Glamping Activities for Kids – Nature Spotting

Take a closer look around you while you are at any of our glamping sites and you’ll discover a secret world. Nestled in the trees and hiding in the undergrowth are countless examples of fascinating flora and fauna, all just waiting to be found.

Our rural locations have been carefully chosen to allow you and your family to get as close to nature as possible, so there’s no better time to reacquaint yourselves with the wonders of the great outdoors. The British countryside is so wonderfully rich in wild and plant life, we’re willing to bet that you’ll be both surprised and delighted at what you discover!

There are also plenty of ways to make nature spotting a game for children of all ages, as we explore here with our round up of nature spotting games and ideas. With just a little preparation, you can make your glamping holiday a grand foray into our natural surroundings that will help your kids foster a lifelong love affair with nature.

Put together a nature spotting kit

Gather these nature spotting essentials before your glamping holiday to add to the fun. We recommend having magnifying glasses and binoculars on hand so you can see your discoveries in as much detail as possible, and why not invest in some bug viewing pots for a real close encounter? Just remember to handle insects carefully and put them back where you found them.

If you’d like to borrow our ‘Lantern Goes Wild’ kits they are free and available from the Honesty Shop. There are different activities to complete and equipment to use such as bug pots and magnifying glasses to help inspire youngsters to hunt for nature and document their findings.

Turn nature detective

One of the simplest nature spotting games is to use a nature spotting sheet to tick off the plants and wildlife you see as you go.

Both Wildlife Watch and The Woodland Trust have some lovely examples you can print off, with beautiful illustrations of the birds, fungi, insects and plants you can expect to see in whichever type of environment you’re exploring, including woodland, ponds and beaches. You could even have a prize ready for the nature detective who finds them all in the fastest time.

Take a rubbing

Create colourful images of leaves and tree bark that you find when nature spotting by using crayons on paper to rub over them. There is a section for this in the Lantern Goes Wild booklet. It will encourage your little ones to get arty with nature; can they use their rubbings to make a larger picture? 

Capture the moment

Older children will love the challenge of capturing plants, animals and birds on camera and taking photos will also give them some fantastic memories of nature spotting on holiday. And while they may be tempted to snap wildlife such as squirrels and butterflies, focusing on unmoving plants and trees is infinitely easier and allows them to be much more creative.

Encourage your budding photographers to use light and unusual angles to create interesting effects of the plant life they spot around them. Or why not put together an outdoor game for younger children by taking close-up photos of leaves, bark and fungi and asking them to identify them?

Once you’ve snapped away, you can upload your photos to our Facebook page so that other guests can see them too. Use the hashtag #LanternGoesWild.

Look for the signs

Not every nature spotting expedition will result in lots of bird and animal sightings, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to involve them in your search. Don’t forget to look out for the evidence they leave behind, such as tracks, footprints and even droppings!

Follow any trails you can find to see where they go and take photos of them to identify later if you’re not sure what made them.

Keep to the code

Finally, it’s worth noting the guideline of the Countryside Code when nature spotting, which emphasises the importance of leaving no trace of your visit and taking care not to damage any aspect of your natural surroundings.

After all, ensuring that children understand how delicate wildlife and plant life is will help us to protect and enjoy it for generations to come. If you want ideas on how to help them discover more about the natural world, take a look at our guides on trail finding, stargazing and den building.

Take a look at our brilliant Ultimate Guide to Glamping for tips, ideas and what to bring with you when you come.