50 Creative Ways to Explore Nature with Children |

50 Creative Ways to Explore Nature with Children

Nature offers endless opportunities for exploration and learning, for young children. Explore 50 creative ways to explore nature with children of all ages.

Creative Ways to Explore Nature with Children

Engaging with the natural world sparks curiosity and creativity and prompts a deep appreciation for the environment. Whether it’s planting a garden, creating art with natural materials, or discovering the the world of insects, there are countless ways to connect children with nature.

Explore Scents and Textures With Herbs

Herbs are excellent for teaching children about healthy eating and adding flavor to foods and waters. Try an infused water bar this summer.
Plant herbs like mint, thyme and lavendar provide a sensory element for children to pick and play with in a sand or mud kitchen.
Provide scissors, pots, spoons and water to make sensory soup.
Make fresh herb play dough.

Cultivate Growth With a Garden

Make a play garden for children to dig in.
Fairy gardens with figurines amongst succulents, herbs or sedum make creative play spaces to grow their imaginations.
Grow tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini and herbs in a school garden. Share the foods with families at harvest time.
Plan a pizza garden in a container or taco garden.
Make seed bombs for children to plant.
Plant table top gardens in soda bottles.

child picking raspberry | 50 Creative Ways to Explore Nature with Children

Take Playdough Fun Outdoors

Explore textures by pressing leaves, bark and flowers into playdough.
Make nature faces with playdough, rocks, sticks and leaves.
Collect dandelions and make yellow dandelion playdough.
Build with sticks and playdough.
Make nature playdough bugs.
Bake up some playdough pies.

playdough pies outdoors | 50 Creative Ways to Explore Nature with Children

Investigate and Care for Bugs

Make a bee watering station and place it in the garden.
Go on a bug scavenger hunt.
Make a DIY bug hotel.
Fill jars with dirt and sand to make ant farms.

Painting with Nature

Paint a mural with sponges.
Find a large branch to paint as a group.
Make colorful sidewalk paint.
Grab some brushes, rollers and spray bottles to paint with water.
Make nature paintbrushes.
Add tempera paint and water to mud to create colorful textured paint.
Make nature prints with leaves and flowers.

Natural Letter Learning

Collect nature items and make nature letters.
Make Nature Names with leaves, sticks and flowers.
Create a stick alphabet.
Write large letters with chalk and line them with rocks.

flowers in water | 50 Creative Ways to Explore Nature with Children

Beyond the Paper with Nature Art

Make an outdoor sticky wall and add nature items.
Create a nature mandala.
Go on a nature hunt and create a nature collage.
Collect seeds and make Seed Mosaics.

Exciting Bubble Play Ideas

Try making hundreds of bubbles with flyswatters.
Make some rainbow soap foam bubbles.
Set up a Bubble Wand Making Station.
Combine bubbles and art to make bubble prints.

Natural Water Play

Explore sink or float with nature items.
Make an aluminum foil river and float leaves down the river.
Freeze flowers in water to make frozen flowers for sensory play.
Make flower soup with flowers, cornstarch water and spoons to scoop.

soil, flowers and rocks | 50 Creative Ways to Explore Nature with Children

Colorful Flower Activities

Mix colored water and flowers to make flower petal potions.
Go on a walk and make nature bracelets.
Make Calming Nature Discovery Bottles
Explore the colors by pounding colors from nature
Make a Nature Cutting Bin to practice scissor skills
Collect flowers and herbs to make scented nature sachets
Make nature and mud pies.

Engaging children in nature-based activities offers more than just fun—it nurtures their creativity, curiosity, and connection to the natural world. These creative explorations inspire a lifelong love of nature. Go outside and explore the wonders of nature with your nature explorers!