I’m sitting on a moss covered log, under a canopy of leaves, their delicate skeletons illuminated by the sunshine. My dog is by my feet and a friend by my side. Giggles from the den carry across the wood, followed by the sound of branches snapping and leaves scrunching as our kids run across the clearing to tell us their plan.
Another day of family adventures in the woods, this time at one of our favourite National Trust places, Calke Abbey, which I was also pleased to discover is one of the 900 woods listed by The Woodland Trust in their guide to woodlands.
The Woodland Trust are a wonderful charity who help preserve our woodlands for future generations, as a parent that’s something I feel really strongly about. Leaving a legacy of woodland and kids who believe it is important to protect the woods and all those who inhabit them.
We also went to Ilam this week and gave another favourite tree a hug. It needed it, but it’s given us so much fun over the last few years.
The Woodland Trust have just launched a membership scheme for children and families, an excellent way to get young people excited about woods, as well as raising money for the trust.
There’s a new adventure playground for the summer at Calke, made out of trees. Although we didn’t spend much time in there, as they had already spent lots of time making their own adventures in the woods.
To accompany the amazing idea on The Woodland Trust site for things to do in the woods, I thought I would share 5 family adventures we’ve shared in the woods recently:
Make a movie
Woods are the setting for so many amazing narratives, from fairy stories to horror films, kids naturally know how to recreate them.
We made a movie at Calke, which my friend kindly edited for them, I filmed and edited this film on my IPhone about our other fabourite wood. Click on the link for even more movie making tips, with my ex media studies teacher hat on.
This is the scene where the lost kids sleep in the woods after escaping the wolf.
Make a den
So many woods we have visited recently have dens, whether they are organised den making areas or remnants left behind by other visitors, there is nearly always something to work with. If there aren’t enough big sticks, make a den for a teddy, a fairy, a mouse or another woodland creature.
Stumble on a rope swing
Both woods we have visited during the Nature Detectives campaign have rope swings. The one at Calke is really inpressive. You can’t beat screaming ‘I’m a wrecking ball!’ as you whizz round on a rope swing.
Geo Cache
We stumbled on a geocache at the base of a tree, without looking for it at Calke, searching for geo caches is the perfect way to get kids to walk further.
Collect leaves/sticks/flowers/seeds
I went on a brilliant walk with my son’s class where the children had to collect as many different leaves as possible in a bag. They identified them at school and used them for art work.
On our wood walk with Becky from Baby Budgeting, she collected feathers to paint. Another lovely idea.
The ranger at Sherwood Pines introduced me to Forest pictures, a strip of sticky back plastic on a card that you stick bits and pieces you find on the forest floor too.
There are loads more ideas for fun in the woods over at The Woodland Trust, membership will ensure you and your kids get seasonal inspiration through the letter box too.
I will leave you with a little more of our trip to Calke. Our kids had made their own fun by the time they reached the adventure playground, and probably need another visit to make the most of it. I normally go to the woods to escape other people and organised adventure. But it really is a magical space, and only there for a limited period, come September it will close again.
Gorgeous isn’t it?
We also fitted in a butterlfy hunt for Butterfly Awareness week.
Find your nearest wood
Search here to find great ideas for woods close to home or wherever you find yourself if the UK, you can’t go wrong with a wood to explore!
Join The Woodland Trust as a family
Create your own little legacy in the world, protect woodlands for future generations and immerse your family in nature.
Here’s what you get…
Children
- Membership to Nature Detectives.
- A Nature Detectives welcome folder and activity booklet, plus bookmark, nature passport and stickers.
- New seasonal activity pack four times a year posted to each Nature Detective, and weekly Facebook challenges.
- Different packs for different ages.
Grown-ups
- A tree dedicated to you in your nearest Woodland Trust wood.
- A unique guide to native British trees.
- Directory of Woodland Trust woods to discover.
- Two copies of our Broadleaf and The Woods Today magazines each year.
- Emails with details of activities, events and lots more.
Join the Woodland Trust with your family today - membership starts from just £5 a month for one child and £6 a month for two children.
Visiting Calke Abbey
Check out our favourite trees at Calke here, there are some amazing ones to play in.
Entry is £3.20 per person, or free to National trust members. Family membership to The National Trust is another great option.
Giveaway
To celebrate the launch of the nature detectives and family membership schemes, I have one gift set from The Woodland Trust to giveaway - a bag, notebook, jigsaw, mug and tree identification swatch book. Just leave a comment, telling me about your favourite wood or woodland family activities and complete the rafflecopter and I will choose one person at random on the 1st September 2015.
UK competitions at ThePrizeFinder - See more at: http://www.theprizefinder.com/content/wood-land-trust-goody-bag#sthash.OoC1B0D4.dpuf
132 Comments
I love the sculptures! This wood looks amazing. I love finding new places.
13/08/2015 at 2:43 pmMy Two Mums recently posted…Digger mad? Try Diggerland, Devon
Such a cool adventure
14/08/2015 at 8:22 amHide & Seek
13/08/2015 at 3:06 pmHeartwood Forest. A fairly new forest very close to where I live. Some fabulous walks.
13/08/2015 at 3:06 pmLove looking out for unusual wildlife and the tranquility.
13/08/2015 at 3:14 pmMy favourite woodland activity is playing hide and seek
13/08/2015 at 3:21 pmbirdwatching and animal spotting
13/08/2015 at 3:23 pmLooking out for animals and birds and collecting sticks
13/08/2015 at 3:34 pmWe’ve not visited Calke Abbey yet this year, but it looks like great fun - I think we’ll pack a picnic and head up there tomorrow! Its such a gorgeous place
13/08/2015 at 3:54 pmAndrea recently posted…Serenity
Never tire of it! Have fun Andrea
14/08/2015 at 8:22 amLooking out for animals and collecting leaves for collages
13/08/2015 at 3:59 pmHide & Seek Whilst Mommy & Daddy Pop Open The Wine
13/08/2015 at 4:01 pmHe he!
14/08/2015 at 8:21 amBird spotting
13/08/2015 at 5:30 pmRambling, nothing better on a sunny day
13/08/2015 at 6:08 pmExploring and seeing what we can find hidden in the woods
13/08/2015 at 6:46 pmWe love exploring the woodland of Cannock Chase
13/08/2015 at 7:28 pmjust walking in the peace and quiet x
13/08/2015 at 7:52 pmLooking out for all kinds of wild life
13/08/2015 at 7:56 pmWe walk around our local Malvern Hills quite often, parts of them are quite bare but some have woods. We love exploring them and admiring the views from the top.
13/08/2015 at 8:17 pmi used to love making dens
13/08/2015 at 8:50 pmMy favourite woods are those that lie above, about and around Alderley Edge and I love those crisp, bright days when you can kick up the fallen leaves, or perhaps even the fallen snow, with the kids in tow and no-one else around.
13/08/2015 at 8:52 pmGrew up in Macc, love Alderley Edge, miss it!
14/08/2015 at 8:21 amThere are a number of woods around me, kings wood, sherwood forest, wickersley wood, clumber park. Just love walking the dogs, watching the birds and having fun
13/08/2015 at 11:13 pmSome of my favourites there!
14/08/2015 at 8:20 amDen building is enjoyable for the whole family and takes you back to the challenges and benefits of nature.
14/08/2015 at 12:31 amGreat photos as always and rope-swings are one of my favourite things. Really enjoyed this post.
14/08/2015 at 12:52 amAnnie recently posted…Our Camping Trip
Thanks Annie! Taken on my phone while dog was on a lead, so glad you like!
14/08/2015 at 8:20 amWe love riding bikes in the forest.
14/08/2015 at 8:55 amhide & seek
14/08/2015 at 10:11 amwe enjoy searching for bugs xx
14/08/2015 at 10:33 amClimbing Trees
14/08/2015 at 10:37 amashdown forest is lovely and my favourite activity is just walking in the shade of the trees
14/08/2015 at 11:28 amphotographing unusual shaped trees
14/08/2015 at 1:08 pmWe live on the edge of woodland and love to just stroll, watching the birds and trying to see the deer, wild boar and other elusive wildlife.
14/08/2015 at 5:56 pmI love geocaching & we do it as a family (in woods and out!) regularly!
14/08/2015 at 6:47 pmCollecting sticks, leaves and anything else is my little girls favourite woodland activity so I enjoy doing that as it makes her happy!
14/08/2015 at 8:50 pmWe like taking the dog for long walks in the wood, she loves it.
14/08/2015 at 11:43 pmWe’ve been going on a bug hunt and drawing them when we get home.
14/08/2015 at 11:50 pmWe love walking through the woods and looking for bugs under logs!
15/08/2015 at 8:56 amBird watching
15/08/2015 at 10:05 amPlay hide and seek
16/08/2015 at 2:11 amTaking photos of Bluebells.
16/08/2015 at 7:24 amWe love wandering Grizedale in late summer/early autumn when the leaves are changing colour - we collect some and make a collage every year
16/08/2015 at 8:20 amThe nature trail in a park near where we live
16/08/2015 at 11:11 amThe Pine woods surrounding Holkham Beach in North Norfolk where my Husband and I often stop for a picnic.
16/08/2015 at 6:02 pmlooking for birds and animals
16/08/2015 at 7:18 pmFinding mushrooms
16/08/2015 at 8:45 pmHuntin out the wildlife.
16/08/2015 at 9:16 pmTo just observe…
16/08/2015 at 9:17 pmWe love to collect different leaves and do leaf rubbings and name the leaves
16/08/2015 at 10:45 pmI just love walking in the forests and feeling at one with nature.(and I am abit too old to climb trees now) Love Clumber Park as it is so gorgeous and we have spent many a happy family moment there.
17/08/2015 at 1:15 pmWe have loads of woods near us and they are our favourite place to walk. No traffic, no pollution and the kids love to run through them!
18/08/2015 at 8:45 pmCranham Woods. Hide and Seek
19/08/2015 at 3:55 pmWe like building dens!
22/08/2015 at 10:11 amAnimal spotting
22/08/2015 at 1:38 pmSketching
23/08/2015 at 12:24 pmListening to the birds and looking out for wildlife
23/08/2015 at 9:05 pmA bike ride around the wyre forest
23/08/2015 at 9:09 pmLove to bijke around the woodland trails
25/08/2015 at 5:06 pmLove to bike around the woodland trails
25/08/2015 at 5:06 pmBuilding dens and climbing trees
26/08/2015 at 6:19 amFor us, it’s good old fashioned hide and seek!!! I’d like to say that it’s geo caching but I get very annoyed when I can’t find what I am looking for !!!!
26/08/2015 at 9:05 amLiz Weston aka @TheLizWeston recently posted…#sciencenight at the Science Museum
Whippendale Woods Watford
26/08/2015 at 9:29 amMaking dens, all time fave x
26/08/2015 at 9:43 amWe love going to our local woodlands to pick blackberries to make jam
26/08/2015 at 9:46 amI love Gillifield Wood in Sheffield, It is gorgeous when the bluebells come out
26/08/2015 at 9:57 amWe love Leigh Woods in Bristol - absolutely beautiful!
26/08/2015 at 10:20 amEmily Knight recently posted…Casamia to relocate to The General in Bristol’s city centre
I love bird-watching with my mum. She’s great at identifying them.
26/08/2015 at 10:50 amI love to go for a stroll and smell that lovely woodland smell
26/08/2015 at 11:09 amWe love playing hide-and-seek!
26/08/2015 at 11:19 amjust walking & enjoying the sounds * scents
26/08/2015 at 11:28 amWe enjoy the wildlife trails where there are rubbing plaques, we daughter loves looking for them and using crayons to get the pictures
26/08/2015 at 11:37 amI love combing the forest for interesting things like pinecones, acorn cups, seedheads or beautiful leaves to press. Great to take home and display on a nature table - plus it’s fun to encourage the kids to sit and sketch them!
26/08/2015 at 1:04 pmmy boys love moors valley and building dens
26/08/2015 at 1:17 pmGoing to loggerheads in mold north Wales!
26/08/2015 at 1:34 pmTreasure hunts - has been a feature since childhood with the tradition still going strong
26/08/2015 at 2:08 pmpond dipping
26/08/2015 at 2:41 pmTree Climbing
26/08/2015 at 5:18 pmWe love Calke Abbey too. We were there at the weekend and the kids had a wonderful time - particularly on the rope bridge.
26/08/2015 at 6:04 pmWe pretend we are looking for a gruffalo!
26/08/2015 at 7:11 pmWalking and enjoying the woodland sounds
26/08/2015 at 8:06 pmexploring and looking out for red squirrels in parkhurst forest 😀
26/08/2015 at 9:42 pmWe love looking for Geocaches in the woods
26/08/2015 at 10:24 pmGoing bike riding!
26/08/2015 at 10:53 pmclimbing trees
27/08/2015 at 2:46 pmI love shelter building
27/08/2015 at 3:21 pmfinding things to create other things
27/08/2015 at 4:41 pmI love to walk in the woods and try to identify the plants and trees!
27/08/2015 at 4:52 pmDen building
last time we went with friends the kids made a ‘cafe’ den, with leaf receipts and leaf carpet 😛 x
27/08/2015 at 6:42 pmLooking out for animals and birds.
27/08/2015 at 9:37 pmIt’s wildlife spotting for us, whether that be squirrels, deer, slow worms or anthills. It’s great when you spot something. Foraging for berries is also great fun. I like mushroom foraging but that’s something you really have to take time with to know what you are doing with so I wouldn’t recommend it for kids!
27/08/2015 at 11:59 pmwe love Haldon forest - especially as there’s a gruffalo hiding in there!
28/08/2015 at 8:55 amDunnet Forest in Caithness. We love collecting fallen pine cones to make our own Christmas wreaths.
28/08/2015 at 9:56 amCollecting chestnuts or conkers.
28/08/2015 at 4:55 pmCliming tress and playing hide and seek
28/08/2015 at 9:41 pmWe just enjoy walking looking at the trees
28/08/2015 at 11:24 pmarchery x
29/08/2015 at 1:34 pmwe love naming the different types of trees, picking up the different leaves and playing hide and seek! xx
29/08/2015 at 1:48 pminsect hunting
29/08/2015 at 4:03 pmWe love to build dens
29/08/2015 at 5:59 pmWe love building dens in the woods!
29/08/2015 at 8:03 pmI love the woods around our local mere
29/08/2015 at 9:05 pmBuilding a den was my favourite as a kid. Now I love sketching plants and photographing wildlife!
29/08/2015 at 10:18 pmI really enjoy woodworking and would love to have the chance to practice it more.
29/08/2015 at 10:54 pmwe like to collect leaves and pine cones to make garlands to decorate our garden with
29/08/2015 at 10:56 pmellie spider recently posted…+ 365 days 231 - 236
We love looking for chestnuts and hazelnuts in our local woods in the Autumn
30/08/2015 at 7:26 amWe love den building and wildlife spotting. x
30/08/2015 at 9:44 amMaking dens
30/08/2015 at 12:01 pmWatching the natural home of wildlife
30/08/2015 at 1:34 pmLove macclesfield forest
30/08/2015 at 2:17 pmLove grey fields wood
30/08/2015 at 2:19 pmWe always love building dens !
30/08/2015 at 2:51 pmI love Tehidy Woods, which is local to me. Its always full of wildlife with beautiful ponds. Lots of ducks! xx
30/08/2015 at 3:44 pmRachel Bustin recently posted…Win a copy of Atonement by Ian McEwan
nature walking spotting interesting things around us with my kids
30/08/2015 at 3:46 pmMy favourite activity is simply walking through them, appreciating the beauty and flora and fauna
30/08/2015 at 3:47 pmWe love Alice Holt - especially whilst they had the Gruffalo Trail
30/08/2015 at 4:27 pmLooking for different types of bugs!
30/08/2015 at 4:48 pmCulloden woods in inverness, the gruffalo walk. My grandson loves it
30/08/2015 at 4:51 pmGoing on a lovely long woodland walk and spotting all the nature on the way
30/08/2015 at 7:06 pmI love taking my grandchildren and my three dogs for long walks through the woods,the dogs run off in all directions,sniffing as they go and my grandchildren collect acorns or pine cones x
30/08/2015 at 8:00 pmExploring new places
30/08/2015 at 8:35 pmI love looking at the blue sky and listening to bird song.
30/08/2015 at 8:36 pmlooking for creatures and trewe climbing xx
30/08/2015 at 9:26 pmI love hunting for pinecones
30/08/2015 at 9:46 pmBluebell Woods. Looking and listening - fab.
30/08/2015 at 10:03 pmjust exploring
30/08/2015 at 10:18 pmBourne Woods - fresh air and great for exploring undiscovered paths
30/08/2015 at 10:28 pmBird Spotting, I love all our gorgeous birds & love to hear the dawn chorus
30/08/2015 at 10:33 pmLooking for animals and collecting leaves
30/08/2015 at 10:49 pmMaking animals out of woodland materials - true woodland art!
30/08/2015 at 11:25 pm[…] many long walks and loved it. And when you tell the universe it answers, this summer we worked with The Woodland Trust, and now as members we get lovely ideas for things to do in the wild through the post each month. […]
22/09/2015 at 11:35 am