Five nature activities to keep your toddlers busy during the lockdown

When I think of nature, I picture my local forest, where the dappled shadows of the beech and sycamore trees create a soothing rhythm on the forest floor and I’m instantly calm.

Research has proven that nature has calming properties. Bedridden hospital patients with a view of nature recover quicker. So, it’s not surprising that taking children outdoors can have a calming effect on them, too.

I don’t know how many times we’ve thrown on wellies and coats and run out the door in a bid to avoid a tantrum that’s brewing.

Within seconds, my two-year-old son is rummaging around to find bugs and beasties beneath the rocks. I feel my shoulders relax and my breathing slow down. We look up to see what nature’s offering us on that particular day.

Will it be blue sky or a flock of birds or maybe a bee? No matter how much time we spend outside, there’s always something new to see – that’s the beauty of nature, it’s constantly changing.

Nature doesn’t leave you bored. Even if you only ever visited the same small space, you would always see something different.

The seasons bring so much beauty and transformation to the land you can only sit back in awe.

Right now, we are restricted in where we can go and how long we can go there. This is a time of huge uncertainty, so now is the time to utilise nature for all it has to offer.

We know that kids are extremely adaptive but it doesn’t mean they aren’t unsure about everything. Make the most of whatever space you have available to you and connect with nature on some level, big or small.

Read also: Limerick illustrator launches free 'design your own GAA kit' colouring book

Toddlers love exploring and nature offers wonderful opportunities for new discoveries. Here are my top five nature activities to keep them enthralled, no matter what else is happening in the world.

1. Bug Hunting: There are so many bugs and beasties to be found all around us. Find a patch of greenery or even just sit on the step at your backdoor. You’ll be amazed at what you find in such a small space. Go one step further and add a magnifying glass and a bug identity guide.

2. Nature Colour Matching: Grab a few pieces of material, coloured blocks or any coloured household items and see if your little one can find anything from nature to match that colour. Put a few different colours down on the ground in a circle or a line and let your mini explorer build up a little collection for each colour.

3. Nature Crowns: Cut a wide strip of cardboard from a cereal box, tape it to fit your child’s head and then put some double-sided sticky tape or just fold over some one-sided tape to go around the whole crown. It’s your child’s job to cover their crown in bits they find in nature: ferns, flowers, grass seeds, twigs.

4. Nature Scavenger Hunt: Grab a pen and paper and draw or write the names of a few things that can be found in nature: beetle, leaf, feather, shell, stone, pine cone. Leave a space beside each word or picture so your little one can tick it off. If they’re too young, perhaps show them how to make a mud fingerprint instead or they can collect the items in a basket or bucket. You can also print a scavenger hunt off our website (www.mudbugs.ie).

5. Mud Painting: Mix soil and water in a jug until it becomes brown slushy water. Get an old paint brush or make your own using some feathers or leaves tied to a stick. Paint onto an old sheet, footpath or even on paper.

For more fun, outdoor, kids’ activities, sign up to the Mud Bugs emailing list and you’ll receive weekly emails with activity ideas and more.

Why not follow Jess on Instagram @mudbugs.ie or Facebook @mudbugsireland?

Jess, mother of one, lives in Leitrim and has worked with children her whole working life. Jess set up Mud Bugs in 2018 as a way of connecting children and families with nature.

Mud Bugs offers courses and workshops for children and families to connect them with nature and support their physical and mental well-being. Jess has trained as a level 3 Forest School Leader in the UK and has invested a lot of time and energy in creating a philosophy that benefits more and more families in Ireland.

Jess wants to educate, motivate and support families and professionals to connect with nature to reap the benefits it has to offer.

Read also: ‘We will get through this Covid-19 crisis,’ says Longford's Community Champion Karen Reilly