The summer holidays are under way and entertaining the kids can be costly! The Woodland Trust has got loads of holiday adventures to get kids active outdoors and away from their screens – and they are all free.

The charity runs its Nature Detectives family offering with lots of idea to get busy and out in nature – see below.

And a visit to its woods is free too – there are lots of great ones in the South West, including Fingle Woods in Devon, Kings Wood in Cornwall, The Spinney, Somerset, Hazel Wood in Dorset and Bishops Knoll near Bristol. Find your local wood at woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods

Create a fairy garden

Use your imagination to design a fantastic fairy garden! You can do this indoors if it’s raining.

You will need:

A container, such as a plastic box or old washing up bowl

Earth

A collection of natural materials: small stones or pebbles, sticks, moss, leaves, and perhaps some small flowering plants.

Fill your container with earth (if you’re using living plants, put some stones in the bottom for drainage). Use some leafy twigs to make trees. Build a fence or little seat with sticks. You could even make a pond by sinking a plastic cup or another small container into the earth and filling it with water. You’re bound to think of lots more ideas once you get started!

Set yourself a woodland challenge

Have a competition with your family and friends and set up challenges to complete on a day out in the woods. Remember to decide how many points each one is worth. Here are some ideas:

Climb a tree (make sure there’s an adult around though!)

Balance along a fallen tree trunk

Find three types of flower (Woodland Trust summer flowers ID will help)

Cross a stream without getting your feet wet

Use the Woodland Trust leaf ID to identify three different tree species

Find some wild animal evidence – tracks, a fox or rabbit hole, some fur caught on a bush, or even some poo!

Host a teddy bears’ picnic

It’s sure to be a hit with little kids, especially if they can invite some friends from nursery. Use a teddy cookie cutter to make some little bear-shaped sandwiches, and cut out some pictures of bears and hide them in the surrounding area for kids to find (just remember to take them with you when you leave).

Find more fun picnic food ideas.

Learn to skim stones

You can do this on a pond, river, or calm sea. Don’t get too near the water’s edge and make sure you don’t hit any ducks – or swimmers!

Find some round, flat, smooth stones.

Hold a stone flat between your thumb and forefinger.

Get down low and throw it across the water with a spinning action. It might take a bit of practice.

Try a barefoot walk

Let the grass tickle your toes, splash through a stream, and stomp in some squidgy mud. Did you know you have over 7,000 nerve endings in each foot, so walking barefoot is a great way to get in touch with nature? Just make sure you look out for anything sharp on the ground.

Some parks and attractions have special barefoot trails, so search online for one near you. You could even try setting up a barefoot walk in your back garden or living room.

Go on a butterfly hunt

Summer brings throngs of colourful butterflies. Use our spotter sheet to hunt for fluttery butterflies in woodland clearings!

But if it’s too wet to go outside, why not cheer yourself up with a gorgeous butterfly mobile instead? You will need:

several sticks of similar length

string or wire

paper – coloured, patterned, or white if you want to colour the butterflies yourself

colouring pens, glitter (optional)

a needle and some strong thread.

Cross the sticks over in the middle and fasten them with string or wire to make the frame.

2. Fold a piece of paper in two and draw half a butterfly along the folded edge. Cut around it and open it out. Repeat for lots more butterflies. Decorate them if you wish.

3. Attach a thread to each butterfly using the needle and tie the other end to a stick. Hang up your mobile and admire your cloud of colourful butterflies!

Keep the fun going all year round

Outdoor adventures don’t have to stop after the holidays, become a family of Nature Detectives! Keep exploring with seasonal mailings and get even more fab ideas and fun activities, and support our native woods and wildlife at the same time.

You can post pictures on Twitter or Instagram using #NatureDetectives too or visit: woodlandtrust.org.uk/naturedetectives/