Our first tip is to try and add some variety to your walking route so you are not doing the same old circuit again and again. If possible try and change your route as much as you can to try and see new things. Play some of the games below whilst walking along or have an I spy list so you have something to look out for. That always seems to make sure little legs don’t get as tired.
This idea is pretty similar to how you might pass time on a long car journey. Try and think of different games you can play together whilst walking along. Here are a few suggestions:
Make up your own simple ‘I spy’ lists to take out on your walk and tick off. You can do a new list each time you go out. You can include anything from road signs to nature! We’ve listed some ideas below:
If you have a magnifying glass, why keep your eyes on the ground and go looking for some bugs in your street. Just remember not to touch or pick anything up. Just look at the insects if you are out in public. If you want to do some real bug hunting, and if you have a garden, then that is the safest place for a full bug hunt.
Letting your child take some photos can add some variety to your daily walk and they will probably love being in charge of the camera. Try writing a list before you go out of things to photograph. It’s also a good way to ‘collect’ the items on your ‘I spy’ lists.
You could set a theme for the photos you take on your walk and print them off when you get home to turn into a collage.
Of course, you also get to enjoy ‘editing’ 3 million photos from your camera/phone when you get home. 😂
Ok, so it’s not going to be as fun as a trip to the park, but why not try balancing on any lines you see, not standing on the cracks or jumping over any covers in the pavements. Please engage in this activity responsibly, and remember to keep at least 2 metres apart from others not in your family at all times.
As a lot of us are simply walking around our local neighbourhoods at the moment there are probably plenty of road and street signs to see. Ask your child to read the signs or ask them what they think they mean.
You could design your own trail for your children around your local streets. Decide on a simple circular route and write down basic directions and clues for them to solve. The clues can be based on street signs, road signs or shop names, even manhole covers – there are plenty of words out there when you start looking. The answer to the clue should reveal one letter and then all the answers (letters) make up an anagram your child needs to work out at the end.
Why not try to beat your previous day’s step count…another lap around the block anyone? 😂
Or you could do the same walk a few times and see if you can beat your time! Might get everyone moving along to try and shave a few seconds off your personal best!
Give your child a map (either print off a map of your local area or use your phone). You can teach your child how to read the map, identify north and south, and try to navigate. Maybe you can encourage your child to plan a route or draw a map of your route before you head out.
You could also use a mapping app on your phone and show your child how to use it.
With special thanks to our lovely sister site, York Mumbler for this super blog.
Sometimes it’s the simplest of things that can result in the most fun. This short video from the super 5 Minute Crafts shows lots of fun and education games you can play, using only a pen, paper and dice.
Are you interested in providing your children with opportunities to make art with things you already have in the house? VISIT WEBSITE
Hello, Wonderful, have some fantastic resources and this one is no exception. Grab a balloon and string and attach it to something, then as it swings, the children can hit it to each other like ping pong, or if playing alone, they can practise their swing as it comes back to them. Concerned they may end up pulling a light fitting down, we’ve done this by attaching it to the washing line.
If you need some inspiration and ideas of things to do in your garden or in a safe open space with the kids whilst you’re at home, then we’ve come up with a great list below!
🍃Go on a bug and mini beast hunt
🍃Go cloud spotting. Make some pictures afterwards based on what you’ve seen
🍃Build a bug house
🍃 Make bird feeders
🎨 Find some pebbles and stones and decorate or paint them
🎨 Get some wax crayons and do some bark or leaf rubbing
🎨 Have fun with bubbles
🎨 Make a telephone paper cups – all you need is some string, two cups and a pencil
🌳Make a trail for your family to follow
🌳Build an obstacle course
🌳Create an alphabet scavenger hunt
🌳 Fly a kite. You could even make one if you don’t have one!
🌳Walk like animals – hop, jump, crawl, slither, pause sloth-like or pounce!
🌳Build a den. Use some old sheets, spend as long in outside as you can. Take some books, picnic or toys into your den.
🌳Play ball, catch, football or tig
🌳If you’ve got a dog, get them involved and teach it some new tricks
🍎If you fancy a snack why not try apple bobbing or donuts on a string!
🌌 Attract moths to a torch
🌌 Do some star gazing and learn about constellations
🌌Draw your own constellation pictures
🌌 Going on an evening walk with head torches – there’s a good owl population this year
🗺Draw a map of your local area or garden
🗺Use a camera or phone to write and photograph a picture story of your outside discoveries
🌱Plant some cress heads – the recent McDonald’s Mr Men cups are perfect
🌱 Press flowers or blossom
🌱 Plant up some hanging baskets, or pots – create a colourful garden
☔️ Dance in the rain
☔️ Puddle jump
☔️ Get rain suits and wellies on and go out to get wet and muddy
🌲 If you live nearby to a stream then try to build a twig raft with twigs and string
🌲 Play Pooh sticks
🌲 Identify trees
🌲 Find some blossom and learn about Japanese celebrations
Thank you to fellow North Leeds Mumbler Claire Horn for the above ideas, check out Claire’s page What wood Claire Do? , she makes some lovely bespoke woodwork products.
Enjoy lots of bedtime stories, all read by your favourite celebrities.
Here’s some we think your Mini Mumblers will really enjoy and where they may be able to spot some of their favourite celebrity faces….
Doctor Who’s Jodie Whittaker tells a tale about Inspector Hector.
It’s Mr Tumble with Susan Laughs
Orgami can be a great activity to focus children and give them something fun and creative to do. This super resource from Easy, Peasy & Fun gives them lots of options to choose from.
Enjoy wonderful footage from the Cirque Du Soleil shows
This site is packed full of fun and educational topics, covering so many themes and answering endless questions we might have on a daily basis.
“At SciShow, we’re endlessly curious about what makes the universe tick. If you’re passionate about quenching your curiosity about… everything, you’re in the right place. Join us ever day to learn about the world around us and beyond.” Scishow
30 Quests for students around the world to celebrate, explore and connect with nature.
Earth School brought to you by TEDEd are embarking on a month of daily adventures – or Quests – that will help you understand and celebrate our natural world, while learning about how dependent we are on our planet.
The brilliant follow-up to David Walliams’ bestseller The World’s Worst Children! Ten more stories about a brand new gang of hilariously horrible kids from everyone’s favourite children’s author.
If you thought you had read about the World’s Worst Children already, you’re in for a rather nasty shock. The beastly boys and gruesome girls in this book are even ruder, even more disgusting and WORSE than you could ever imagine!
This glorious collection of ten stories from the master himself, David Walliams, will make you snort with laughter and thank your lucky stars that you don’t know anyone like Gruesome Griselda or Fussy Frankie in real life. It also features a special appearance from fan-favourite Raj! The World’s Worst Children 2 is a side-splitting companion to David’s blockbuster hit, The World’s Worst Children, perfect for fans aged 9 and up.
Discover the best stories from England’s past.
Here you can watch episodes and clips, play games, and even sing along to your favourite Horrible Histories songs!
We decided to give it a go and used this simple recipe.
If your Mini Mumblers love dancing as much as ours do, then they will love taking part in the Strictly #keepdancingchallenge
All your favourite Strictly stars, create wonderful, easy to follow routines that all the family can enjoy. Why not make the grown ups learn them and have a dance off?
Follow the link and keeeeeep dancing https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p089h234
Keeping up with our little bundles of energy can be a struggle so we thought it’d be helpful to put together a list of fun things you can do at home to keep toddlers busy. Here are a few things we looked for:
Do you have a budding magician? Do they love Dynamo? Why not use this time during lockdown to let them learn some tricks and watch his shows?
Watch more episodes here
Free fairytales, bedtime stories and poems for kinds. This great website has hundreds of books to choose from and you can search by type, length, or what type of underlying message is contained within each book, such as community, empathy, nature.
Storyline Online receives over 100 million views annually from children all over the world.
Reading aloud to children has been shown to improve reading, writing and communication skills, logical thinking and concentration, and general academic aptitude, as well as inspire a lifelong love of reading. Teachers use Storyline Online in their classrooms, and doctors and nurses play Storyline Online in children’s hospitals.
Do your Mini Mumblers love butterflies and nature? Why not check out this super website, all designed to support and protect butterflies.
They have –
Guest Blog from Sally – Harrogate Mumbler.There’s nothing harder than looking after kids when you’re tired or poorly. Much as we love them, they’re not the most sympathetic of creatures and will still want to bounce off the walls – and expect you to join in too!
The Duracell Bunny’s got nothing on my kids, but I’ve learned a few tricks along the way to buy peace and quiet when I’m desperate. Here are our favourite things to do with little ones when you’re shattered, poorly, or just need a bit of time to yourself.
Build a cushion fort: Pull the cushions off the sofa and let the kids get busy! They will enjoy bouncing around on it all and it only takes a few minutes to put away later.
Have a dance party: Sit back, play some music on your phone and let them bust the moves. You could also blow bubbles, or break out some glow sticks.
Soft furnishings obstacle course: This is great if they’ve got energy to burn! Tell them to make tunnels with cushions and other obstacles to climb and crawl across. They could pretend the floor is crocodile infested water and leap from cushion to cushion to escape!
Start a cupboard of cheap toys: My mother-in-law is a master of stashing away cheap toys and crafts for emergencies or rainy days. She often has a few of each, so no squabbling about who gets what. It works a treat and I have started my own with sticker books, fancy pens and colouring stuff, playdoh and joke toys. A Whoopie Cushion was a big hit recently!
Set a design challenge: Can they build a boat using only paper? Or an airplane from matchsticks? A tower from straws? Add glue, sticky tape and scissors, then sit back and enjoy the creativity.
Let them put on a show: An old cardboard box makes a great theatre, but kids are inventive and will figure something out. They could enjoy acting, use puppets (or make their own!), or their hands to make shadow animals.
Have a bath with regular toys: Baths are always a brilliant distraction for my kids, especially if they choose toys that aren’t usually allowed in there. Obviously, don’t use anything electrical, and only things that are okay to get wet.
Do Yoga: Cosmic Kids is a great yoga channel on You Tube, with lots of themed yoga sessions especially for kids. Some of our favourites are Frozen, Moana and Harry Potter. Even the three-year-old gets stuck in!
Play with a flashlight: Close the curtains, turn out the lights and hand out torches. They can make patterns on the wall, shadow animals with their hands, or go on an indoor scavenger hunt.
Build a tent under the table: An old blanket draped over the dining table makes a cool tent for the kids to hang out in. They can take in cushions and pillows to make it extra comfy, as well as a torch, snacks and water bottles, toys, colouring and anything else to keep them busy, all while you relax.
Did you know that many large attractions from around the world offer virtual tours so you can visit them from the comfort of your sofa?! How cool is that?!
Given that many families have taken the decision to spend more time at home at the moment, we’ve pulled together some of these virtual tours so you and the kids can have a day out whilst staying in!! It’s also great for learning at home in a different, fun way. Enjoy!
⭐️Museums
Hundreds of museums around the world throw open their (virtual) doors to visitors. Google Arts and Culture has teamed up with over 5oo – take a look at the whole collection here .
We’ve selected five of the most well known to link to below:-
Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam
This museum contains the largest collection of Van Gogh’s paintings and drawings in the world and, by taking the virtual tour, you can see some of those for yourself! Cameras allow you access to every floor of the museum so you can browse and view at your leisure. Just click here to get started.
British Museum, London
This Museum, dedicated to human history art and culture, is a hugely popular attraction in London. By following the link below, you can select either a time period or genre (art, religion, trade etc) and you’ll be shown some relevant artefacts housed in the Museum and can listen to an duos description of them. A great, interactive way for the kids to get immersed in history.
Click here.to take a look.
Guggenheim Museum, New York
An iconic art museum based in the heart of New York. Take the kids on a trip to the Big Apple without leaving Cheshire courtesy of Google – click here to enjoy a virtual tour of this amazing institution without stepping foot on a flight!!
The Louvre, Paris
The Louvre is the world’s largest art museum and enjoys legendary status worldwide. It hosts virtual tours on its own website – just click here to take a peek.
Boston Children’s Museum
One for the younger kids – great for those as young as 3, this museum is dedicated to the education of children. Take a walk around thanks to Google – click here.
World Museum, Liverpool
The Dinosaurs and Natural World gallery explores the story of life on Earth through our collection of full-size dinosaurs skeletons, time tunnel and Climate Change displays – and now, you can explore all that online!! Click here to get going.
⭐️Animals
There are loads of online resources and virtual tours, videos etc aimed at getting kids up close to different animals. Here are a couple of the Mini Mumblers’ favourites –
San Diago Zoo has a website dedicated to kids where they can learn all about their favourite animals. as well as watching Live Cams and videos of them. There’s also games and acitivities (including crafts) to keep them entertained including making animal Glove Puppets and Pet Piñatas. Go to the website here.
Monterey Bay Aquarium offers a fantastic insight into the antics of the sea life they house through their ten webcams. Check out what the sea otters are getting up to, marvel at the jelly fish and even catch a glimpse of a shark – click here to get started.
⭐️ Virtual Train Rides
Train fans can take a ride through some of the most iconic train routes in the world, all from the comfort of their living room! Here are ten of our favourites.
The Flåm Railway has been described as one of the most beautiful train journeys in the world and is one of the leading tourist attractions in Norway. Click here to see for yourself.
The Geibi Line, Japan runs through the mountainous area of the Chūgoku region in Japan. Click here to get onboard.
Royal Gorge Route, Colorado will take you on an incredible trip through the Colorado Rockies! You’ll see the Arkansas River and the Royal Gorge Canyon on your journey. Get started here.
Jacobite Steam Train (aka the Hogwarts Express!!), Scotland has an amazing route. Often described as the greatest railway journey in the world, it goes on an 84 mile round trip starting near the highest mountain in Britain, Ben Nevis. It goes past Britain’s most westerly mainland railway station, Arisaig, takes in Loch Morar and River Morar, before arriving next to the deepest seawater loch in Europe, Loch Nevis. Click here to take your trip.
Ferrocarril Central Andino, Peru offers a 4 part virtual journey along one of the world’s most scenic rail routes. Get started with Part 1 here.
Odontotos Diakofto – Kalavryta, Greece – Odontotos is not just a train – it’s a unique attraction. Running though towns and villages it will give you a real taste of Greek life. Click here to take a look.
Wengernalp Railway, Switzerland – I’m not a massive train fan but this one is lovely. Beautiful scenery shot on a gorgeous day. Click here to take a look.
Yurikamome Line, Japan Whilst part of me is relishing the quiet life at the moment, I’m also missing the bright lights and bustling city. If you’re the same, you can take a (virtual) ride on the New Transit Yurikamome a driverless service linking Shimbashi to Toyosu, travelling through the entertainment and shopping district of Odaiba and going across the Rainbow Bridge in Tokyo. Click here.
England to Wales on the North Wales Main Line I thought it would be nice to include one a bit closer to home and this one runs from Crewe to Holyhead. This video was shot on a lovely summers day and takes you through some lovely countryside.
The Durango & Silverton narrow gauge railway has been in continuous operation between Durango and Silverton since 1882 and provides views of Colorado’s mountains inaccessible by highway as well as rushing rivers and even the Wild West! In three parts, you can get going with part one here.
⭐️Best of the Rest
Visit Mars!
Take a look at the real surface of Mars, recorded byNASA’s Curiosity rover. It’s currently being updated but you can still take a peek in 360 mode. Get started here.
Great Wall of China
Visit China’s most famous attraction, considered a wonder of the world, without leaving home! The wall has a 2,000 year history and is over 3,000 miles long – a real spectacle to behold. Click here to take the virtual tour.
Stonehenge
Virtual tour offering 360 degree views – click here.
Buckingham Palace
Virtual tour of iconic rooms – click here.
The Lake District
Webcams overlooking some of the prettiest parts of the Lakes. Take a look here.
The Roman Baths
Take a virtual walkthrough of the iconic Roman Baths here.
Giant’s Causeway
Go on a panoramic virtual tour at sunset here.
National Gallery
Take a virtual tour of the home of European art – click here.
⭐️Just For Fun
Virtual Disney World
Theres a whole You Tube channel dedicated to Disney World and its brilliant!. Simply pan the camera anyway you wish by moving your smart phone or iPad to what you want to see without a VR headset. If viewing on a laptop or desktop, you can look around by simply clicking and dragging within the video.
We’ve been to Orlando, Paris and California this morning! Here’s some of the attractions available from the channel’s virtual theme parks.
National Theatre
Join the NT every Thursday for much-loved National Theatre Live productions, free to stream on YouTube for seven days.
Yorkshire Virtual Attractions
Welcome to Yorkshire have a whole section on their website dedicated to Virtual tours of some of Yorkshire’s favourite attractions.
London
You can take a virtual tour of London streets here. With the added bonus of no crowds!
⭐️Further Resources
Google Earth has released virtual tours of 31 of America’s most amazing National Parks. Go for a tour of Yosemite, Yellowstone, Death Valley and the Grand Canyon to name just a few. Click here to take a look.
Google Arts and Culture allows you explore iconic destinations in 3D – take a look here.
Discovery Education provides a range of virtual Field Trips – it’s an American resource so is US based but includes a polar bear experience and a look into the life cycle of new medication.
Check it out here.
Don’t forget to like and follow STAG Mumbler Chat Group for lots of local info.
With special thanks to our wonderful sister site, East Cheshire Mumbler for this super blog 💜
Our Mini Mumblers love this one! Simply fill up some water bomb balloons, hang them on a washing line or on a tree branch, grab something safe to bash them all with, and watch the kids have great fun getting soaked as them smash through them all.
Why not learn Sing a Rainbow, it’s a great one to start with.
