30 Days Wild & The Big Wild Weekend | EYFS & KS1 Activity Ideas

**Note: This page is for educational inspiration and is not officially affiliated with '30 Days Wild’. '30 Days Wild’ is an annual nature challenge organised by The Wildlife Trusts across the UK. For official information, daily challenges, and how to get involved, please visit The Wildlife Trusts website: www.wildlifetrusts.org/30DaysWild.

Understanding '30 Days Wild’ & ‘The Big Wild Weekend’ in EYFS & KS1

Let's step outside and get wild with nature! 🌳🦋🐞 '30 Days Wild’ is a fantastic nature challenge that happens every June, organised by The Wildlife Trusts across the UK. It's all about doing one 'wild thing' every day for a whole month! This doesn't mean doing something huge, but simply taking a moment to connect with the nature around us – like listening to birds sing, watching a bee buzz by, feeling the wind on our faces, or planting a tiny seed. It encourages us to notice the small wonders of the natural world and helps us feel happier and more connected to our amazing planet. It's a brilliant way to explore, learn, and appreciate the wild places, big or small, right on our doorstep! Towards the end of June, 30 Days Wild culminates in The Big Wild Weekend, typically held over the last weekend of June. This special weekend is a peak celebration, inspiring people to spend even more time immersed in nature, often through local events organised by Wildlife Trusts, or by creating their own wild adventures. It's a chance to consolidate the month's nature connection and truly embrace the wild.

For early years settings, nurseries, preschools, childminders, and Year 1 and Year 2 classrooms, this initiative provides a wonderful and highly engaging framework for daily outdoor learning, exploring wildlife, plants, habitats, seasons, the environment, science (observation and discovery), and understanding the world (the natural world). It's about fostering curiosity, encouraging mindful observation, and nurturing a lifelong love and respect for nature. '30 Days Wild’ offers fantastic planning ideas and inspiration for integrating short, impactful activities that truly resonate with young minds, making learning about nature and conservation both essential and wonderfully hands-on!

Why Is Connecting with Nature Through '30 Days Wild’ Important for Young Children?

Integrating '30 Days Wild’ and daily nature connections into your practice with young children (aged 0-7) is great for holistic development, fostering well-being, and laying the groundwork for future environmental stewardship.

• Boosts well-being: Spending time in nature reduces stress, improves mood, and enhances physical activity.

• Encourages Curiosity & Exploration: Sparks questions, promotes hands-on discovery, and develops observational skills.

• Develops Sensory Awareness: Engages all senses – seeing, hearing, touching, smelling – to experience the natural world.

• Fosters Empathy & Respect for Wildlife: Builds an appreciation for living creatures and their habitats, encouraging care and protection.

• Supports Cognitive Development: Introduces concepts of patterns, cycles, and relationships within ecosystems.

• Enhances Creativity & Imagination: Provides open-ended opportunities for imaginative play and artistic expression inspired by nature.

• Promotes Environmental Responsibility: Cultivates a personal connection to nature, inspiring a desire to protect it.

Engaging 'Wild' Activities for '30 Days Wild’ (EYFS & KS1)

Let's embark on 30 days of wild discoveries and embrace the outdoors for '30 Days Wild’ with these planning ideas and activities perfect for EYFS and KS1 children. The focus is on daily, simple acts of wildness, observation, and appreciation for the natural world around us! Many of these early years and year 1 activities can be supported by our dedicated ‘Wildlife’, ‘Animals’, ‘Plants’, ‘Minibeasts’, ‘Habitats’, and ‘The Environment’ resources.

Here's some inspiration for celebrating '30 Days Wild’ in your setting: (Please use your own discretion and knowledge of your children to ensure appropriateness of each activity and safety concerning any materials given and activity undertaken. Emphasise gentle interaction and respect for all living things.)

• Daily Nature Observation & Discovery:

  • Go on a 'Science - Activity Pack - Minibeast Hunt' or use 'Minibeast Search Checklist' to find and identify insects in your outdoor area.

  • Explore woodland minibeasts with 'Woodland Minibeasts - Fact Cards - A5' or 'Woodland Minibeasts - Fact Cards - A4'.

  • Use 'Garden Birdwatch Mat' to spot and count birds. For more detailed learning, use 'Woodland Birds - Fact Cards’ and match them with 'Woodland Birds - Egg Match Puzzles'.

  • Encourage close observation of plants with 'Plants - Word Mat' and discuss different parts of plants. Learn about woodland plants with 'Woodland Plants - Fact Cards'.

  • Look for 'Signs Of Spring Posters/Display/Cards/Prompts' or signs of other seasons as they change.

  • Explore how animals' bodies are adapted using 'Pigeon Body Parts - Poster & Writing Sheets'. Learn about 'Woodland Animals - Fact Cards’

• Connecting with Animals & Their Habitats:

  • Learn about various animals, their habitats, and how they live using resources from our ‘Animals’ page.

  • Discuss endangered animals and why they need our help (see ‘Endangered Animals’ page).

  • Talk about providing for wildlife, such as helping birds in winter using 'Helping Wildlife In Winter' Poster' or planting bee-friendly flowers (see ‘Minibeasts’ page for bee resources).

  • Use animal-themed literacy and numeracy resources like 'Zoo Animal Alphabet Display Cards', 'Zoo Animal Counting Display Posters/Flashcards', and 'UK Birds Number Slice Puzzles (1-5 & 1-10)'.

  • Explore woodland trees and their leaves with 'Woodland Trees - Tree Leaf Match Puzzles' and 'Woodland Trees - Fact Cards’.

• Growing & Gardening Activities:

  • Plant seeds or bulbs and observe their growth. Use 'Gardening - Sunflower Growth Ordering Cards' to track development.

  • Give out 'Gardening - 'Green Fingers' Certificate' to celebrate children's gardening efforts.

  • Explore plant life cycles with 'Endless Life Cycle Puzzles'.

  • Use 'STEM - Challenge Cards' (and the winter version) for outdoor investigation ideas, such as building a mini-beast hotel or exploring natural materials.

• Sensory & Creative Wild Encounters:

  • Engage senses on a scavenger hunt focusing on woodland wildlife with 'Woodland Wildlife - Mindfulness Scavenger Hunt Prompt Cards' and 'Woodland Wildlife - Mindfulness Scavenger Hunt Sheets'. You can also use 'Beach - Mindfulness Scavenger Hunt Sheets' for coastal explorations.

  • Encourage mindful observation using 'Woodland - Mindfulness Activity Cards'.

  • Explore sounds in nature with 'Outdoor Play - Sound - Can You Make This Sound? Prompt Cards'.

  • Engage sight and hearing with 'Outdoor Play - Senses - Can You See? Mindfulness Prompt Cards' and 'Outdoor Play - Senses - Can You Hear? Mindfulness Prompt Cards'.

  • Create art inspired by nature using 'Beach - Design A Shell Multimats' or simply drawing what they see outdoors.

  • Practise mark-making using natural materials with 'Beach - Mark Making Cards'.

  • Develop fine motor skills with nature-themed activities like 'Fine Motor Butterflies’ or 'Feed The Robin Pencil Control Mats'.

  • Explore subitising with natural items using 'Autumn - Hedgehog Subitising (1-3)' and counting hedgehogs with 'Hedgehog Numbers 0-20'.

• Explore More: To support your '30 Days Wild' adventures and encourage deeper exploration of wildlife and nature, please visit our extensive collection of educational materials on pages such as: ‘Animals’, ‘Autumn’, ‘Beach School’, ‘Birds’, ‘Endangered Animals’, ‘Fish’, ‘Forest School’, ‘Gardening’, ‘Habitats’, ‘Invertebrates’, ‘Life Cycles’, ‘Mammals’, ‘Minibeasts’, ‘Ocean’, ‘Out and About’, ‘Plants’, ‘Polar’, ‘Recycling’, ‘Reptiles’, ‘Spring’, ‘The Environment’, ‘Under the Sea’, ‘Wetlands’, ‘Wildlife’, ‘Winter’, and ‘Woodland (Temperate)’.

These activities offer great inspiration for making '30 Days Wild’ a memorable and impactful experience in your early years and Key Stage One setting, fostering a deep connection with nature, curiosity about wildlife, environmental awareness, and a lifelong love for the wild places around us.

To explore ideas surrounding additional early years events, please visit our 'Special Dates Calendar' page.

Printable resources to support teaching & learning surrounding: ‘30 Days Wild’ & ‘The Big Wild Weekend’

Free Wildlife activities for EYFS & KS1:

Wildlife activities & ideas for EYFS & KS1:

Please visit the following pages to browse our entire collection of ‘Wildlife’ educational materials:

More Early Years Event Pages for June

Explore special dates (including awareness dates, festivals, celebrations & events) relevant to your EYFS & KS1 children

Browse our ‘Special Dates Calendar’ page using the link below. You’ll find calendars for every month of the year to aid your planning!

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Disclaimer:
This page is for educational purposes only and is intended to support early years and primary practitioners with ideas and resources related to '30 Days Wild’. We are not officially affiliated with or endorsed by The Wildlife Trusts, who organise this annual initiative. We do not claim any rights to specific trademarks or official materials associated with this event. For official information, daily challenges, and how to get involved, please visit The Wildlife Trusts website: www.wildlifetrusts.org/30DaysWild.