Here's another fun activity for families over the Easter holidays – especially those with young children. As the weather warms up, pick a nice day and pack a nature-inspired picnic! These easy, healthy recipes (featured in our junior magazines) are a great way to bring wildlife to the picnic blanket!
I'm no great chef, but had great fun making (and eating!) these 5 wild picnic snacks with the magazine team - and hope you do, too.
LADYBIRD CROSTINI
You will need
Spread cream cheese or houmous onto each slice of bread. Add a salad leaf then a dollop of pesto. Add tomatoes and use chopped black olives and cream cheese to give each ladybird a face, spots and eyes. Yum!
HEDGEHOG BREAD
Make up the bread dough, leave to prove for 2 hours then roll into large balls. With each, pinch one end into a snout. Using scissors, snip into the dough at an angle from the tail end. Add peppercorns or raisins for eyes. Bake for 25 minutes at 180°C.
CATERPILLAR KEBABS
Thread fruit onto kebab sticks to make long caterpillar bodies. Use a different fruit to make a head. You can even use icing to give them a face!
BIRD EGGS
Peel the boiled eggs, press in two peppercorns for eyes then get snipping with your carrot slices to give the birds beaks, wings and crests. Why not add other veg, too? Be as creative as you like!
SPIDERWEB EGGS
• Boiled eggs • Water and food colouring
Boil some eggs. When they’re done, squash them a bit to crack the shells all over. In a bowl, mix some food colouring with a bit of water. Roll the eggs around in the coloured water and leave to dry. Then, peel off the shells. Your egg is ready to eat and looks like it’s covered in spider webs!
FRUITY SEA CREATURES
Cut an apple in half. Slice one half into thin wedges. Cut a thick, round slice from the other half. Cut a zigzag down through this slice to create the front claws. Lay out the crab’s legs and place the remainder of the apple on top as his shell, with raisins for eyes.
Slice down the banana stalk to create a dolphin mouth. Pop a grape in to hold it open, and then you can draw on two eyes with your pen.
-------------
Have a great picnic - we'd love to hear which snack was your family's favourite, and please do share any great 'wild picnic' ideas of your own. For loads more fun activities, why not check out the RSPB's Wild Challenge?