Nature connection: how to celebrate the seasons with kids

Celebrating the seasons with your children is one of the most rewarding things you can do together as a family. It gets you outside, fosters a relationship with Nature and helps build treasured memories.

I love the seasons.  All of them.  I love to notice all those subtle changes that creep in as each new season approaches.  The bird song and those bright green leaves unfurling in Spring.  The warm breezes and the gentle rain of Summer that brings that delicious smell of dry earth being awoken. The crisp air and that mellow golden sunlight of Autumn.  The wild winds of Winter.  The colours that each new season brings. 

As a home educating family we try to mark those changes.  Sometimes as a big celebration. Sometimes just through a nature walk or a nature craft activity.

Phenology and nature journalling

Over the past couple of years we have started to do nature journalling and to make phenology wheels. 

Phenology is the study/ observation of changes in nature over time. Phenology wheels can record anything from temperature changes to sunrise/sunset times and lunar phases to changes in plant species over the course of a week, month, season or year. 

A few years ago we made a seasons phenology wheel which we illustrated with pictures of the four seasons.  We also marked on the names and dates of each full moon and the major solar landmarks of the year (i.e. the solstices and equinoxes).  My pictures tracked how an oak tree changes through the seasons but they could track other seasonal phenomena such as weather or animal life cycles.

We have also done monthly phenology wheels that track the weather over the course of the month (hottest/ coldest temperature and weather type such as rainy or sunny) along with the sunrise/sunset times and lunar phases.  It is so interesting to look back on these over the course of the year to see how it is getting warmer or colder and how the length of days are changing.  If you home educate it is easy to use this data to create graphs for maths which helps to provide a more visual interpretation of the changes taking place.

Last year we kept a calendar of firsts – something I have wanted to keep for a while now, but have never gotten around to.  It is very simple – you just record on your calendar the first time you notice something appearing that year such as the first daffodil in bloom, the first frosts, the first lambs, the first frogspawn, the first golden leaf,  the first blackberries and so on.  It is a really good way to help you really notice all those changes that are taking place that you might otherwise walk past.

This year we are keeping a monthly phenology wheel where we draw and paint a picture of either our favourite things from nature each month or something from the natural world that has been particularly prominent. It will be a beautiful keepsake at the end of the year, along with the memories of where we saw each thing that we added to our phenology wheels. Some of our favourites so far this year have been the tadpoles in April and the ladybirds and ladybird larvae in June.

Exploring Nature With Children

We have also been following Lynn Seddon’s nature curriculum called Exploring Nature with Children which is a great resource for tracking seasonal changes.  Each week there is a nature focus and activity (for example lichens and mosses, moths, worms or the moon) which is usually linked to the season.  There is also a poem and a piece of artwork linked to the topic as well as a book list.  We have been using it for a few years now and there is so much in it that it is difficult to do everything!  We tend to pick and choose and will often go off on a tangent and just do our own thing for a few weeks and then pick up Lynn’s curriculum a few weeks down the line.

Nature journalling

Alongside this we keep nature journals to record anything we have observed or any interesting facts that we have found out. 

Nature study can be done with children of all ages.  When children are too little to record you can scribe their observations for them and if they aren’t yet able to draw they could colour in a pre-drawn outline drawing or make models out of playdough, make crafts from their found treasures or use natural objects in storytelling or small world play.  And if you aren’t confident with making up your own stories then there are plenty of picture storybooks with fabulous nature-based stories that can easily be integrated into nature study. We love Eddie’s Garden and How to Make Things Grow by Sarah Garland and How Does my Garden Grow by Gerda Muller. For older children I would recommend the short novel My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George. And of course for really little ones you can’t beat The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.

Nature walks

We try to spend time outdoors every day, even if it is just a walk to the shops or a play in the park, but will have a dedicated nature day each week when we will go for an extended walk somewhere a bit more wild or remote. 

Sometimes we will have a particular focus such as looking for signs of Spring, collecting seasonal natural treasures such as Autumn leaves to craft with later, sketching bluebells or foraging for blackberries to make jam.  But sometimes we will just go out with no focus and see what we discover on the way.

We have a special spot that we go to in our local woods and as we visit so often it is easy to notice how it changes from one season to another. 

If you live in an area where you don’t have easy access to woodland, beaches, moors or mountains, then it is still possible to go for a nature walk around the streets of a city. 

We often go for a ‘dice walk’ around our town when we just need to get out and get some fresh air. This is where we go out for a walk with some dice.  My children take it in turns to throw them at each road junction.  If they land on an odd number we turn left.  If they land on an even number we turn right.  We have had some fun walks using dice as you never know where you’ll end up.  Sometimes we end up going around in circles and one time it took us to their favourite park a mile away. 

A few weeks ago we went out for a dice walk but I decided to turn into a nature walk and it worked really well.  Whoever’s turn it was to throw the dice then had to spot at least one natural thing on their turn, either something they could see, smell, touch or hear or something they thought was beautiful in some way. 

This kind of walk where there are short bursts of looking for natural things amongst a man-made environment, really helps you to notice things you may otherwise miss.  We found red berries in a garden bush, plants pushing out of cracks in a wall, pictures in the clouds, a gust of wind on our faces, birds singing on a telephone wire and soft damp moss. 

Nature is just everywhere, even where you least expect it and it is always changing.

Seasonal shifts: from growing to crafting

I always see the seasons of the year as a bit like the seasons of life, with Spring being all about growth and new beginnings, a time to dream and imagine, Summer as the time for blossoming, Autumn as the season when the blossom fades but there is much to harvest, a time of plenty, a time to gather and share those treasures, with Winter being a time of calm reflection, a time to readjust and rest and look forward, but a time where there is still so much beauty to be found.

As the seasons change then so does how we interact with the natural world around us. 

There is a natural shift in energy levels as each season passes. 

Summer feels synonymous with exploring and discovering – whilst Winter feels synonymous with snuggling up and hibernating. 

For us a family Spring and Summer will typically see us spending more time at our allotment or working on our garden, alongside exploring rock pools, walking and camping. 

When Autumn and Winter draw around us we love to return to a warm cosy home after a walk outside in wild weather, and tend to spend more time on nature based crafts and making jams and chutneys out of produce from our allotment.

I love the idea of capturing the Summer sun in produce and then still being able to enjoy it in the long Winter months.  We may not spend such long hours outdoors but we are still in tune with nature by bringing nature indoors more.

Grow your own vegetables

I love to sit down with a cup of tea and make my allotment plan in the depths of Winter. And then as Spring emerges plant seeds, tend the seedlings and watch them grow ready for planting. Each of my children has their own patch at our allotment which they are responsible for: from planning what they will grow, planting seeds and tending seedlings to planting out, watering, weeding and harvesting.  It is a cycle which takes all year and changes with the season. 

But you don’t actually need an allotment to grow your own fruit and vegetables.  If you only have a small space then the ideas in this book may be helpful. Before we got our allotment we had a tiny front garden, which was just a strip outside that was less than a metre deep, but it was crammed with pots of flowers and vegetables. Growing fruit, vegetables and flowers fits in beautifully with the natural cycles of the year and really helps you to appreciate how the season is changing.

Autumn and Winter crafts

 In the Autumn and Winter we also tend to craft more.  There are so many lovely nature based craft activities.  One of my favourites is to collect and dry beautiful leaves in the Autumn and then bring them out again to decorate once the trees outside are bare.   We use silver, gold or other metallic markers to draw mandala type patterns on the leaves. Then we either mod podge or laminate them and cut them out to use as coasters or mobiles. The mod podge really helps to bring out the colours and makes the leaves pliable. But my favourite craft is to make a wall or window hanging by laminating several together and adding a twig at the top and bottom to create a frame to hang on the wall or in the window.

Bring in new life

In the depths of winter we also like to gather a selection of twigs from trees in the garden and put them in a vase of water.  It is almost magical to watch the buds open up and see beautiful fresh green leaves emerge as they are exposed to the warmth of our home.

Nature tables

Nature tables are also a wonderful way to celebrate the bounty and changes of each season.  They can be as simple as a small low shelf with just a few natural treasures and a magnifying glass to a dedicated area with books, posters and interactive displays.

You can supplement your Nature table with nature books, information cards or tactile objects. For our seashore table we used these Usborne 100 Things to Spot on the Seashore cards. There are similar ones for flowers, trees, insects, birds, the night sky and the garden that you could use. We also like to use the FSC guides which are suited to older children. There are many to choose from but some good ones include The Garden Bugs and Beasties chart and The Freshwater Name Trail. We also have the Butterfly and Frog Life Cycle models as well as some of the Toob models.

Star gazing

We also follow the moon phases and try to learn a new constellation each month. It is fascinating to notice how the stars change throughout the year.

If you are new to star gazing, and live in the Northern Hemisphere, then the best time to start is in the Winter. Younger children can join in as it gets dark earlier and there are some easy to spot constellations in the Winter months. Probably the easiest to find is Orion. He is easily recognisable by the three stars that make up his belt. He can be found by looking South. Once you have found him look to the right of him and you will see Taurus, an angry bull, charging at Orion. To the left of Orion you can see Orion’s hunting dogs Canis Major and Canis Minor. There are so many stories to be found in the stars. If you need help getting started then I would thoroughly recommend Star Finder For Beginners: A Step by Step Guide to the Night Sky by Dorling Kindersley. It is really easy to use, helping you to track your way across the skies and find out key facts about each constellation as you go.

Natural celebrations

Each month, on the full moon, we have a celebration.  Sometimes it is just small: a family walk to see the full moon and a simple meal of homemade soup and bread.  And sometimes it is more of an event: with family and friends, a campfire, special treats to eat (e.g. fresh strawberries for the strawberry moon in June or moon themed biscuits and cakes), crafts and singing.  But it is something all my children really look forward to.  A time to reconnect and be together as a family.

If you want to start celebrating each full moon and need a little help to get started then the Kids Moon Club is well worth joining. It is full of ideas of how to structure your moon party and activity ideas to do as well as a playlist of songs to go with each full moon.

One of my favourite days of the year is the Midwinter solstice.  The day deep in the middle of Winter when our day is the shortest and our night is the longest.  Also the day of the year that marks a turning point: the point at which our days are about to get longer; when the sun’s rays will soon begin to warm the earth and entice new shoots out of the soil and animals out of hibernation.  

Our family tradition for the Midwinter Solstice is to walk to one of our local woods and then come home and collect lots of green foliage from our garden, such as ivy, holly, fir tree and conifer cuttings and anything else we can find.  Then we gather around a table and make table decorations from them using oasis and red candles.  We keep one or two for own home and gift the others to friends and family.  Then we bake sun bread and homemade soup and share a special meal by candlelight. 

My husband had to work away last Solstice so we celebrated a day late but while he was away I took our children to our special spot in the woods and we made a Solstice Spiral.

Each child gathered fallen leaves, ivy and green foliage and then arranged them in a spiral with a walkway in between which led to the centre which we decorated with yellow flowers to represent light. 

Then each child, one at a time, lit a candle in a lantern and walked with it around the spiral towards the centre.  The youngest left theirs nearest the outside of the spiral, whilst the eldest took theirs to the centre so that there was a walkway of light.

When each child reached the centre they either made a wish for the coming year or said a prayer of thanks for the light returning to the world. 

It was a really peaceful and meditative experience which I know we will try and incorporate into our future Midwinter Solstice celebrations.

Getting started

I have shared just a few of the ways that we, as a family, celebrate the seasons.  But probably the easiest and best way is to just try and get outside every day for a walk, even just for half an hour.  The benefits of just spending time outdoors are endless and I can only touch upon them here:  from lowering blood pressure and decreased risk of cancer to mental health benefits.

If it is too hard to fit in a walk everyday then just simply open the front or back door and just stand outside for a few minutes. I like to do this each day at the beginning and end of the day.  This morning I was up early with two of my littlest children and we were blessed with a beautiful sunrise and cool crisp Autumnal air.  A few weeks ago I was fortunate enough to see the Harvest Moon hanging low in the night sky, glowing with a wonderful orange glow.

Follow your children’s lead wherever you can. 

Children love collecting natural treasures they have found on their walks.  You could use these for crafts, natural play or you could set aside a small low shelf to display them as part of a little nature table.  If you try to change this each season then it will help them to appreciate how the natural world is changing around them as the seasons shift.

Mark the cycle of the seasons by taking an extended walk in the same place in each of the four seasons, maybe using the equinoxes and solstices as your marker days.

Each season has its own character and beauty.

Stop and notice.

Feel the weather on your face.

Look at the stars.

Explore the miniature worlds beneath your feet.

Marvel.

Enjoy.

Savour.