The team at Green Angels have put together some advent activities, which are suitable for adults and children alike.
More information about how to complete some of the activities is included below. For photos, keep an eye on our Facebook, Instagram or Twitter pages, as we will be posting photos regularly throughout December!
Share with us any photos or messages of you having a go at the advent calendar. To get in touch email greenangels@thelandtrust.org.uk.
Explore your garden or local green space and see what winter wildlife you can discover!
Use a wreath ring, or weave some willow to make your own wreath circle. Then collect your materials and arrange them (with the help or twine or wire) to produce your wreath! You can read a full how-to-guide on the Ideal Home website.
Keep yourself cosy and warm and have a go at completing our Green Angels Nature Wordsearch. See how many clues you can answer! If you’re feeling brave, why not wrap up warm and head to your local green space to complete the wordsearch outdoors.
Make your own Christmas Cards with leaves! Follow this handy Leaf Print Festive Card Guide from Countryfile.
Or you could make your own leaf rubbing cards, head to this handy Youtube video from Jen Goode to find out more.
Thanks to Rise & Wild for this great idea!
Take some time today for yourself, and have a drink outdoors! Make sure to wrap up warm, find a safe and comfy space to take in your local wildlife whilst enjoying a lovely drink.
Take time today to listen to the sounds of nature. From our homes, most of us should be able to hear some form of wildlife, even if this is just a feral pigeon or rock dove. There are so many varied forms of birdsong and wildlife calls in the British Isles, that you can easily transport yourself (figuratively) to a different environment just through sound.
Listen to some of the soundscapes below, close your eyes and allow yourself to escape to another environment for a while. (Be careful not to play any bird sounds out loud outside, as it can confuse real life birds!)
Did you know?
A study by the National Trust showed that woodland sounds increase relaxation by 30%, which is more than is achieved through meditation apps! Read the article here.
BBC Radio 4 also ran a nationwide research project in partnership with the University of Exeter to research the impact of nature sounds on our mental health. Through their research, they produced a podcast called Forest 404, which is part drama, part documentary and part soundscape. You can listen to the podcast through BBC Sounds, Spotify. Read more about the research project here.
Go exploring and see what items you can find on our scavenger hunt.
Top Tip: You could keep the items you find and use them on a future day on our advent calendar.
You will need:
Make sure you have an adult to help you with this.
How to make a mini bug hotel:
Collect some relatively long, thin sticks, and arrange them together with glue or string to create snowflake or star shapes. You could adorn these with ribbons, leaves, bows or pompoms to make them more colourful if you like. Take a look at the links below for more inspiration.
Wrap up warm and head out for a walk in your local area at night time. Try to see if you can spot any stars in the sky and the moon!
Make sure you go on a walk somewhere safe, and where possible with another person.
You will need:
Try to go somewhere with trees or shrubs for a walk today. Have a look on the ground around the base of the trees or shrubs and collect a couple of short sticks and some big leaves.
When you get home, tie the end of the string around the middle of your short stick or base. cut a piece of string to roughly one and a half times the length of your stick, and tie each end of your piece of string to each end of your stick. Use the skewer to poke holes in each of the leaves, and then feed the string through the holes.
Once you have added enough leaves, the loose end of you string onto a branch, and you should have a beautiful hanging leaf mobile! This will also provide a nice cosy home for small invertebrates too.
Thanks to Human-Nature Escapes CIC for this idea.
From fiery reds, tiger strips, bright greens, leaves bigger than the palm of your hand to mini leaves – autumnal and winter leaves have been shining through! See if you can find the biggest leaf you can!
Explore nature through a different perspective, and watch a winter sunrise.
Top Tip: Stay warm and cosy, and watch a winter sunrise from the comfort of your home through your window.
You will need:
Tie some string around the top of your pine cone so that it dangles on the string, but doesn’t fall off. If you are using loo roll, thread the string through the centre of the loo roll and loop it back so that you can tie the ends together. Clear a non-stick surface and scatter some bird seed onto it. Hold your loo roll or pine cone firmly and use a teaspoon or spatula to paste it with peanut butter. Once you have covered it sufficiently, roll the pine cone or loo roll in the bird seed, making sure that seeds are stuck to it all over.
Hold it up by the string – your feeder is now complete! Hang your bird feeder up and sit patiently to watch until the birds come to feed! Dawn and dusk are the best times to see birds active.
The RSPB have some great instructions for making loo roll bird feeders. Visit their website: https://www.rspb.org.uk/get-involved/activities/birdwatch/birdwatch-extra/make-your-own-loo-roll-bird-feeders/
If you have any allergies, why not make an apple bird feeder. The RSPB have a great guide on how to make this.
If you have some spare time today, why not explore somewhere new outdoors! This could be a new area of your favourite green space or a completely new local spot to you.
If you’re unable to get outside today, why not explore a new green space through a nature documentary or take a trip down memory lane to have a look at spaces you’ve previously explored.
You will need:
How to make a leaf lantern:
Take the opportunity if you can, to have a picnic lunch outside, even if it’s just on your doorstep or with your head out of the window. This could just be a sandwich, or you could go all out and put a hamper together.
Take the opportunity of eating your lunch outside to focus on your senses:
Remember too, that it doesn’t have to be beautiful weather to get the benefits of eating outdoors. If it is overcast, or even if it is drizzling outside, the experience can be just as enjoyable!
Find something you love in nature and take a photo of it!
If you have a phone or camera, take a picture of this detail. If not, use your hands to frame it, and take a mental picture. If you don’t have access to a green space, take a trip down memory lane and look at your photos of your favourite nature places.
Spend 1 minute today gazing at the clouds and try to find interesting shapes. These shapes could be animals, faces, vehicles or landscapes to name a few – be imaginative!
If you don’t think you can see anything, take a look at this travel blog to find some inspiration for the sort of things you can see in the clouds! If you’re interested in the science of clouds, you can learn about how to name the different types of clouds using the MET Office’s Cloud Spotter’s Guide.
Get inspired by nature and create some wild art!
See if you can make a musical instrument or music from natural materials!
Recent research into the science behind Japanese forest bathing has shown that physical contact with trees has a calming and soothing effect on our mental wellbeing. It helps us to feel more content and grounded, thus reducing the effect of our anxieties.
Step 1: Find a tree. This might take a few journeys out over a few days during your daily exercise, but keep your eyes peeled for a tree that looks like you can get your arms around it.
Step 2: Embrace your tree. Stand in front of the tree and put your arms around it. Hug it closely as if it were your best friend!
Step 3: Tune in to your senses. Whilst hugging your tree, take slow comfortable breaths and focus on your senses:
Spend as long as is comfortable hugging your tree, then maybe go and try a few different ones – notice how the experience varies with each tree!
Explore nature through a different perspective, and watch a winter sunset.
Top Tip: Stay warm and cosy, and watch a winter sunrise from the comfort of your home through your window.
Now that all the leaves have fallen off the trees, it actually makes it easier to see the birds! If you find yourself with a bit of time in the morning or evening, make the most of it by going and sitting in your garden just as the sun rises or sets. If you don’t have a garden, look out of your window, or visiting your local green space to watch the birds. Birds are most active in the morning and evenings, so it’s a good time to watch them:
Not sure about a bird? Use the RSPB Bird Identifier to help you work out what it is!
We hope you enjoy your day, however you may be spending it this year. If you can, take time to get some fresh air and work off your lunch with a Christmas Day Walk!
If you have any questions or queries about what we do or how to go about working with us we'd love to hear from.
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