Water & Nature Exploration
Organize water games
By the river, at the sea, or with spring water
Catch small creatures with a net
Observe tadpoles, crayfish, and small or larger fish
Simple Nature Experiments
Make “frog glasses”
Cut the bottom off a water bottle and replace it with plastic wrap
This allows you to observe underwater “like a frog”
Make flower ice cubes
Place a flower in each ice cube compartment before putting them in the freezer
Outdoor Building & Observation
Build tipis in a few minutes
Find three branches about 2 meters long, tie them together at the top, and make small shelters
Follow the path of the sun
Use a sundial or trace the children’s shadows with chalk on the ground at different times of the day
Natural Care & Crafts
Make refreshing lotions
Using lemon, home-grown aloe vera, etc., for the face or feet
Make lavender infused oil
Macerate lavender flowers in deodorized sunflower oil
Leave the glass jar in the sun and shake it every day for 2–3 weeks, then filter
It creates a soothing and softening oil that is pleasant for children and smells wonderful
Outdoor Games
Play pétanque
You can make a mini set with pairs of old socks
Fill them with rice, close with an elastic band, then fold the top of the sock over the ball
Creative Nature Play
Make boats
With bark, sticks for masts, and leaves for sails
Let them float and race them
Play with water and sand
Use buckets, shovels, rakes, etc.
Natural Art
Create plant-based inks
Many colors can be made from plants: nettle, walnut, red cabbage, etc.
Some plants must be heated
Others can simply be cut into small pieces, mixed with water, crushed with a pestle, and filtered (like red cabbage)
Use these inks on wet paper
Mix colors to create new ones
Offer a “chemist workshop” with pipettes
Beach & Sand Creativity
Collect seashells
Make jewelry and mobiles with them
Create beautiful compositions in the sand
Write in the sand with fingers or sticks
Decorate with shells or pebbles
Summer Sharing
Cut summer fruits
Make beautiful platters to share with friends
See the tools sheet for safe knife use
Nature Tools
Make paintbrushes
Grass, flowers, twigs, leaves, etc., tied to a stick with string
Night Sky
Observe the Perseids
Meteor shower at the beginning of August
Find a quiet place away from light pollution
Nature Games
Make a domino game
With pebbles and a permanent marker or paint
Sensory Exploration
Create a barefoot path
With sections filled with sand, pinecones, soil, leaves, stones, water in a basin, mud, etc.
Blindfold the children (if they are comfortable with it) and guide them through their exploration
Edible Flower Play
Create a mini restaurant with edible flowers
Grow edible flowers (borage, nasturtium, pansy, etc.) in a crate
Distribute them to decorate summer salads
You can place the crate(s) on a cart — children will happily pull their little flowers around to offer them
Summer Stories
Read beautiful summer stories
