Family at Play
Looking for some fun activities to do with your whole family? Look no further – everyone in your family will enjoy these simple, nature-based activities that are easily adapted to suit your child’s age and abilities. Guaranteed fun for everyone!
Featured Activities
Plant Smashing
Fun for the whole family. Collect some plants or flowers and transfer their colours to a piece of scrap fabric using a hammer!
Wreck this Nature Journal
Create your own Natural Journal … and then wreck it! This fun, all ages activity inspires creative and messy play.
How it works
- Create a nature notebook. Use the video below to help, or simply use an old binder and fill it with blank pages.
- Print this document (if you don’t have access to a printer, write the prompts on each page.)
- Cut out each prompt and glue them to the pages of your nature journal.
- Add your own prompts to the other pages! Be creative.
- Go outside and wreck your journal! Follow the prompts on each page for some fun outdoor play time.
Not a Stick
A fun, easy game inspired by the book “Not a Stick” by Antoinette Portis. Look beyond the ordinary and harness your child’s sense of wonder!
Neighbourhood Naturalists
Explore the outdoors with us! Join our outdoor education team as we head outside to investigate what plants and animals live in our yards and neighbourhoods. Follow along and see if you can complete the challenge with your family.
Watch Episode 1 below or check out more activities, challenges and videos here.
Find Me Cards
- Give each player a card and see who can be the fastest to find something that matches. Increase the difficulty by increasing the number of cards to match for each round (ex: give each player 4 cards and they need to find one object for each card)
- Give each player 2 cards, the first person to find an object that matches both cards wins!
- Shuffle the cards, and flip them over. The first person to find an object to match the top card wins!
Cooperative
- Lay out 5 cards in a line and work together to find one item to match each card!
- Place the card pile on the ground. Allow each player to grab a card and find a match, and continue until each card has been used. Can you find 2 items for each card?
Math Sticks
It’s time for Math Sticks! Check out this easy math activity, perfect for kindergarten, grade 1 and grade 2 students.
Step 1 – Measure your sticks
Step 2 – Shave the tips (use a veggie peeler & ask your parents for help)
Step 3 – Colour the tips
Step 4 – Math time!
Looking for something for grade 3 students? Give Flash Math a try!
Print and Play
Looking for more ideas? Download and print more nature-inspired activities here
Get Social with Us!
Meet Our Team
LSRCA has been leading quality outdoor education programs for over 40 years! Meet Our team of Ontario Certified Teachers, Forest School Practitioners and Outdoor Education Specialists.
Need some help getting the kids outside? Check out Katie’s 5 Easy Tips for Success.
Lake Simcoe Conservation Foundation
The Lake Simcoe Conservation Foundation is a proud supporter of LSRCA and our Outdoor Education program.