Summer is in full swing from late June until late September*. It’s a wonderful season that brings with it many amazing things for children and families to look out for in nature. Indeed, that’s what today’s suggested activity is all about. We’ve created a free-to-download poster that highlights 20 things from nature that children, including under-fives, can look out for when they’re outdoors†. Whether it’s in gardens, on walks with family members, at the park, or out in the countryside, summer’s natural wonders are incredibly abundant when you take time to look.
How many of the wonderful flora and fauna can your child spot? Some, like bees and butterflies, will be super-easy to spot. Others, like sunbathing birds and — for the very lucky few — slow worms, may be a little harder to discover. Searching is part of the fun, though, and this nature-based activity is a great way to get little ones to open their eyes to the natural world around them whilst also enjoying exercise and fresh air. It’s a great opportunity to encourage little ones to spend time outdoors, close to nature† — which is so incredibly good for them! Why not download the free Summer Nature Hunt activity poster today and see what you and your little one can spot?
* When Exactly is Summer?
According to the astronomical calendar, for 2025 summer starts in the UK on Saturday 21st June, which is the Summer Solstice — the longest day of the year. It continues until Monday 22nd September 2025, which is the Autumnal Equinox. That’s the time in the year when day and night are of virtually equal length because the sun is right above the equator. Dates vary a little from year to year, however, because the solstice and equinox will fall on slightly different days.
In contrast, summer always spans the calendar months from the 1st of July, through August, until the 30th of September according to the meteorological calendar. This calendar is used more for things like weather forecasting.
Download Your Free ‘Summer Nature Hunt’ Reference Poster
Click the preview image below to view or download the free Summer Nature Hunt reference poster (2MB, Acrobat PDF format). Print it out at any size up to A3 in high resolution. Use your printer’s best paper and settings for the best results.
There are many species of some of the creatures shown, so your child does not need to find one that’s absolutely identical. There are 51 species of mayflies, for example, each of which will look a little different. Similarly, there are over 40 different ladybirds and 59 species of butterflies in the U.K. — the variety of nature is incredible!
“Look Don’t Touch!”
Remember that children should look but not touch; the idea is to spot natural things, not to try to collect them or to interfere with living creatures who are going about their business. That’s a safety and well-being issue as much as anything — for both the child and nature’s flora and fauna. The idea is for children to simply see how many they can see when out and about. Then, when spotted, they can perhaps tick them off using the little tick boxes provided on the poster.
Have Fun Little Explorers — Nature is Good for You!
We hope today’s free poster and the activity idea give children and families some educational fun outdoors this summer. Spending time outdoors in the fresh air, close to nature, is incredibly important to children and adults alike. It benefits them in an amazing variety of ways, from greater motor skills and improved problem-solving to enhanced well-being and reduced stress just for starters. And did you know that even academic grades are improved when children spend time closer to nature? That’s just one of the many benefits of nature that you can learn more about here.
Other Nature-Themed Posters for Children
Today’s Summer Nature Hunt poster is just one in a whole series of nature-based activity posters that families can download free of charge. Other posters in the series include a Spring Nature Hunt, a Winter Nature Hunt, an Autumn Nature Hunt, a Leaves Nature Hunt, Discover British Butterflies, British Bird Spotting, Wild Mammal Spotting, and a Minibeast hunt. Visit our blog area regularly for more free stuff for kids! Click the bold blue links for more information.
Opportunities to be Close to Nature at Little Cedars Nursery, Streatham
Children get to enjoy nature at Little Cedars Nursery in Streatham too! We know how important spending time in and around nature is to children. So, we’re lucky to be close to natural open spaces like Tooting Common and to have our own planting area. Here, children can nurture seedlings, grow flowering plants that attract pollinators, and harvest their own vegetables. They love it! It teaches them so much about the world, where food comes from, the importance of taking responsibility for another living thing, and all the time teaching them new skills.
Little Cedars is a fabulous nursery located in Streatham near Streatham Hill and Streatham Common, conveniently close to those in Tooting, Furzedown, Balham, Norbury and Colliers Wood. Rated as a Good Provider by Ofsted, you know your child will be well looked after and nurtured at Little Cedars. It’s a warm, welcoming, home-from-home environment where children feel safe, well cared-for, and valued. If you’d like your baby, toddler, or preschooler to have the best start in life in readiness for school, consider Little Cedars Day Nursery for your weekday childcare needs. We would love to show you and your little one around, so you can see for yourself the wonderful environment for under-fives.
Get in touch today to register for a place, request a tour, or ask a question — we’re here to help!
† Outdoor Safety
It goes almost without saying that children, especially the youngest, should only explore outdoors under appropriate and close adult supervision. Read our tips for child safety outdoors for more safety inspiration.
Getting children interested in nature, and spending time around it, is extremely good for them as we’ve reported before — 
World Wildlife Day celebrates the world’s flora and fauna. It happens on the 3rd of March each year and is a way to raise awareness of the need to protect nature. That can be achieved by reducing harmful emissions, pollution, habitat loss, and the loss of biodiversity. By introducing children to the beautiful wildlife around them, children will naturally be more empathetic towards other creatures and even progress to learning about conservation matters and the impact of humans on the planet. In this way, little ones can grow into young stewards of the planet and have an active interest in protecting it going forward. Get them started today by downloading our free Wild Mammals poster — who knows where it could lead!
Today’s minibeast-spotting activity is the third in a series of nature-based children’s activities and, like the others, comes with a free poster. As with the 
Following on from our 
We must also add that children should be encouraged to ‘look but don’t touch’ as butterflies are very delicate creatures. Children should not try to touch or catch them — they are best left in peace as every one of them is a little individual that simply wants to go about his or her day. They’re wonderful to watch, though, and our free poster should help children and adults identify many of the different types. Perhaps see how many different species can be spotted over the course of a year. Take photos too, and compare them with friends! Some butterflies visit gardens, floral window boxes and parks while others may only be found in wilder locations in the countryside. This activity is therefore a great excuse for families to get out and explore The Great Outdoors! Recording the date and location of each butterfly spotted will also help families work out where the best butterfly-spotting locations are for next time.
With that in mind, why not take this activity a step further and get involved in the UK’s annual Big Butterfly Count? For 2024, it takes place between Friday the 12th of July and Sunday the 4th of August, which is when most butterflies are at their adult stage. All it takes is 15 minutes and children will love being little ‘citizen scientists’! The activity can be done in gardens, parks, school grounds or out in the countryside. Taking part will give children a real opportunity to help with butterfly conservation.
Spring arrives in the UK on 20th March, according to the meteorological calendar. As well as plants beginning to shoot, daffodils flowering and trees starting to bud, an increased number of wild birds can now be seen too. While a few overwintered here in England, many will have spent winter abroad, where it’s warmer, and only begin to return to the UK once spring begins. So, come springtime, more and more varieties of birds can be spotted — and that’s what today’s post is all about. To encourage children to appreciate, enjoy and learn from nature, we have put together a bird identifier poster that children and parents can download for free, print out to A3 or A4, or view on screen in beautiful high resolution. It highlights 37 species of bird that are popular in England, which children can try to spot as the days and weeks go by. Children can perhaps tick off each type of bird that they spot. With a little help from parents for the youngest children, this activity is a great way to teach them the different bird names and help them to recognise the different types as time goes by. It’s also a great children’s pastime that will encourage them to really appreciate nature. The A3 poster is free to download and share — simply click the preview image below to save or view it in Acrobat PDF format. Enlarge on screen for extra detail or simply print out as large as you can. Children will love this activity and feel a real sense of achievement as they learn more about these wonderful, feathered visitors.
We’ve selected our favourite birds from the hundreds of species that visit the UK each year. There was no way to fit in all of them, so we’ve picked out the most common visitors to our own gardens and nearby parks. In addition, we also added a few extra birds that would be great for children to keep a lookout for, despite a few being shy. Owls are around, for instance, coming out mostly at night. However, barn owls can be seen before dark if you know where to look (the sound of owls hooting or screeching is a dead giveaway). Buzzards, Red Kites and Sparrowhawks are more likely to be seen in the sky overhead, so we’ve shown images where their distinctive silhouettes can give their species away to the onlooker.
Today’s post will appeal to families who are finding the current financial climate particularly challenging. With energy costs and inflation so high, the following may represent a welcome piece of good news. Today we highlight the many Baby Banks that are popping up all around the UK and explain how they can help struggling families, all for free.
A Baby bank is a similar concept to a food bank. However, instead of food and drink, it provides second-hand clothing, toys and equipment for babies, under-fives and often even for children up to the age of 16 in some cases. Baby Banks can also be compared to a charity shop, however, with baby banks, everything is free.
Baby Banks are run by all sorts of different people and organisations and therefore the rules around actually getting ones hands on the free items vary from Baby Bank to Baby Bank. Some accept requests for items directly from families themselves. Others only deal via a referral from some kind of professional. Examples include social workers, family support agencies, teachers, family centres, health visitors, medical professionals, food banks and women’s refuges. So, once you have located your nearest Baby Bank, you will need to check whether they will deal with you directly or only through such a referral. Either way, you will usually need to agree a time and date for collection of your item with the Baby Bank (you can’t usually just turn up, although there are exceptions). Not all Baby Banks are open all week and that’s another reason to check with Baby Banks or their websites first.
Absolutely! Baby Banks rely on the generous donations from families that no long require their baby clothes or equipment. Perhaps the child has grown out of them and the items are still in good condition, or perhaps they were an unwanted gift. Donating items is also a great way to declutter and to make space in the home, as well as helping others. However, before donating to a Baby Bank, always check with them to see if all your proposed items are required and, as before, ensure you know whether an appointment is needed or whether you can just turn up with your items. Certain rules may also apply around the condition and type of items (this varies depending upon which Baby Bank you are dealing with). Baby car seats and electronic items may also have special rules due to the extra safety considerations.
Are you pregnant, or a parent with a child under four? If so, your family may be eligible for free healthy food, milk and vitamin supplements. In England, some of these free items are available under the ‘Healthy Start’ scheme, which we’ll explain in this quick-start guide.
Eligible individuals can get the following, absolutely free:
The infant formula milk:
These free vitamin supplements are important for pregnant women, breastfeeding mums, babies and young children because many are deficient in them at this stage in their lives.
In order to be eligible for Healthy Start vouchers, you need:
