Connecting children in cities with nature
We had a great time at our picnic and nature trail for National Park City Week, which we hosted to celebrate the fact London is set to become the first ever National Park City in 2019. National Park City Week included around 280 events across the capital, with exciting activities taking place in every borough for all the family. More than 130 organisations hosted events - community groups, arts organisations, local and national charities, boroughs and businesses – demonstrating the breadth of support for making London a National Park City.
It’s not widely understood that London is 47% Green Space and since the London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s adoption of Guerilla Geographer, Dan Raven Ellison’s dream to turn London into the world’s first National Park City, the health and wellness benefits of walking as a way to connect with nature has gained strength. As concerns grow for the city's pollution levels, walking is also a great way to help cut carbon emissions.
We had loads of requests to make our child friendly nature filled activities available online to print out at home/school, so we’ve uploaded them all for you here! They are a great way to keep kids busy at home during the holidays or for teachers to use as resources during term and help children wander in green spaces and connect with nature and the environment around them.
1. Nature trail
For our nature trail, we printed out 10 different animals which can be found here and hid them around a nature trail. Each child then got given a checklist which can be found here, and with a crayon or pencil went on the hunt for these hidden characters, and ticked them off as they found them. The kids got a bonus sticker if they spotted an animal or insect in real life.
You could even do this around your home or garden. It goes without saying that if you’re doing it in a public space be sure to tidy up after yourselves when you’re done.
2. Colouring in
Who doesn’t love colouring in?
We’ve got our ten animals, and we keep changing our minds, but our favourite is probably the fox. What’s yours? Just click on the image below to download your own colour in.
Post a pic of your creations and tag @gojauntly on all the socials. We want to see your creations.
If you would like to know when we’re holding our next event, why not sign up to our newsletter here or if you’d like help hosting a kid friendly nature trail then do get in touch.
