Activity Ideas: ‘Emotion’ Nature Connection Pathway
Have you completed our Nature Reflections Challenge? Looking for even more ideas on how to connect with Nature through Senses? Let’s dive deeper…
Each month there is a different challenge to take part in. If you haven’t taken part in our Nature Reflections Challenge, find out how you can participate below, but that is just the start. Through our various partners, we present a whole heap of other ideas, all with the same effect – helping you explore and reflect on the feelings experienced from and within Nature, strengthening your connection with the natural world and improving your wellbeing.
Only got 5 min to spare? We’ve got you covered…
5 min activities
Dance in the Rain (Generation Wild)
Enjoy the sheer pleasure of dancing in the rain (just make sure you dress suitably)! How did it feel dancing in the rain? Why do you think you felt like that?
Mindful Movement (Forestry England)
Find what feels good. Reflect on your latest visit to a forest. Moving our bodies releases hormones that make us feel good. What did it feel like moving through the trees? What sensations were you aware of in your body?
Notice and write down the ‘good things in nature’
Write a sentence about what you experience, from the beauty of small things to the whole of the sky. It could be as simple as hearing a bird singing or the movement of a tree in the breeze, seeing changes in the clouds or noticing flowers bloom. Find what feels good. Reflect on your latest visit to a forest. Moving our bodies releases hormones that make us feel good. What did it feel like moving through the trees? What sensations were you aware of in your body?
Watch the birds (Generation Wild)
Spend 10 minutes watching the birds. You might want to put out some food beforehand and you could even build your own bird hide. Don’t worry about naming them, just enjoy watching them and what they do. How did watching the birds make you feel?
Roll down a really big hill (National Trust)
Rolling down a really big hill is perhaps the best way ever invented to get to the bottom. It’s also the most fun. Get out there, find a hill, and enjoy no 2 of the National Trust’s ‘50 things to do before you’re 11¾’ activities.
Feel like a part of the forest (Forestry England)
Find a cosy spot. It could be sat under a tree you particularly like. Get comfortable and then close your eyes and take a moment to notice your breath. Start to count. This will slow your breathing down. Breathe in through your nose for a count of three and gently breathe out through your mouth for a count of four. When you feel calm Repeat this for as long as you are comfortable, then gently open your eyes. How do you feel now? Are you more relaxed?
Enjoy Nature poetry (Voice for Nature)
There are numerous examples of Nature poetry and explorations of emotions experienced in Nature, or expressed with Nature as metaphor. We present a few classics poems, exploring Joy, Love, Sadness, Fear and Awe. If you feel inspired, why not write your own.
Splash in puddles (Generation Wild)
Get your wellies and waterproofs on and head out after it has rained to splash in the puddles. How big a splash can you make?How did it feel splashing in the puddles? Why?
Roll on the grass (Generation Wild)
You’ll be amazed how much fun it can be just to roll on the grass! Just check there’s nothing that could harm you before you roll. How did rolling on the grass make you feel?
Ready to take a little more time? Check out the ideas below.
15 min ideas
Watch the sunrise or sunset (Generation Wild)
There are few more beautiful sights than the sun rising or setting in the sky. Look at the weather forecast and check what time the sun sets and rises. Sit back and enjoy. Try watching on different days because every sunset and sunrise is different. How did watching the sunrise / sunset make you feel?
Look for Joy – Find the sunlight (Forestry England)
Allow the forest to show you that, like changing seasons, nothing lasts forever and everything happens in its own time. What are the rays of hope in your life? Observe how the sunlight works its way through the leaves. If you’re at home, imagine you’re in a forest on a sunny day.
Keep a Nature Diary (National Trust)
Keep a record of your amazing adventures in nature, capturing your memories of the animals and plants you’ve seen. It’s no. 48 on the National Trust’s list of ‘50 things to do before you’re 11¾’. Decide how you’ll record your experiences of nature: will you use words, pictures, sounds or a mixture of everything? You could even write a poem or a story about your adventures.
Hunt for the colours of the rainbow (Generation Wild)
Can you find something natural that is each colour of the rainbow? (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo / violet / purple).
Sky Bathing Babies (University of Derby)
Lie back, look up and enjoy the sights and sounds around you. Tune into nature; take a moment to enjoy all that you can see, hear and feel. Talk to your baby about the things that surround you and share in the experience of being outdoors. Point to things you enjoy; such as the clouds, trees or birds that swoop across the skies. Imitate the sounds in nature you can hear or create a story from all that you see.
Sky Bathing Babies is part of the University of Derby’s range of activities designed for families and carers who have babies and young children – ‘Connecting Families with Nature Activities’
Go Paddling (National Trust)
‘Go paddling’ is number 20. of the National Trust’s ‘50 things to do before you’re 11¾’ activities and is one of the easiest and most satisfying. It’s so refreshing to cool down on a hot summer’s day by dipping your hands and feet into refreshing, cool water.
Once you’ve found a good spot, take a few minutes to enjoy the sensation of the water running over your feet and legs. What can you feel? Perhaps there are fine grains of sand slipping between your toes and gently cleaning your feet. Wriggle your toes in and out of the sand, what does it feel like? Is it a satisfying sensation?
Sound Mapping (Wylder App)
Nature shares lots of visual offerings, but it also shares lots of sounds. Do we actively listen to these sounds of nature? This step-by step Sound Mapping challenge will open your ears to the natural world, and have you actively listening, then responding to the sounds you hear, using your innate audio-visual language. All you need is your ears, some paper, and a drawing implement!
Colour Gathering (University of Derby)
Have your child select a coloured item from home/paint colour sample. Ask them to find things in nature which match the sample/swatch shade. Walk with them as they explore and try to match the colour with leaves, grass, moss etc. You could explore the sense of touch too, contrasting how the moss feels compared to a shiny spring leaf or crinkly autumn leaf for example.
Colour Gathering is part of the University of Derby’s range of activities designed for families and carers who have babies and young children – ‘Connecting Families with Nature Activities’.
Make natural artwork (Wylder App)
Find an outdoor space that is wild or “untidy”. Spend some time gathering objects from the ground (leaves, stones, sticks etc.) Then start creating some artwork on the ground using these objects. It could be a circle, repeating patterns, a colour line – anything you feel drawn to. Remember, this is not a class and there is no right or wrong answer, just an opportunity to really look closely at what you discover in Nature.
Not in a rush… perfect! Try some of these…
30+ min ideas
Take Awe Walks (University of Derby)
This activity involves tuning into nature while walking, by gently directing your attention to it as if you are seeing it for the first time. You could do this with a dedicated ten-minute walk outside, or you could make use of your regular walking during your commute, school run, shop visit, or dog walk.
Psssst… Are you following us on Instagram yet? Head over to ReWild Yourself to join in the fun and become a member of our online community. Hit the link below – and you can even share your Nature creations!
Take part in our Reflections in Nature Challenge
Join Our Community...
Sign up for stories, tips and inspiration from around the globe.
