In the height of spring, sunshine lifts our spirits, spring flowers bloom and birds and pollinators suddenly become more abundant. With so much flora and fauna bursting forth and beauty all around, it’s a wonderful time for children to get outdoors to experience nature first-hand. In today’s activity, they can do all of that through a mid-spring nature hunt. We even supply a free poster for little ones to use as reference during the activity! The fresh air will be good for them, they can burn off some energy as they explore the outdoors, and nature will benefit them in a myriad of ways. They’ll discover more about the natural world, nurture their own well-being through close proximity to nature, and learn about some of the natural delights that come with the season.
Can they spot some daisies? How about some bluebells? What about a squirrel leaping through the trees? Has your little one discovered dandelion ‘clocks’ yet? Those are some of childhood’s joys and are irresistible to children of all ages! Snails are beginning to reappear too, and baby snails are an absolute cuteness overload as they carry their tiny homes on their backs. Apple blossom is simply beautiful, and a sure sign of some delicious apples coming later in the year. All these things and more are part of today’s nature-based activity, with reference images hand-picked to coincide perfectly with mid-spring. Download the free poster today, print it out, and head on out to the Great Outdoors with your little ones. The activity will give them a wonderful introduction to some of nature’s magic this springtime. What’s more, spending time close to nature is good for parents too!
Download the Free Reference Poster
Click the poster preview image to view on screen or download in PDF format (whether you left- or right-click will depend on your browser set-up, so try each if unsure). Posters can be printed as large as A3 (great for displaying on your child’s bedroom wall), reduced to A4, or as small as A5 (perfect as a reference sheet to take on the activity). Parents: don’t forget a pencil, pen or crayon so that each item that your child spots can be ticked on the reference sheet — little tick boxes are provided.
Fun Facts for Mid-Spring
Putting together the nature reference poster got us thinking! Here are some fun and interesting facts that were brought to mind:
Bluebells also come in pink or white. They’re referred to as pinkbells (also known as pink bluebells and Spanish bluebells) and whitebells (or white bluebells).- Have you ever noticed that dandelion leaves are like a row of sharp teeth? In fact, the word dandelion is based on the French for ‘teeth of the lion’ — dents du lion.
- Dandelion clocks are known as such due to the childhood pastime that so many of us are familiar with. The theory is that children can tell you the time by the number of puffs it takes to blow all the seeds off into the air. It is, of course, only occasionally accurate!
- Frogspawn is a wonderful way to teach children how some creatures evolve from eggs, through infancy, into adulthood. With frogspawn, they start off as tiny, transparent eggs, then grow a tail that enables them to swim. Later come arms and legs, then they lose their tail and mature into tiny infant frogs. It’s incredibly educational and engaging for children to witness.
- Does your child know about bee nectar baskets? Those are the little yellow leg pouches that can be seen on some bumblebees’ and honeybees’ legs. They are where the bees collect and store their nectar ready to transport back to the hive.
- Teach your child about the importance of pollinators, which include bees, butterflies and hoverflies. Without them, flowers would not be fertilised i.e. pollinated. And without pollination, we’d have no fruit, vegetables, seeds, cereals, legumes and nuts to eat. So, we owe all those cute pollinators enormous thanks!
- An earlier version of our spring reference poster included snowdrops, daffodils, buttercups and crocuses. However, by mid-spring, they’re disappearing rapidly because their blooms peaked in very early spring. Meanwhile, bluebells are at their peak by mid-spring (right now at the time of writing), so go in search of them quickly if you don’t want to miss this year’s beautiful crop! If you can find a blanket of flowering bluebells in a wood, take note not only of the visual beauty but also of their gentle scent on the breeze.
Bluebells also come in pink or white. They’re referred to as pinkbells (also known as pink bluebells and Spanish bluebells) and whitebells (or white bluebells).
Does your child know about bee nectar baskets? Those are the little yellow leg pouches that can be seen on some bumblebees’ and honeybees’ legs. They are where the bees collect and store their nectar ready to transport back to the hive.The Benefits of Nature
We’ve said before — and we’ll keep on saying — nature is incredibly good for children and adults alike. But what are some of the benefits, and why is nature so important to children? Well, we wrote an article about it and you can read our top 20 reasons why nature benefits children here. To give you an idea, it’s educational, stimulates creativity, is good for both mind and body, promotes deeper thinking, and is a feast for the developing senses. It also encourages empathy, teaches little ones about the circle of life, improves concentration in the classroom, and even helps children improve academic grades. These are just the tip of the iceberg, however, so click the bold link to learn much more about why spending time in and around nature is so beneficial to children.
We hope that children (and parents) have great fun with this seasonal nature-based activity. Feel free to share a link to the post with friends and spread the word about the free poster!
Little Acorns Nursery, Padiham, Lancashire
We offer a first-class weekday childcare service in Padiham, Lancashire
Little Acorns is a wonderful nursery and preschool in Padiham, Lancashire. Here, children aged up to five get the very best start in life and an early years education that’s tailored to them. It’s all about bringing out the very best in every child at Little Acorns. Our fabulous team of early years practitioners will look after them every day in a wonderful home-from-home environment. We’ll ensure they feel loved and valued and are given every opportunity to absolutely shine, so they’re ‘school ready’ by the time they leave us to start school. We also support free childcare places through the many different government-funded childcare schemes available to eligible families. Get in touch today to learn more, apply for a place, or ask questions. We can’t wait to meet you and your child!
Located in Padiham, the nursery will also suit families living in nearby towns and villages like Hapton, Rose Grove, Burnley, Altham, Huncoat, Read, Simonstone, Sabden, Higham and Wood End.
Safety notice: Supervise children at all times and encourage them to look but not touch when scouting outdoors for the signs of spring. There are many dangers out there including insects that sting, plants that are poisonous, fungi that are toxic — and even snails can pose potential dangers (lungworm).
