Source: Auckland Council
Getting out in nature is a great way to have fun! Here are some activities for you to keep the kids entertained in your backyard or on your walk through your local park:
Fun nature activities
Here are some fun nature activities for the kids to do in the backyard or at a park:
Map your backyard or local park
Why not map your backyard or local park? Here’s a great video from Ranger Glenn to show you how!
Native trees
Can you spy five native trees on your walk? – check out the NZ app tree
Raining outside? Here’s a fun tree quiz, can you identify trees just by their leaves?
Go for a bike ride
Biking with kids is a fun adventure and a great way to get outdoors together, explore new local areas/trails and create family memories. Riding a bike not only improves physical fitness, but it also benefits your child’s learning development and mental health. AKLPaths has a heap of paths that you can discover in your local area.
Photo safari
Choose a subject (e.g. flowers or a colour theme) and see what photos you can capture. We’d love to see them so get one of your whānau to upload them to the Auckland Parks Facebook page.
Start a nature journal
Draw, sketch, paint or chalk pictures of leaves, trees or birds. Winter has some beautiful magnolia trees, can you capture all the pinks, purples and cream colours?
Bird spotting
Do a 5-minute bird survey each day to see how many native birds you can spot. Did you see a tui? Check out this video to see what happened on Ranger Anna’s bird count. Not sure what you’ve spotted? Read this article to see what some of our most common native birds look like.
Remember:
- Stay local: where you live near a park, you can go for a walk, jog or cycle through your local park for exercise and general mental wellbeing.
- Social distancing: two metre distances from people outside your bubble should be observed at all times.
- You must not play on playgrounds or use exercise equipment.
- Be kind
- For up to date information about COVID-19, visit covid19.govt.nz.
Keep an eye on the Auckland Parks Facebook page for other great ideas to connect with nature.
