Summer holiday activities for children

On August 7, 2012 · Leave a Comment

If you’re stuck for ideas for children’s activities this summer, I’ve come up with a few green, eco-friendly and wildlife activities for children to help you whether you’re looking for wet weather activities or things to do at home (which is probably the case!) or if you’re lucky enough to have a dry day where your children can get outside and play.

The Sustainability Centre

The Sustainability Centre is an independent education and learning centre, a beacon for sustainability and an award-winning social enterprise charity. The centre is based in East Meon, Petersfield, Hampshire and is easily accessible from Portsmouth, Southampton and London.

They run activities for kids and adults all year round plus an exciting Summer School at the centre on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 31st July to 30th August. With a variety of hands on activities and learning within the subjects of History, Science and Technology children can discover more about historic and modern folklore, and exploring our natural world. Activities take place both outside and indoors.

Activities include:

Summer School Science: Pond Creatures and Their Habitat
Tracks and Signs
Summer School History: Materials of the Past
Summer School History: Apothecaries

The Wildlife Trusts

The Wildlife Trusts run events all year round for all ages and run special activities in the holidays for children. Find out more in the “What’s On” section. “The Gruffalo’s Garden”, “Rabbit Races” and “Beautiful Butterflies for Tots (age 2-4)” all sound like great fun.

Wildlife Watch is the junior branch of The Wildlife Trusts and the UK’s leading environmental action club for kids. There are 150,000 Wildlife Watch members around the UK (and the Isle of Man and Alderney too) and hundreds of local Watch groups where young people get stuck into environmental activities.

English Heritage

English Heritage have organised events for Summer Holiday Fun including a “Dracula and Time Travellers Go… Myths and Legends” where Bram Stoker’s classic Victorian gothic tale is brought to life in the ruins of Whitby Abbey which sounds fantastic for all those Twilight fans. Other fun events include cavaliers, knights, Roman centurions, kings and queens.

RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds)

The RSPB Wildlife Explorers is specifically for children and you can find out more on the RSPB Kids website which also contains lots of online and “make and do” activities ideal for wet weather, such as making a funky gibbon door hanger or a recycled bird feeder. You can also check out what’s happening near you. Activities include pond dipping and obviously bird watching!

National Trust

The National Trust have a special offer where “Kids go free this August”. Just print off a voucher from their website. There are lots of fun activities for all the family including den building and art workshops. Check the families web pages for more details.

Whale & Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS)

If your family are wildlife lovers and you are in Scotland then I recommend the Scottish Dolphin Centre in Spey Bay, Moray, Scotland. Admission is free and they run a range of events throughout the year with lots for children to do indoors and outdoors. Unless otherwise stated, events are free (donations gratefully received) with a variety of activities to suit all ages.

If you can’t get to the centre, the WDCS Kidzone website has lots of fun things to do and gives children the chance to learn about whales and dolphins with animations, interactive activities and more.

Butterfly Conservation

The “Play and Learn” pages on the Butterfly Conservation website have some great things if it’s raining such as quizzes and activity sheets to print including one to make a butterfly mobile.

Join the discussion

I hope you’ve found the above useful in keeping your little ones occupied. Please let me know of any other green, eco-friendly and wildlife-related activities you’ve discovered as I would love to expand this post over the coming months. I’m especially interested in hearing about any other organisations similar to The Sustainability Centre. Thanks.