Outdoor Learning Ideas for Home
Top 10 Educational Outdoor Activities for the Summer Holidays
Summer holidays are getting started all across the UK now which means you’ve got a good few weeks with the children at home, all day every day, so you need some go-to kids activities to keep them entertained.
A survey reported by the Telegraph in 2016 found that 74.8% of parents felt their children’s learning abilities declined through the summer holiday and for that reason, half of the parents questioned felt the summer break should be shorter. We’re all about learning from what the great outdoors has to offer here at Tiso and think there are plenty of ways to get your kids’ brains working, as well as their bodies moving to make the most of their time off school.
If you’re keen to give your kids a summer holiday to remember whilst keeping them learning as much as possible, here’s our top 10 outdoor activities for kids that aren’t just fun but great for learning too!
1. Outdoor Treasure Hunt
Giving kids the opportunity to run free whilst having things to find is a great way to ensure they get plenty of exercise whilst keeping their brains switched on.
Whether you head to the local park, forest or somewhere further afield, give your kids a checklist of plants and wildlife they have to find and tick off and if you want to make things even more educational, give them a map of the area to help them navigate their way around.
This is a great way to get children more enthusiastic to go for a walk and gets them learning about things in the outdoors they may not be familiar with!
2. Create a Hedgehog House
Something you can do really cheaply in your garden, creating a hedgehog house isn’t just a fun learning experience for your kids but helps the hedgehogs too!
Get your kids to do some research on how hedgehogs like to live and what they need to survive and then let them gather the materials they need and create their very own hedgehog house from what they’ve learnt!
3. Decorating Rocks and Pebbles
If you’re lucky enough to live by the seaside or are planning a beach trip during the holidays, get the kids to grab some rocks and pebbles they like the look of and once you’re home, get the paints out and let them get creative decorating them.
This is a great way to encourage their excitement about being outside when collecting the rocks and also tests their creative side when it comes to decorating them.
4. Walk the Route Your Children Have Planned
If you’re wanting to use summer as a chance to both get fit and improve the kids’ navigation skills, setting them the task of planning a route for you all to walk is a great way to do both!
Give them some maps of the local area and let them plan a route for you all to walk. You can either set them some criteria or let them go wild and once they’re confident they’ve worked out a route, it’s time to grab your walking boots and put their map skills to the test!
5. Camping
It’s simple, affordable and a classic choice for family summer holidays, getting the kids out on a camping trip isn’t just great fun but can also help them learn all kinds of life and survival skills.
From setting up the tent to lighting a fire to cooking in the outdoors, there’s plenty for kids of all ages to learn and experience on a camping trip!
6. Outdoor Board Games
Outdoor board games are a great way to take the fun outside when the weather is nice and is also a great way to get kids thinking while they’re playing!
Whether it’s garden Jenga, chess on a huge scale or a massive version of snakes and ladders, the Evening Standard have tried, tested and decided on the best garden board games for all ages and they’re ideal for learning through play!
7. Grow Your Own Flower
If you want your children to become a little more ‘green fingered’, set them the challenge of planting and growing their own plant or flower in the garden.
Let them do some research into the flower they want to grow and how to help it grow, get them the materials they need and leave them to it, they’re guaranteed to want to spend a lot more time outside watching their flower blossom!
8. Bug Hunt
An activity that will cost you no more than a magnifying glass and can be done as close or as far from home as you like, a bug hunt is a great way to get in the outdoors and exploring the world around you.
Kit your kids out with comfy shoes and a magnifying glass and let them roam around finding garden creepy crawlies. If you want to make this a little more educational, quiz your children on what they’re finding or set them the project of finding out more about the bugs they’ve found using books or the internet.
9. Host a Mini Olympics
A great idea if you have fellow parent friends who also need to entertain their kids, host a mini Olympics at one of your houses and the children will be entertained for hours.
Whether you set up the activities for them or get them to do some research into the Olympics and let them find out what events they should do, this is great for getting little ones moving and working on different physical abilities.
10. Put on a Pool Party
Less educational but just great fun for everyone, putting on your very own pool party is a great way to enjoy the warm weather and lets your kids socialise with their friends.
Pull out the paddling pool, get some snacks and enjoy a sunny afternoon in your own back garden!
There’s no need to worry that your kids will lose their love for learning through the summer holiday with activities like this. A great way to get them exercising, thinking and embracing the outdoors, an ideal option!
Useful Email Addresses For Outdoor Activities for School or at home.
Learning through Landscapes-outdoor activities