Discover nature with your kids

Children possess a quality which most adults have lost: they live in the moment. When outdoors, they take the time to notice and investigate even the smallest things: every snail, every stone, every flower can enchant them. Topsy’s nature ideas stimulate children’s interest in Switzerland’s natural environment by inspiring them to head outdoors and explore. The creative craft projects also train and develop the motor skills of even the youngest children.

What can you do to encourage your kids to explore nature creatively?

Encourage your children regularly throughout the year to join you in exploring the world of nature on your doorstep. Whether in a garden, forest or meadow: if you open your eyes to nature’s wonders together, you will create shared memories.
Give your children time to discover: it takes patience to observe many things in nature, such as birds in the wild or how a plant changes throughout the year.
Encourage your children to embrace their natural environment with all their senses. Feeling, tasting, hearing, seeing and smelling – let your children experience all of nature’s raw materials with all their senses, even soil!
When your children are exploring, only intervene if they can’t make progress or if there is a step that they can’t yet take by themselves, e.g., using hot glue.
Talk with your children about how they experience nature. Asking them questions such as “Can you remember something that you saw outside today?,” “What else did you notice?” or “What did you particularly like during our walk in the forest today?” gives children space to talk about their experiences and a chance to reflect on them. By telling a story, children form more vivid and lasting memories of specific details and observations.
Being creative sometimes means not adhering strictly to a set of instructions. If you see that your children prefer to explore nature in their own way, let them roam. Every child wants to experience and shape their world according to their own rules.
Teach your children to appreciate nature and set an example for them. Allow yourself to rediscover fascinating aspects of the Swiss natural landscape with Topsy’s nature experiences.