FUN THINGS TO DO

Outdoor ideas and activities

Did you know spending time outdoors in nature is good for you? It’s true! Being around trees and wildlife can boost your mood and reduce stress, and that's something we could all benefit from right now. Getting active outside is a great way to improve your family’s fitness too.

If you have a garden, there’s plenty of fun you can have in it during winter. In Victoria, you’re also allowed to exercise outside once a day in your local area. So, pull on your gumboots and enjoy some fresh air.

Discover nature on a walk

While you're getting your daily exercise, keep your eyes peeled for wildlife. Even though it's winter, there's plenty to see and hear. Encourage your family to look out for:

• birds feasting on berries

• insects scampering up and down trees

• animal footprints in frost

• the tuneful singing of a magpie

• daffodils and jonquils popping up out of the ground.

Help the wildlife in your garden

As we're in the depths of winter, your garden wildlife will appreciate some help to survive the colder months. Make a feeder to help hungry birds. You can find instructions for a bird feeder here.

You can also put out fresh water for animals to drink and bathe in. If you have space, create a ‘wild pile’ of twigs, logs and dead leaves in a quiet corner – it makes the perfect refuge where creepy crawlies, frogs and lizards can hibernate.

Go on a scavenger hunt

Scavenger hunts are great fun for all ages. You can do them in your garden, and they're also a good way to liven up family walks. Look for different colours or textures in nature.Hunt for seasonal signs such as wattle trees in full bloom, berries or frosty leaves. I do a rainbow walk each day: I pick a colour or a shape and have to find as many things in that category as I can!

Become tree trackers

How well do you know the trees in your garden or neighbourhood? Your family can become expert tree trackers with a free Tree ID app. It helps you learn how to identify them by their twigs, bark, leaves and fruits. Give it a go on your next walk and see which trees are living near you.

Indoor activities and crafts

When the weather's too cold and windy to be outside, we've got plenty of ideas for indoor fun too.

Grow your own food from scraps.

You can grow your own food from kitchen scraps. Find out how here.

Host a virtual wildlife quiz

Video calls have become the norm for keeping in touch with family and friends. So why not write their own virtual quiz and play it on your next family catch-up?

Get crafty with recycling

Give cardboard tubes, cereal boxes and yoghurt pots a new lease of life and challenge your family and yourself to turn them into a sculpture or collage. Can you find materials to make a spiky echidna, a fluffy bird or a gnarled old tree?

Make your own woodland theatre

Is your family missing stage shows and musicals? Then have a go at transforming a shoe box into a mini theatre to create your own plays. It's a wonderful way to use your imaginations too.

Paint a woodland backdrop and scenery, or use images cut out from magazines or old Christmas cards and glue them inside your box. Lay some fabric inside the base of your box to make the forest floor. To make your performers, draw or cut out pictures of animals and people. Attach them to sticks so you can easily move them around the stage.

Now you're ready for the show to begin!

Get creative with Lego

Many families have Lego, wooden blocks or other building toys at home, so have a go at making something inspired by nature. You could even find something in your own garden and try recreating it. How about an icy snowflake, a friendly bird or some spiky bushes?

Make your own jigsaw puzzles

Have a go at making your own jigsaw puzzles. Find wildlife photographs in old magazines and calendars and cut them up into pieces, then challenge each other to put them back together again.