Have you been getting outdoors and enjoying nature this autumn? We’ve been trying to make the most of the mild weather, and enjoying all that nature has to offer at this time of year. If you read the blog regularly you’ll know that we’re partnering with RSPB on lots of fun nature projects, and this month we’ve been trying out another of their Wild Challenge activities. RSPB Wild Challenge is all about helping wildlife and connecting with the ...
Ideas for enjoying autumn outdoors with children
I just love autumn. The weather is still mild, the sunlight is at a fabulous angle, and nature is visibly changing everywhere you look. My kids love it too; it’s such a tactile time of year with all those crisp leaves, changing colours, and of course the conkers!As September marches on, I’ve been thinking about how to make the most of being outdoors with the kids as much as possible before the colder weather arrives. Autumn is such a ...
Nature Craft: making leaf prints
Isn't autumn just wonderful for crafting inspiration? We've done so many lovely craft activities already this season, and these simple leaf prints are our latest masterpiece.With so many fabulous leaves lying around, we thought we'd get the paints out and put them to good use. First job was to head out for a walk in the park to find some leaves in varying shapes and sizes.After a good debate about which leaves were our favourites, ...
Product Showcase: Wickey climbing frames
The kids may be back at school this month, but autumn is still a great time to get them playing outdoors. Mine have been heading straight out into the garden to let off steam after a day of lessons. To be honest, after a summer of reduced working hours and the shock of getting back to normal working patterns, I feel like doing the same thing! If you read the blog regularly you’ll know that I’m a huge fan of outdoor activities. I ...
Create Your Own Happy: happiness-boosting activities for 7-11 year olds
As my kids are getting older, I’m finding that less of the time I spend looking after them is focused on doing ‘stuff’ for them, and more time is spent helping them to grow and develop emotionally. As a parent, it’s all a bit of a learning curve - like every other aspect of having kids I guess! - and it feels like we’re exploring this whole new area of growing up together. Is it the same for you? I’m always singing the praises of physical ...
Nature craft: painted rocks
Painted rocks are a classic nature craft, and one that my kids never tire of! It's a great little craft that doesn't need much preparation, and suits pretty much all ages of child. It's also brilliant for those days when the weather isn't fantastic but you'd still like to get hands-on with some natural materials.Here's how to make your own painted rocks.We use rocks and pebbles from our garden for this craft (I'm pretty sure it's ...
Fun gardening: How to grow your name in courgettes
This may sound like a rather odd title for a post, but bear with me....If you're growing courgettes this year, right now you're likely to be inundated with them, and busy trying to find new recipes to use them in or giving them away to friends, neighbours and any random stranger who'll take them. This makes it the perfect time to grow a name in one of your courgettes; it's dead easy, takes a couple of minutes and is an absolutely brilliant, ...
A Beginner’s Guide to Mountain Biking with Halfords
Are you making the most of the lovely spring weather and getting active outdoors? So far this month we’ve managed some family games in the garden, a few weed-clearing sessions down at the allotment, and lots of seed planting - things are still a bit behind after all that cold weather, so we’ve got some catching up to do! One of the other family activities that we all really love to do together is bike rides. Getting everyone into the saddle ...
Grow Your Own for kids: how to grow salad
Over the last few years my kids have got involved with lots of different aspects of gardening; they've sown seeds, harvested crops, dug, planted, watered, weeded and simply played in the mud. They love all of it, but if you asked them what their favourite gardening job was, they'd say growing plants from seeds every time.I can understand why. There's just something so magical about planting a seed, watering it, and watching a tiny ...
Growing sunflowers with children
Have you planted any seeds yet this year? Now's the ideal time to get growing, and if you're looking for easy seeds to grow with children it's hard to beat sunflowers.As well as producing seriously impressive blooms, sunflower seeds are easy for little hands to deal with, and pretty low maintenance to grow. They're also brilliant for local wildlife; the flowers are great for bees and other pollinating insects, and birds love to eat the ...