The following are our top ten suggestions for activities that can be carried out in periods of spare time or in the evenings. These are all activities that we regularly use at the centre when we run our activities. Please feel free to e-mail us at info@yrhenfelin-cynwyd.co.uk with any other suggestions that you may have. All the activities will require some planning and you will need to assess the risk of each activity based on the age and experience of your group. These are available as an A4 sheet when you make a booking at the centre
Watercolour Painting
Equipment:- Watercolour paint
Brushes
Paper
Time:- 1 – 2 hours
After you have been out doing activities get your participants to reflect on what they have done and draw or paint a picture of their days events.
Painting With Nature
Equipment:- Various plants and leaves (not wild flowers)
Time:- 1 – 2 hours
Instead of using water colours add a new dimension by making your own paints using natural materials such as grass. These need to be crushed with a small amount of water to produce natural paint.
Floating Candles
Equipment:- Floating candles
Time:- 1 - 2 hours
Take an evening walk just before dusk to an area with a lake or stream that has a small inlet. Float the candles in the water and light them. Allow everyone to watch as the candles reflection shimmers in the water. Make sure you extract all your candles before you leave. This activity can be done on the beach in rock pools.
Candle Lit Cairns
Equipment:- Stones
Night lights
Time:- ½ - 1 hour
Just before dark build a hollow cairn (a pile of stones usually found on mountains) out of the stones. Place a night light in it and light the candle. Sit and watch the light reflecting on your day. This is very effective if you are out on the mountains in the dark especially if you are wild camping.
Pumpkin Lanterns
Equipment:- Pumpkins or other suitable veg
Night lights
Knives
Time:- 1 – 2 hours
If you do not have a supply of stones or if you are doing your activity in October you can make lanterns instead of cairns.
Scavenger Hunt
Equipment:- Plastic bags
Time:- 1 - 1½ hours
Send groups out to collect as many different items as they can in the bag provided. This can be on a theme e.g. leaves and can be done in a large or small area.
Ice Mobiles
Equipment:- Jam jar or other container lids
String
Time:- ½ - 1 hour plus overnight
This is an activity for when you know it is going to be frosty overnight. Pour water into your lids and place a leaf or other natural item into the water. Run a length of string through the water in your lids connecting a group in lids together. Leave them outside overnight so that the water freezes displaying the leaves in ice. Hang them in the trees as mobiles. Once the temperature rises you will only be left with some string.
Twig Stars
Equipment:- Long green twigs
String
Time:- ½ - 1 hour
Make two triangles out of the green sticks. Interweave one triangle into the other to make a five point star.
Wind/Prayer Flags
Equipment:- Coloured material (the more the better)
Long sticks or string
Sticky tape
Time:- 1½ - 2 hours
This activity can be done in the garden or when at the top of a mountain. Cut out some triangles of cloth and make up some flags. Either place them on sticks or string them together. Have a different coloured flag for each person. Each person can have a private prayer or thought that will be carried on the wind once the flag is flown. Take the flags out when you do an activity and fly them in the wind.
Boat Making
Equipment:- Anything natural you find when out and about
Time:- 1½ - 2 hours
As you are out and about gather some natural materials (twigs, leaves, long grass) and make up some small boats. Float these on the river and see which ones work best. You could even have a race with them similar to playing Pooh sticks.
No comments:
Post a Comment