Forests are naturally magical places with all kinds of possibilities for creative play and exploration. Today, we have Mary Henley, UK blogger and mom of two darling littles, here sharing how she infuses magic into a forest adventure with her kids. She’ll give you all the inspiration you need to create a magical day in the forest with your children, complete with magic wands, potion and imaginative activities! This is the perfect way to spend a day exploring or use this as a starting point for a children’s birthday party theme!

Creating experiences and memories for my children is one of my favorite aspects of parenting. However, sometimes we just want to get outside to play without having to do too much planning, preparation or packing. Outdoor adventures with your kids don’t have to be elaborate or complicated to be fun for them. Sometimes the simplest things mean the most to them and allow them the freedom to play and create their own experience. Often, when children are free to roam and play surrounded by trees, they feel better, behave better and (in my experience) ask for fewer snacks!! Unrestricted nature play is a great opportunity for children to lead their own play time and work together to make it fun. Plus, it’s more relaxing for us parents, too. Win, win…right??!

A magical forest day

Today, I’m excited to share our recent magical adventure in the forest and how you can recreate this experience with your kids. On this particular day, my husband was away playing golf and I wanted to spend time outdoors with my children, Freya (5 years) and Chester (2.5 years). It was one of the first lovely sunny and warm days of the year and we were all ready for an adventure.

We decided to design a day that was all about finding magic in the woods. We chose to go to the woods in the New Forest in Hampshire, UK. Such an amazing place, although to be honest all forests are beautiful. There is something so majestic and wonderful about trees, and calming too. I’ll tell you more about that in a bit.

Some of the magic of our day was “inspired” by me, but most aspects of our magical day were straight from the forest and took care of themselves. Very little planning was involved – just enough to add some magical touches, but still give the children the freedom to play and create. I’m sharing plenty of ideas below that you can pick and choose from to create your own adventure. And no matter what you choose to incorporate, I promise that you will all benefit from the magical wonder of just being in the forest.

Gather your magical ingredients & supplies

Before you head out into the woods, grab a few of these simple household items so that you can create some magic! These will be the supplies for making a few magic wands and some magic forest potion.

  • Ribbon scraps cut into similar lengths. Choose all different colors, widths, and patterns and stuff them all into a jar, bag or basket. Feel free to get the children involved in this part of planning, too. Scissor skills in action!
  • Glass or plastic bottles (small size with lid). You’ll need one bottle/jar for each child. If you have time, let the children decorate these with stickers, gems, paint, etc. before you go to help build the excitement (and keep them occupied while you are packing the car!).

Now, all you need to do is decide which forest area you will go to and grab your go-to snacks, packed lunch and drinks!!

Magical wands

When you arrive at your forest destination, look around for a table or bench. This is a great place to make the magical wands before heading too far into the woods. Making a magic wand is simple and creative. First, the children will need to go on a treasure hunt to find some twigs. Next, let each child choose their ribbons and tie them onto the twigs. If your kids are old enough, encourage them to do this themselves, while little ones may need your help.

Freya watched me tie the first one and then she went on to make 3 more wands. As she learned how to do it she got very excited and was incredibly pleased with herself! My two waved their wands around the entire day. They didn’t want them out of their sight for long. And after your magical day, they can even take them home as a memory of the day and to show their friends at school.

Beware: magical wands can turn you into anything! Some of ours were used to grant wishes! Sometimes they were used to turn me into all sorts of animals, which I had to then act out! Such a great exercise for the imagination and so much fun! Freya was convinced her wand made her run faster! You never know what powers your child’s wand will possess.

Magical forest potion

There are plenty of natural treasures to find on the forest floor. These magical items will be the starting point for making a magical forest potion! While you’re out exploring the forest, have your children collect any small treasures they can find. Add some water to the bottles/jars you brought along and then add your treasure! While we were out, we found tiny fir cones (so cute!), pine needles, mud, stones, tiny twigs, acorn shells, pebbles and leaf debris.

Combine all your treasures into your potion, give the bottle a swish (great fun jumping up and down while doing this) and then away you go! Let them explore the woods armed with a magical wand and magical potion! Think of all the things they could do! Let it all unfold and enjoy the magic you’ve helped create!

Mindfulness

I always like to add a few minutes of mindfulness exercises to our day when we need a moment to gather our thoughts or calm down. Mindfulness techniques come in handly any time anyone starts getting a bit tetchy (parents included… it happens to the best of us, right?). We sat down and took a few minutes to quietly take in our surroundings. Then have the kids name 5 things that they see, 4 things they could touch, 3 things that they can hear, 2 things they could smell and one thing they could taste. We each took it in turns. This really helped to ground us and because I was doing it as well, I enjoyed the calming benefits, too. It was a nice way to refocus and reset for everyone.

Benefits of being in a forest

Being in nature is great for us in so many ways, but being in the forest is very special. Spending time in the forest has been found to reduce stress, anxiety, depression and anger, strengthen our immune system and boost overall wellbeing. Wow!!!

There is a higher concentration of oxygen in the forest, according to Japanese medical doctor and researcher Qing Li, compared to an urban setting. Exposure to the plant chemicals, that are part of their defense system, has measurable health benefits for us. Benefits such as a reduction in physiological stress, lowered blood pressure and heart rate. Evergreen forests are particularly beneficial for our health. You sleep better when you spend time in a forest, even when you don’t increase the amount of physical activity you do.

It is simply enough to just be in the forest. Nothing additional is required! You do not have to walk or jog or do anything other than exist! However, chances are you will all naturally move around the forest. Whether you are hiking, wandering or not…we all know it’s pretty hard to sit still when you have children around. But just know that this experience is good for all of you, no matter what you end up doing.

This all sounds great, doesn’t it? What are you waiting for?

Yoga/grounding pose

Another fun activity to do on your magical forest day is to have your children become the forest! Ask your children to stand like a tree. Have them show you how strong the tree is by standing straight, imagining the roots are pulling your feet firmly down onto the ground. They could start off with arms by their sides and then show the branches with arms out, keeping feet firmly grounded still. It might then get a bit windy, and their branches sway, but they mustn’t fall over!! The parents could be the wind and see if they can blow them over. Really great fun and gets those imagination juices flowing!

Fun with leaves

If it’s the right time of year, have fun with the leaves in the forest. Have the kids try kicking piles of leaves or throwing leaves in the air! Running about and jumping in the leaves. Making a pile of leaves and jumping on it or twirl around like a tornado. Cover up your wellies with fallen leaves or bury yourself in leaves. We had great fun picking up handfuls of leaves and throwing them up in the air. We were then showered with leaves, wearing leaf wigs as they settled in our hair! Great exercise!

Den building

Den building is a great way to make a trip into the woods magical and get the whole family involved. It’s also a challenge for everyone and involves working together as a team. Have your kids choose what kind of den to build and how big it’ll be. Will it be small and just for fairies or toys? Or will it be big enough so you can all have your picnic lunch in it? Will it be a lean-to or a teepee style?

Den building is a great activity for all ages, particularly teenagers get a lot out of this, making it as challenging and big as they can. There were some 12-13 year-olds near us dragging great big fallen branches across the ground to make their den out of. They were having so much fun doing this and their parents ended up joining in too! The branches can be smaller for younger children.

Finding shapes and faces in trees

Isn’t it lovely how children notice things that adults don’t? They have such an amazing imagination. Put it to work finding the magic in the forest and you’ll be amazed at what is right in front of you that you might not be seeing! Freya was climing a tree and stopped and said, “Look! Look, there’s a face in the tree!” And there was! The bark and branches gave the appearance of a face, which only she noticed. This started our game of spotting what we could see in the tree bark. This is so much fun and imaginations go wild! A rabbit and bear were also found!

Reflecting on the day

At the end of the magical day, be sure to spend some time talking about and reflecting on the things you experienced and the values that were shown during your time outside. For those of you with children at school, I expect each has their own school values. Freya is in Year R, so we have heard about these a lot while she has been learning about them. This was a lovely way to pass the journey time on our car ride home and we felt good about all that we had done. If you find you have sleepy children on the way home (quite possible with all the fresh air and exercise) this could be done at home afterward, maybe chatting about it over a family dinner.

Demonstrating values

  • Collaboration – working together to help each other find the ingredients for the magical potion.
  • Reflective – deciding what the fairy wand will look like, what ribbons to use. Also, deciding what will fit into the bottle for the potion (Chester learned that the big fir cones couldn’t be pushed into the bottle!).
  • Persevering – climbing trees when it was difficult and finding alternative ways to get up. Learning how to tie a knot in the ribbons when attaching to the twigs and then keeping trying to do it themselves.
  • Creative – how to make their magical wands, making adventures with their wands and potions.
  • Respectful – listened to Mummy when she was showing how to tie ribbons. Listening while each took their turn with the mindfulness.
  • Caring – Freya helped Chester tie ribbons on his wand. When Chester fell over, Freya ran to him to see if he was ok.

About Mary

Mary lives in Hampshire, UK with her husband and two children. She is passionate about wellbeing and creativity. She’s a country girl at heart and loves the outdoors. Mary especially loves making things out of twigs and natural finds picked up during walks. Follow Mary on Facebook and Instagram to keep up with her latest creations and other passions. Mary’s entertaining and inspiring blog, Rose and Lewis, is a great read for craft ideas for your home and to make with children, plus, parenting and wellbeing tips and more outdoor family adventures.

 

 

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