The long, warm summer days are terrific for parents, but with the kids off for the summer, they may become more bored than usual. If you want to encourage your kids to get outside and have some fun, this list of fun holiday activities can help.
Get your little ones up and moving outside where they can enjoy some fresh air and learn something new. The best part about these activities is that they are all eco friendly, so you don’t have to worry about needless harm to the environment.
If you’re looking for some eco-friendly summer activities for kids, read on to discover more.
Plant A Garden
Planting fruit or vegetables is one of the best eco-friendly summer activities!It offers lots of benefits for both children and parents. There are so many mental and physical health benefits from gardening; it helps the family to get fit, relieves stress, and enables you to soak up the summer rays. (Don’t forget to slather on some sun cream!)
Planting a variety of herbs, fruits, and vegetables not only helps the environment but will make it easier for the family to eat healthier! When you can walk into your garden and find an abundant supply of fresh produce, it’s much easier to meet your five-a-day.
It is also an excellent way for little ones to learn about nature and where their food comes from. They’ll feel so much pride when you use something they grew in one of your recipes. The kids will be excited to eat vegetables they grew themselves!
Vegetables such as lettuce, peas and beans, tomatoes, strawberries, and potatoes are some of the easiest things for children to grow, plus many of these are fast-growing, which means you and the family will see the results of your hard work quicker!
Plant Bee-Friendly Flowers
If planting fruit or vegetables isn’t your thing, you can plant wildflowers with your kids this summer to help the bees and other pollinators. If you’d like to learn more about pollinators and their effects on our environment, you can read our blog about them here.
Cities and towns are vital areas to reversing pollinator decline; this is where the introduction of pollinator gardens such as wildflowers really helps. Wildflowers are incredibly easy to plant, you can buy Seedballs that just need to be thrown onto soil or compost in the spring or autumn, and they will grow once the ball becomes moist enough!
Once your flowers have started to grow, your children can have fun keeping track of the bee, butterfly and other pollinator species they spot around the flowers—a great learning activity.
Make Sponge Water Bombs
A water balloon fight is a classic summer activity and a great way to cool down in the hot sun, but unfortunately, it is incredibly wasteful. Balloons often find their ways to the sea, where they can be mistaken for food and eaten by animals. Sea turtles, dolphins, whales, fish, and birds have been reported with balloons in their stomachs, leading to unnecessary death.
Instead of buying new water balloons that take years to break down and contribute to our microplastic problem, make sponge water bombs instead. By cutting colourful sponges into three strips, you can tie twine around them to create a fun water bomb.
Sponge water bombs are just as soft and debatably more fun to throw at people as water balloons. You can make an activity out of creating these water bombs, and you don’t have to worry about any waste. There’s also the added bonus of being able to use them again and again! An even more sustainable water bomb, reuse old sponges that are no longer needed! If you do need to buy new sponges for this activity, opt for eco-friendly sponges.
For more garden fun, blowing bubbles is an incredibly fun game for the little ones, but these bubble kits are usually filled with chemicals and are quite harmful to our environment. Instead, try out Dr Ziggs Bubbles, their wands are completely plastic-free, and their bubble mix is biodegradable, containing no palm oil or phosphates so it’s better for the environment, for orangutans and for children!
Create A Nature Treasure Hunt
Research your local area and create a list of things you’d like to find on your next nature walk. From oak leaves and dandelion clocks to woodlouse and certain butterflies, or simply even hearing a certain birdsong, and set off to find them.
Though it may be fun to take some of these items home, remind your children that respecting nature means leaving it as it is, and hopefully you’ll avoid them taking everything home. Perhaps you can suggest a few small items to take home, such as an acorn, that won’t affect the wider wildlife.
For the most negligible impact, a tiny treasure hunt may be the best choice. Keep your eyes peeled and hunt for tiny things you can fit into a matchbox. Collect little leaves, small sticks, blades of grass, tiny feathers, and pebbles. Who can fit the most in their box?
Go Camping
Whether it’s at a campsite, in the woods, by the beach, or simply in your back garden, camping is the quintessential summer activity. Bringing your family face to face with nature’s beauty gives you an opportunity to discuss the significance of sustainability and how you can protect the planet.
Remember to be as environmentally friendly as possible when you go camping; here are some of our favourite eco camping tips:
- Get a green tent – If you already have a tent or can borrow one, then that is the most eco-friendly option, but if you have to buy a new tent, look for one made from cotton, hemp, and other recycled materials.
- Cruelty-free sleeping bags – As with tents, the sleeping bag you already own or can borrow is the most eco option. Unfortunately, many sleeping bags use animal feathers to keep you warm at night; opt for a vegan, cruelty-free sleeping bag that uses synthetic insulation instead.
- Leave no trace – Whether it’s from fires, rubbish, food, or bodily waste, ensure you’re leaving no trace behind when you’re camping. With thousands of visitors each year, our campsites and countryside can take a bit of a beating. So before you head into the great outdoors, ensure you’re prepared to leave no trace.
Sustainable Picnicking
Picnicking is our favourite summer activity. It works for all ages, and it’s a really easy way to get some vitamin D. But, unfortunately, picnicking is usually accompanied by unnecessary single-use plastics that create a mound of rubbish to send to the landfill.
Plastic cutlery is the second most dangerous plastic rubbish, right after fishing nets, as they make their way into our waterways and marine animals mistake them for food, leading to a painful death. So instead, grab yourself a reusable travel cutlery set to reduce your waste. We love Panda Packaging’s cutlery set.
The third most dangerous plastic waste is straws; these cause serious injuries when they get stuck in marine animal’s airways or noses. Steel or glass straws may not be ideal for everybody, but a silicone straw is soft and flexible, ideal for children and a great eco swap. Try out One Green Bottle straws for an eco-friendly alternative.
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