongside adults and are encouraged by adults participating.

“Childhood is a state of mind which ends the moment a puddle is first viewed as an obstacle rather than an opportunity” – Unknown

So what will it be? Obstacle? Or opportunity?

Last one to get their welly boots on is a banana!

Treasure hunts

The weather is starting to look quite fine so it’s time to get outdoors! Treasure hunts are a brilliant activity for all ages. that can easily be adapted to the interests and abilities of each child. You can theme your hunt around nature or a colour, or include an element of imaginative play such as pirates searching for treasure, survivors stranded on an island who need to recover all the missing pieces of their vessel before they can leave or rescuers on the trail of a kidnapped teddy. Treasure hunts are also a very low cost activity – you just need paper and some ‘treasure’!

For tinies

Even toddlers can participate in a treasure hunt by following picture clues. They’ll obviously need careful supervision but you’ll be amazed how soon they get the hang of it. If you’re doing this alongside older children it’s probably best to have a 1 easy:3 harder clues ratio to prevent older children from racing through their clues too quickly.

For early readers

As soon as they can recognise letters you can start to incoporate them into clues. If the clue is ‘b’ then the next clue might be found near an object that begins with ‘b’. You can quickly progress onto simple words and it will give their confidence a boost too.

For confident readers

Confident readers can have more complicated words or whole phrases as clues, including simple rhymes and easy puzzles.

For older kids

Older children who may find words or phrases simplistic can be engaged by using word puzzles and riddles. Try creating anagrams of the next clue’s location, mirror writing or a secret code that they have to break.

You need a few moments in private to place your clues, so get your bosses in on the secret so you can hide them in the garden before work, or team up with another nanny and go to a park or some woodland – one nanny can look after the children while the other runs around to plant clues. Just make sure you have your employers’ permission before leaving your charges with someone else.

Treasure hunts can be a great competition with a race to find the clue or a way to encourage teamwork and get older ones to help by reading the clue but encouraging younger ones to answer the riddle. They encourage all-important problem solving skills and independence so don’t leap to give them the answer when they’re struggling and let them go off after clues by themselves.

Ready…..set…..seek!

Playday, play every day

Yesterday was Playday 2013, a national celebration of play devoted to encouraging and promoting play for children. This year it was focused on play spaces and playing out in the great outdoors. How many of you played outside yesterday? Did it depend on the weather – too hot, too cold, too sunny, too rainy? Did it depend on whether you had ‘somewhere to go’ to play? Do you have an outdoor playspace near you?

Children today are often limited to sanitised parks and playgrounds, gardens with lawns and patios, discouraged from grubbing around in the dirt or rolling around on grass, climbing trees or picking flowers. Sometimes nannies (and childminder and parents too!) need to think outside the box a little, and make the most of the flexibility home based care affords.

You can find outdoor play spaces on the Woodland Trust website or via Fields In Trust or get involved in Groundwork’s initiatives in your area.

Once you’re there, what can you do? In a field you can run, jump, turn somersaults or cartwheels or have a wheelbarrow race. In a forest you can play hide and seek, climb a tree, make a den. Near a pond, lake or stream you can hunt for pond life, make a mud pie and lean how to skim stones across the water. On a beach you can paddle, fish for shrimps or crabs, make sandcastles. It doesn’t matter if it’s raining – if it’s warm just wear a t-shirt and shorts and take a towel and a change of clothes because everyone should get soaked through having fun at least once in their life!

And if you need some more ideas, the National Trust has 50 things you absolutely need to do and our Pinterest boards have ideas for outdoor fun, sensory play, games and activities and some practical tips and tricks too!

Play today, play every day!