11 things to do outdoors

Bond with nature

3. Take a forest bath

Spending time in nature has been found to help with mental health and reduce stress. Head to your local park or woods and take time to look more closely at the nature on your doorstep.  You could try the Japanese art of forest bathing, a simple relaxation exercise where you stay calm and quiet amongst the trees, taking notice of the nature around you while taking deep breaths. It can help both adults and children feel more relaxed. 

Brownies can take it further with the Mindfulness interest badge and Guides with the Meditation interest badge.

4. Take a closer look

Take a closer look at the nature that is all around us - make a rubbing of tree bark with paper and a crayon or get down on the ground to spot creepy crawlies. Rainbows can try the Nature interest badge to get them outside with the wind in their hair and the mud beneath their feet.

5. Go wild with bushcraft

Older girls can try their hand at bushcraft – which is all about living outside just using natural things to survive. With the Bushcraft interest badge for Rangers, you can learn to track animals, make your own rope and put your bushcraft skills to the test.

Get cooking

6. S'mores are more

S’mores are a Girlguiding favourite for cooking outside on an open fire – and one lots of our volunteers suggested (because they’re just so tasty)! If you can’t use a fire do as Linda of 2nd Penn and Tylers Green Guides suggests and make s’mores using tea lights instead. Best served with a round of campfire songs and stories. Always supervise children with an open fire. If you’re doing the activity with friends or your unit make sure you check for food allergies.

Watch our video for how to make gooey s’mores with biscuits and marshmallows.

Stay safe: fire safety

Lighting a fire can be dangerous. Always treat a fire with respect, be aware of wind and never underestimate how quickly things can change.

Remember

• Never leave a fire unattended, and always wait until it's fully extinguished.
• Always have a bucket of water/sand/earth nearby to extinguish the fire.
• Never light a fire on peat, under a tree or near shrubs or bushes.
• Tie your hair back and make sure clothes and jewellery are tucked in.

7. Backwoods cooking

Guides can fire up their outdoor cooking skills with the Backwoods cooking interest badge to do at home.

See your neighbourhood with new eyes

8. Alphabet street

‘We go out and try to find all the letters of the alphabet’ says Lisa of 10th Barry Guides and Barry Rangers. ‘They could be found letters or letters that you find from shapes in architecture.’ 

9. Pretend you're a tourist

Become a tourist in your local area - if you were a visitor for the day what outdoor spot would you head to? What pictures would you take? What would you write in a postcard?  Take it further with the Navigator interest badge for Guides. Navigate around and find out what's hiding just beyond your doorstep.

10. Try geocaching

Geocaching is a treasure hunt that uses coordinates to direct you to hidden containers called caches. It started with just one cache hidden in America. Now, more than 2.5 million caches are waiting to be found worldwide. Guides can try the Geocaching interest badge. 

Get green fingers in your gloves

11. Put a spring in your step

There are seeds and bulbs that can be planted in your garden, balcony or windowsill year round. Some spring bulbs like tulips can still be planted in December ready for spring blooms. In February you can plant sweet peas, start growing potatoes and sowing tomatoes on a warm windowsill. Brownies can explore more with the Grow your own interest badge.