Well, the sun is out, the blossom is blooming and the Easter school holidays are finally upon us, causing much excitement in our household - albeit mostly chocolate-related. We’re taking the kids off to North Norfolk this weekend, where the mercury is forecast to soar to 20°… and there’s some incredible wildlife up there, too - loads of exciting waders and wildfowl, but also kid-friendly creatures like seals, brown hares, and crabs that can be caught over and over again from harbour jetties.
We’ll be spoilt for choice this weekend – but you don’t need to be in Norfolk to put the wild into your Easter. Here are 3 ways to get outside with the kids, enjoy the sunshine and celebrate the full glories of spring.
1. Enjoy an Easter bug hunt
My children are extremely motivated by Easter egg hunting, and that’s to put it mildly. But a romp through the great outdoors doesn’t have to be all about the chocolate. Right alongside the glistening hidden confectionery, the insect world is waking up, with minibeasts in both adult and juvenile forms to be found, as grubs become bugs and caterpillars become butterflies.
Why not combine (or replace) the Easter egg hunt with a hunt for nature’s living jewels, and see what’s about? Look underneath stones and bricks, along new-growth stems, into gaps in walls…. and of course check bug hotels to see who’s checked in. We’re lucky to have this bug metropolis in our local park (though not as lucky as the bugs!)
Our local ‘bugtropolis’ is springing to life.
Most bee species are becoming active this time of year. We’ve already seen lots of spring bees around our home, including queen bumblebees and a female hairy-footed flower bee in our garden, which caused some excitement as none of us had seen an all-black bee before. Hairy-footed flower bees can appear in southern Britain from February onwards until about the end of June, and are a solitary bee species which often nests in walls or by excavating the ground, as ours was trying to do.
We’ve also welcomed quite a few butterflies, and the other day the children watched enthralled as a peacock and a comma chased each other through sunbeams before both coming to bask on a warm stone in the garden where we could conveniently admire them, side by side. It takes a lot to stop my kids in their tracks, but these two bright, fresh and beautiful insects managed it.
Besides the bees and butterflies, look out for emerging damselflies and dragonflies this month, especially around water. Show your children how to tell the difference: dragonflies hold their wings out at right angles, while damselflies fold them along their body - and both come in a range of jewelled hues to rival any foil-wrapped chocolates. If you’re insanely lucky, you might even come across one emerging from its exuviae, which will be left behind as a brown, chunky-looking but hollow, bug-shaped shell clinging to the side of a reed or waterside stem.
Add to that the glories of juvenile and adult ladybirds and shieldbugs, busy little ants servicing their colonies under paving slabs, and interesting beetles, and wherever you are there’ll be plenty to poke around for during the holidays.
2. Forage for wild garlic
Early April is the perfect time to forage for wild garlic, as it forms a thick carpet over woodland areas across the UK - in precisely the sort of habitats that wildlife loves. It’s an abundant and prolific grower, but make sure you only forage what you can immediately use – and that you’re allowed to do so; at National Trust sites, for example.
My kids love collecting wild garlic. There's plenty here for pasta pesto or a batch of scones – but check with the landowner before you forage.
Wild garlic is not as strong as regular garlic, but can be used in its place - and you can tell you’re in the right place when you can detect a garlicky or spring-oniony smell in the air. It usually grows thickly in dappled light in the woods, often on slopes. The leaves are long, smooth and soft with a pointed tip, with delicate white flowers forming globes like exploding fireworks. The whole plant can be eaten, but make sure you’ve got the right species by crushing a leaf between your fingers and smelling it. Bit garlicky? That’s the one.
I recommend collecting some of the brightest young leaves as they’re the most tender, and avoid plants growing next to the path, in case they’ve been been contaminated by passing people or pets. Wash before use, in any case.
My kids love collecting a few leaves, which we pop into a cloth bag and take home for dinner. They’re big pesto fans, so a great way to enjoy the spoils is to whizz it up into a pesto - just use it in place of basil, blend with the other ingredients and stir into spaghetti. I also love making scones with them - simply crush or chop the leaves and add to your favourite savoury scone recipe.
The kids and I whipped up these hand-moulded wild garlic & feta scones. We had no cookie cutters... but they were still delicious served warm with butter!
3. Track down a treasure hunt
In my household, the mention of a ‘nice long country walk’ makes adult hearts sing, and childish hearts sink. But with minimal effort, both hearts can be kept happy and enjoy a wild adventure. Re-phrase it as a wild tracking treasure hunt and the walk becomes a challenge - which they absolutely love.
As long as there’s at least two adults, we split into two teams - one to lay the trail and one to follow it. We usually do this in woodland or rambling country estates, but it could work just as well in town parks, sand dunes, clifftops, heathland and more. Here’s what to do:
Step 1. The first team sets off five minutes ahead of the second team.
Step 2. The first team walks along the trails, changing direction occasionally. Lay an arrow on the ground to show the way, and an ‘X’ to show the wrong way. You can lay sticks, stones or fallen leaves to make these symbols, or just draw them in the ground with a stick.
Step 3. Mark the end of the trail with a circle or square, then hide nearby and await team 2.
Step 4. Team 2 must follow the trail to discover your hiding place.
In its simplest form, tracking involves creating arrows and crosses along paths to show the right and wrong routes, using items found on the ground.
Both teams can also earn points by collecting ’treasure’ along the way. This can include, for example:
- a feather
- a pebble or small stone
- an acorn or nut (bonus point if it's been nibbled!)
- a forked twig
- a small piece of bark and/or moss
- a yellow flower
Whichever team collects the most ‘treasures’ by the time we reach the hiding-place gets an extra treat - nothing too contentious, such as an extra Flake in their ice-creams afterwards.
With older children, you could also include a bird or wildlife-spotting activity along the trail, bringing a notepad to jot down the creatures you see, with rewards for the most species spotted. It’s a great way to teach kids how to look for and identify different species.
Last time we did this activity, which was last Friday just before sundown in the local woods, kids that would otherwise be dragging their feet and complaining were instead skipping and tearing through the forest, shrieking with excitement and desperate to spot the next treasure or symbol on the ground. To paraphrase Mary Poppins, “find the fun and the hike becomes a game”... And I have to admit, it’s just as much fun for the grownups.
So there you have it: a few try-anywhere ideas to get your kids capering through nature and learning a bit about it along the way. Have a wild Easter - we’d love to hear what you get up to! Email the magazine or log in to post a comment below.