One of the fun things we have done as a family during lock-down has been The WildlifeTrusts/Scottish Wildlife Trust ’30 days Wild’ challenge #30DaysWild.
It’s a simple challenge, do something ‘wild’ every day for 30 days. Nature is so good for your health and well-being, it helps you unwind and feel connected to the planet.
The great thing about this challenge is that the activities can be based in the house, in the garden, in the park, wherever, so everyone can join in.
We have been getting closer to nature during lock-down and have had some great experiences and exciting wildlife encounters on our doorstep during 30 Days Wild this June.
Wildlife highlights included:
- 2 Roe deer munching on grass in our front garden (and eating our neighbour’s flowers!).
- A Tawny owl perched on our neighbour’s roof.
- Wood Pigeon nesting in our back garden hedge. We got to take lots of photos from our doorstep.
- A baby rabbit living in our back garden, munching the grass and hiding out of sight in the overgrown areas.
- A water boatman appearing in a bucket of rainwater.
And that wasn’t everything!
As well as being immersed in nature outdoors, 30 Days Wild encouraged us to get outside for fun even more than usual. Here are some of our favourite outdoor activities:
- Splashing, cycling and scooting through monster puddles (this was a big highlight for the boys- see picture!).
- Long river walks, spotting insects, collecting sticks and having a packed lunch.
- Finally being able to meet my Mum in her garden and have lunch/ice cream together (it has rained each time we visited! thankfully she has a large umbrella).
- On the final day of the challenge, going to our local wee play park which we had to ourselves to finally get back on the swings!
- Drawing flowers and having teddy bears picnics in the garden.
But if you’re not able to get outside, there’s still lots of wild things you can do. Here’s some of the ‘wild’ things we did in the house:
- Nature inspired crafts.
- Watching wildlife webcams, we saw puffins, kittiwakes, owls and loads more. Check out: https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/webcams
- Wildlife adoptions, we chose to adopt a seal and a red squirrel. https://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/how-to-help/online-shop/adopt-an-animal/
- Wildlife Quiz
- Dedicated a tree for Father’s Day with the Woodland Trust https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/support-us/give/dedications/ and made charity donations in memory of my Dad.
Lock-down and 30 days wild have helped us appreciate how much wildlife is on our doorstep and how enjoyable it is to explore it together. Definitely the more you look the more you find. It also gave us an excuse to incorporate more ‘wild’ things into our days, but now that the challenge has finished, that doesn’t mean we will stop doing ‘wild’ things. The Wildlife Trusts have a great page for ideas to continue to indulge in wildlife going forward https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/actions so why not try a few new wild things yourself.
That sounds like an amazing month, Tammy! What amazing wildlife to get in your garden. Had you seen these creatures before, or do you think they have ventured further since the lockdown, with less traffic etc?
It all sounds like a lot of fun, and definitely something to continue.