Children pond-dipping

Activity Resources

A collection of nature-based activities produced by TCV teams across the UK.

TCV’s activity packs, how-to guides and videos are ideal for all ages. Use these resources to get outdoors in a green space with a mindful activity. They’re also great for home-schooling children when needed or kick-starting their passion for the natural world.

Rainbow Sticky Cards

Get the kids to create sticky cards to record some of the beautiful flowers and leaves they come across on their time outside. For this task, you will need a piece of card (or TCV template which can be printed) and some double-sided sticky tape stuck across the paper!

As you take a walk in nature encourage the kids to pick tiny pieces of flowers and plants to stick on their cards. They can try to find a range of colours and textures, creating a beautiful rainbow on their paper.

Ensure you supervise the children during this task to avoid them picking anything which could injure or cause harm if ingested, such as stinging nettles or foxgloves. Also, ensure that the children only take a very small piece of each plant, so the plant does not die.

Rainbow Sticky Cards

Hapa-Zome Natural Printing

Hapa-zome is a great natural printing method in which you dye fabric with fresh petals and leaves. You can create some fantastic patterns with this simple activity that only needs a few supplies. Download our Hapa-Zome Printing Guide for more information and instructions on how to create your own naturally printed fabric.

Hapa-Zome Printing Guide

Colours of Nature Scavenger Hunt

The concept of this activity is simple: let your kids run around finding things in nature which match with one of the colours on a scavenger hunt sheet. Find leaves, rocks, grass, and other bits and then match it to each colour. They can write or draw what they see for each colour!

You can print out our pre-made activity sheet, or you and the kids can create your own activity sheet using paper and a variety of colours!

Colours of nature scavenger hunt

Autumn and Seaweed Sensory

Our team in Ayrshire has created craft mindfulness activities to take advantage of the nature on our doorstep, while improving our physical and metal wellbeing. Explore your local woodlands area and make a nature sensory box or leaf wreath, or take a walk on the beach and connect your senses with seaweed.

Autumn and Seaweed Sensory

Accessible Activities

This booklet of seasonal activities has been created by our team in Scotland, designed to be accessible and enjoyable to help people connect with the outdoors and natural environment.

Accessible Seasonal Activities

Nature Walks - Activities Pack

Use these guides by the TCV Manchester team to look out for signs of the different seasons and various animals during your outdoor walks, and tick off each one you spot along the way. You’ll also find an activity sheet to complete a mindfulness walk, noting what you hear, feel, see and smell.

Nature Walks - Activities Pack

How to Make a Mammal Footprint Tunnel

Our team in Scotland along with Glasgow Science Centre gives an overview of how to make a mammal footprint tunnel as part of our HogWatch Scotland citizen science project.

How to Make a Mammal Footprint Tunnel

Froggy Activity Sheets

For lots of ‘unfrogettable’ activities, head to TCV Greenwich Peninsula Ecology Park’s page where you can download quizzes, recipe sheets, and colouring in activities all focused on frogs!

‘Frog Day’ Activity Pack

Children's Outdoor Activities

Hunting for bugs, building a den, and making a boat and tree decorations – it’s all covered in these children’s guides for activities outdoors.

Children's Outdoor Activities

Nature Activities To Do At Home

The little book of nature activities to do at home was created by our team in Leeds as a way to bring nature into your everyday life to benefit both your mental and physical wellbeing. Activities include growing tomatoes and spotting plants and animals, aligned to the 5 steps to mental wellbeing.

Nature Activities To Do At Home

Wild Wednesday Videos and Activity Sheets

TCV Waltham Forest are running a weekly Wild Wednesday educational video series with fantastic volunteer, Olivia. Learn how to identify birds in your garden and hear fascinating insights into the world of wildlife.

View the series and accompanying activity sheets on their Twitter page.

Bringing The Outdoors In!

TCV Scotland have put together a resource pack chock full of nature activities for indoors, in your garden or in the park. It includes tips for looking after the wildlife in your own garden through to nature-based craft ideas.

Activity Resource Pack

Nature Explorers with Stick Man!

Another one from our Waltham Forest Team, originally recorded for our Under 5’s sessions in Lloyd Park, London. Here Hannah reads through Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s Stick Man book to spark the imagination of little ones when exploring your local park. Plus, make your very own stick man!

Easy Read Picture Recipe Book

5 simple recipes using healthy fruit and vegetables, including a simple tomato salad and scrumptious rhubarb cake. This was created by TCV Manchester as part of our Growing Trafford’s Roots project, which explores the heritage of market gardening with young people with disabilities.

Healthy Fruit & Veg Recipes

Make a Woolly Bird

Get crafting with our team in Northern Ireland. Make your own woolly bird using a few simple materials and this step-by-step guide.

Make a Woolly Bird

TCV elsewhere

Head over to TCV’s blogs where you’ll find a collection of things to read, such as ways to keep active or more recipe ideas from our TCV Birmingham’s Health for Life team

The Nature activities at our Conservation Handbooks page are perfect for children and adults alike

Explore how to grow your own trees with this comprehensive resource

TCV Youtube Channel

…and finally, TCV’s YouTube channel hosts many of our team’s videos, with activities such as printing with potatoes, how to make a hanging planter, and sowing seeds and recipes with your homegrown produce.

Activities playlist