This is a great way to get the kids playing outside in nature, rather than sitting in front of the TV these holidays! How about impressing everyone with your budding natural scientist skills by creating a mini exhibition?
First, you’ll need to get together your explorer kit. You can probably do without the tent or pith helmet, but it could prove useful to have a few bags or pots for putting your specimens in, as well as a magnifying glass to take a closer look at them and a notebook to scribble down where you found your various discoveries.
When you have finished gathering your outdoor treasures, you can use trays, or even make your own divided specimen box to display them in your exhibition.
You could try finding different rocks and stones and see if you can identify each type. Or make a collection of seeds and nuts and write down what each will grow into. At the seaside, why not amass a collection of shells and research which creatures used to live in each? In fact, you can create all sorts of different displays. One word of advice, though; an ‘animal droppings’ exhibit might not be a great idea!
Tip: for smaller exhibits, you can use an old ice-cube tray to display your finds.
Source: 101 Things for Kids to do Outside by Dawn Isaac.