Active summer vacation at home
Summer vacation at home: these tips will help you avoid boredom!
Many families spend most of their summer vacation at home. That's no reason to be bored! There are plenty of adventures to be had at home too. In this article, you'll find lots of ideas for a fun and varied time in the forest and outdoors that don't cost much and can be fun for everyone in the family.
Forest experiences
The forest is a valuable habitat. It offers a wide range of activities for young and old. Children in particular love to explore and discover new things. In addition, sporting and creative activities can be combined with relaxing breaks in the forest. There's something for everyone. Give it a try!
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Picnic on the forest sofa
Build a "sofa" in a forest clearing or at the edge of a larger path with the help of fallen sticks. The picnic tastes twice as good there. Check beforehand that you are not building over an ant trail.
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"Nature Art"
Leaves, sticks, moss and stones can be used to create beautiful pictures or mandalas on the floor.
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Experimenting with the forest telephone
One person scratches or knocks on one end of a felled tree trunk - the other listens at the other end of the trunk. The sound is transmitted by the tree and can often be heard clearly.
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Forest bingo
Pictures of natural materials are distributed in the compartments of an egg carton and then you can search for "originals". The winner is the first person to fill their boxes. You can print out the pictures, design them yourself or just label them. You can find sample templates in the downloads section.
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Carving sticks
It's great fun to carve your own sticks or arrows. This requires some skill and be careful: always carve away from yourself!
It's great if a bow is added later. Willows are particularly suitable for this. -
Treasure hunt
You devise a route, draw up a "treasure map" and let the children follow a trail. There are puzzles to solve at the turn-offs that lead to a solution letter. Stringing the letters together gives the solution word, which leads to a treasure chest with a small surprise.
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Geocaching
With slightly older children, you can turn the treasure hunt into a modern scavenger hunt and search for the treasure using GPS coordinates. Geocaching can now be done almost anywhere, and one of the largest geocaching databases can be found on the www.geocaching.com platform. Registration is free of charge. There you can choose a suitable cache (treasure) in your area, enter the coordinates into your smartphone and the adventure can begin. Most of the treasures are hidden in nature in places that your children would probably never visit otherwise. You can find lots of tips, instructions and experience reports on geocaching on the Internet under the keyword "Geocaching with children".
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Close your eyes and feel the ground
Take off your shoes and socks when walking barefoot. Take it in turns to walk blindfolded across the forest floor. How does the ground feel? Wet, dry, sharp or soft? What can it be? Meadow, sand, stones or moss?
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Pine cone boule
The boules or boccia variant with pine cones or stones is a short but always fun activity in the forest. It is good if the objects are dry and the marker to be reached stands out clearly.
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Designing little tree spirits
Get some clay from the craft store and press a hand-sized amount onto a tree trunk. And now you can get started. With the help of natural materials from the forest such as stones, cones, flowers and leaves, animals, ghosts and faces can be formed. Don't worry, it won't damage the tree. The clay dries on the tree and is washed away by the rain over time.
Actions with water
On hot days, activities in and around the water are an absolute hit. It's important to make sure they wear head protection and adequate sun protection. Here are some ideas for the water:
- Swimming with a water fight in the lake: A soft ball that bounces well is all you need to make the water splash properly.
- Build small boats out of paper and let them float. You can find folding instructions in the downloads. If you want something more challenging, collect small sticks, tie them together to form a raft and perhaps attach a little flag... and then ahoy!
- Pan the stream and build a crossing with stones.
- Skipping stones: Who can make the stone bounce the most? Letting thin stones bounce as flat as possible over the water is always a new challenge for all ages.
On the trail of animals
Children love animals and are often very enthusiastic about learning more about them. That's why it's worth observing and exploring the animal inhabitants of the forest or taking a trip to a nearby zoo.
- There are many free animal parks in NRW where animals can be observed, petted and often fed. You can find excursion tips for museums, wildlife parks and wildlife enclosures in the article "With kids on tour" here on the Familienportal.NRW.
- Watching animals: You can go on a journey of discovery together and look out for squirrels, for example, and search for the "nest" in the trees.
- Watching creepy-crawlies: Follow the ants to their pile. But be careful not to destroy the anthill! You can find out who else is out and about on the forest floor. With the help of an identification app, you can find out together what the different forest dwellers are called.
- Create a research booklet: It's great fun to create your own "forest animal book" with a blank booklet and colored pencils.
As suitable preparation for trips to the forest or zoo, you can find lots of interesting facts about wild animals on the website of the German Wildlife Foundation. The Naturschutzbund also often offers local excursions for families and children.
Adventures in the moonlight
A different kind of hike: it's okay to stay out later during the vacations - all children like that. How about an evening or night hike? Pack your evening meal and eat in the forest or park. Then head off with a flashlight to observe the stars and recognize constellations. What does the forest sound like at night? Which animals can be heard?
Spend the night outdoors: Whether it's in the garden, on the balcony or by the lake - grab your sleeping bags, flashlight and a sleeping mat and spend a balmy summer night outdoors with your children.
Tours by bike
A bike tour is ideal for families who like things a little more sporty. There are endless possibilities for tours with varying degrees of difficulty for all ages. With the help of Google Maps, you can easily have suitable routes suggested to you. Or you can find inspiration on the NRW-Tourismus internet portal.
Under the keyword "Family-friendly cycling with children" you will find route suggestions. Make sure the route is a suitable length and has age-appropriate differences in altitude. You should also plan sufficient breaks. How about a leisurely picnic along the way?
"There is no such thing as bad weather..."
...only inappropriate clothing. This "island wisdom" from the north is generally true for children. So even when it's raining, they can go out into nature with waterproof clothing. Here are some ideas for rain activities:
- Rain expedition in the forest or on meadows: Which animals and how many are out and about in the rain? Only earthworms and snails?
- Measure the depth of puddles: Who can find the deepest puddle? Either take a ruler with you or make your own measuring tape with a stone knotted to the string.
- Pipe system construction project: Make a water pipe from dandelion stalks or drinking straws, collect the water in a cup and pass it on.
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