How to make a Country Walk fun for children

“Do I HAVE to go on a country walk? It’s so BORING!” Does that sound familiar? Try some of these ideas. They could turn a Boring Country Walk into a Fun one!

Of course, the actual activity will depend on the time of the year, your geographical location, the environment you are walking through, the time available, and the ages of the children. But hopefully you will be able to mix, match and adapt some of these ideas to come up with an interesting, fun Country Walk.

Here are 12 ideas how to make a country walk fun. They are described for the children going on the walk. (Photographs from Pixabay.)

Identify farm animals

“See how many different types of farm animal you can see. You’re probably familiar with the usual ones. These could be cows, sheep, chickens, pigs, geese etc. But some farmers keep unusual animals such as deer, ostriches, llamas or even bison! Keep your eyes open and make a list of all the farm animals you come across.”

Pick up dried leaves

“Collect them. Take them home. Wash and dry them. Stick them on large sheets of paper to make attractive leaf displays. Alternatively, arrange them on a spare desktop or table in your home. This could then become your own or the family’s Nature Table.”

Collect berries and nuts

“Snip or pull them off trees or bushes, or pick them up from the ground. Bring them home and put them on your Nature Table. See how many you can name. On a rainy day, painting nuts such as acorns is a fun craft activity.”

Spot the birds

“Spot them. Count them. Try and identify them. If you can’t, think about buying or borrowing a bird identification book.”

Photograph farm machinery

“Take photos of the agricultural equipment you see. At home, try and discover what work they perform on the farm.”

Collect seashells

“Get a plastic bag or bucket, and see how many different types of seashells you can collect from the beach in 30 minutes. After that, compare discoveries with your brothers, sisters or friends. Take the best ones home, wash them and add them to your Nature Table.”

Look for patterns

“Patterns in nature are everywhere when you look for them. Circles, squares, lines, diamonds, whorls … How about drawing or photographing the patterns that you come across?”

Imagine shapes in the clouds

“While you are out walking, don’t forget to look up into the sky. If the ground is dry, lie on your back and look upwards! What shapes are the clouds making? Let your imagination go wild and see if you can describe the shapes! Maybe you will see people you know, animals, scary monsters, vehicles etc.

Pick up stones and pebbles

“Collect interesting ones. At home, wash and dry them. Arrange the smaller ones on your Nature Table. Try and balance the larger ones on top of each other and display them in your garden or inside your house. You could paint the others different colours to make a display, or paint pictures on some of the larger stones.”

Collect fir cones

“Fir cones come in all shapes and sizes. Collect them and arrange them on your Nature Table. Another indoor activity for a rainy day is painting fir cones.”

Investigate creepy-crawlies

“Stop every now and then and turn over logs or stones to see what creepy-crawlies might be lurking underneath. Take a magnifying glass with you to get a closer look. You might even want to take some photos so you can identify or draw the bugs back home.”

Hunt for treasure

“Ask an adult to make a list of 10 objects that you have to find and collect. Get a bag to collect your treasure.” (Dear Adult, the list will depend on the environment you are walking through. If it’s a forest, a typical list might be: pine cone, acorn, yellow leaf, feather, moss, bug, silver twig, bit of tree bark, wild flower, smooth stone.)

These are just a few ideas to make a Country Walk fun for children. I’m sure you have other ones that you have put into practice with your own children. Feel free to share your own suggestions or drop me a line and I will add them to the next list of 12 ideas!

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