Nature Adventures with a Toddler (and beyond!)

Join me on my quest to keep a toddler entertained in my garden and home, with nature as our inspiration, and with fun (and a bit of learning!) as our goal. My 2 and ½ year old will test out these simple and easy-to-do-at-home activities; we’ll let you know the results, and would love to hear how you get on, too. All the activities are simple, use mostly things you will find in and around your home, and will be free, and will hopefully help to keep you both entertained (and sane!) a they have done for me. Enjoy!

Sarah and Oscar x

Thank you the National Lottery Heritage Fund for support with this content.

Nature Adventures with a Toddler (and beyond!) – Toddler Sticktionary

This has become an activity we keep returning to, which is great. Oscar is just learning shapes, so this was a brilliant activity to help him.

Nature Adventures with a Toddler (and beyond!) – Creative Collage

Encourage your budding artist by finding natural materials and creating their very own nature collage.

Nature Adventures with a Toddler (and beyond!) – Music makers

Get creative and make some noise (and music!) with some home made instruments using household items and things found in your garden or local green space.

Nature Adventures with a Toddler (and beyond!) – Brilliant Boggarts

Boggarts are magical creatures that lurk in all kinds of unusual places. Since lockdown, they’ve become a more common garden visitor as sightings across Sheffield and Rotherham continue to rise. Bring a ball of clay to life with some foraged items and create your very own Boggart.

Nature Adventures with a Toddler (and beyond!) – Nature in Ice

A mixture between a science experiment and an art project, this activity will help to engage children of all ages, from discovering how the ice caps melt, to being a simple sensory experience – fun for all the family!

Nature Adventures with a Toddler (and beyond!) – Woolley Worms

Introduce your toddler to the ‘Woolley Worms’. When they’re not looking, hide them – and then show your toddler the empty container – Oh No! They’ve escaped!

Nature Adventures with a Toddler (and beyond!) – Obstacles

Get physical with a garden (or house!) obstacle course that will entertain your toddler, and get them doing a great range of movements. Great as a fun lockdown workout.

Nature Adventures with a Toddler (and beyond!)- A Bottle of Nature

It took a few layers for him to notice the effect, but at the end, he really seemed to notice all of the different materials he could see.

Nature Adventures with a Toddler (and beyond!) – Puppet Show

Depending on the age of your child, this might be an activity you may have to take much more of a lead on the design and creating, but the end result is sure to capture the imagination of all ages.

Nature Adventures with a Toddler (and Beyond) – The Great Potato Race of 2020

The perfect solution to using up those sprouting potatoes we seem to end up with in our veg racks. On your marks… get a spud… GO!!!

Nature Adventures with a Toddler (and beyond!) – Make a Mini Garden

Make your own mini garden out of things you have around the house and garden.

Nature Adventures with a Toddler (and beyond!) – Nature’s Crowning Glory

Make your own Crown with a few items from around the house, and whatever you find to decorate it!

Nature Adventures with a Toddler (and beyond!) – Float or sink?

Join me on my quest to keep a toddler entertained in my garden and home, with nature as our inspiration, and with fun (and a bit of learning!) as our goal.

Nature Adventures with a Toddler (and beyond!) – The Archimedes Challenge

Have fun with some water, and challenge your toddler to think outside the box with this simple but effective science experiment.

Nature Adventures with a Toddler (and beyond!) – An accidental stick pet!

As anyone with children will know, things don’t always go to plan. Not something I’d thought of, but turned out to be an absolute win, so we decided to share it with you.

Nature Adventures with a Toddler (and beyond!) – Blindfold sensory challenge

A mix between a memory game and a sensory exclusion activity, try this fun challenge out with your toddler, and they can have a go at testing you, too!

Nature Adventures with a Toddler (and beyond!) – Shadow Drawing

Get creative, create a work of art, and learn about light and shadow with this simple activity – perfect for a sunny day.