I’ve been thinking a lot about winter activities as I find, as a mother of a four-year-old, that winter can be a more challenging season to get outside and explore.

Some of the best nature experiences that I’ve had with my daughter have been just exploring in the forest and seeing what emerges.

Here are some nature-inspired activities for enjoying the natural world during the winter season

Make a healthy homemade suet as a fun activity to feed those backyard visitors. Even when it’s difficult to get outside, we still observe what the birds are doing. Break out those binoculars to identify the birds and look at their field marks or coloration.

Snowshoeing is a healthy, fun way to explore the forest and get some exercise in the winter months.

Tracking is an engaging way to learn about wildlife to demystify where they’ve been, where they’re going, and what they’ve been doing. By looking at tracks, you can identify which animals made these tracks or try to trace the origin of the tracks by following them.

Nature journaling can direct our attention to ‘place’ and changes over time, and can be done indoors and outdoors. It’s a way to cultivate our inner naturalist or those feelings of feeling connected to the natural, more-than-human world.

Additional Resources:

There are many cities that offer free nature-based programming. Wildchild which is London-based encourages child-led, outdoor free play. http://childreach.on.ca/wild-child/