Bring The Outdoors In
The weather in our country can be tricky to work with! While we always try to encourage exploring the great outdoors, here are some family friendly activity ideas to help you continue the fun at home.
Make Suncatchers
Collect some flowers and leaves on a walk. Make a frame out of twigs or cardboard around some sticky-back plastic, or clingfilm (you will need PVA glue if using clingfilm). Dry the flowers and leaves for a couple of days and then arrange them onto the plastic. Cover in a thin layer of glue, or another sheet of sticky-back plastic. Hang in the window and enjoy!
Paint Splattered Leaves
Collect some leaves and twigs on a walk or in your back garden. Lay them out on some blank paper in a pattern. Using a paintbrush and watercolour paints, splatter the paint over the top of the leaves. Remove the leaves and let the paint dry, revealing your leaf pattern!
Magic Beans
Place a folded sheet of kitchen towel into a clear ziploc bag and place a broadbean into the paper "bed". Spray with water, seal and tape to the window. Water the bean once a week (or more often if the paper is dry). Watch your bean grow!
Homemade Seed Paper
Tear up some craft paper (colour of your choice) into small pieces. Soak the paper in a bowl of warm water for an hour. Put the mixture and a little more water into a blender to create a pulp. Mix in the seeds of your choice (we recommend native wildflowers). Squash your mixture onto a sheet of breathable cotton, attempting to remove as much water a possible. Leave to dry. Once dry, cut the paper to your desired shape. You can use watercolour paint or pens to write a message or decorate. Plant the paper and wait for seedlings!
Create a Colour Wheel
Each time you visit a park, try to collect natural items from each colour of the rainbow. Dry any leaves or flowers for a few days and then stick them to a piece of paper or card in colour order, creating a circular colour wheel. You can continue this project as long as it takes to complete.
