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Children's Activity Ideas for World Wildlife Day

Children's Activity Ideas for World Wildlife Day

World Wildlife Day arrives in early March each year — just around the corner at the time of writing. The annual event is hugely important and very worthwhile. It is also a great opportunity to inspire children to get more interested in the natural world. By doing so, they will benefit wild animals and plants — as well as themselves through fun, learning and discovery. What’s more, many of the nature-inspired activities that we’ll suggest today are totally free.

Spending time in and around nature is incredibly good for children and World Wildlife Day offers families many opportunities to get much closer to it. As well as being great fun, such activities can open children’s eyes to humanity’s impact on the planet and help them understand the importance of looking after nature’s incredible flora and fauna. Learning about the plight of some of the Earth’s wild animals and plants will also nurture a greater respect for the natural world. It will help to encourage greener values, greater empathy, and a sense of responsibility in even the youngest children. It is also likely to instil in them a love for the great outdoors and encourage outdoor play, which is also hugely beneficial to children. With all that in mind, let’s dive into what World Wildlife Day stands for and then explore some of the children’s activities inspired by the initiative. Families right across the UK can take part, explore and discover. In so doing, they will self-improve, become more responsible citizens, and evolve into more effective stewards of this irreplaceable planet.

About World Wildlife Day

World Wildlife Day (‘WWD’) always arrives on the 3rd of March. In 2025, that will fall on a Monday, then in 2026 it’s a Tuesday — and so on. WWD is an initiative born in late 2013 at the United Nations General Assembly and is closely related to CITES, which is all about the conservation of endangered species of wild flora and fauna. So — it’s incredibly worthwhile and families can each play their part in raising awareness.

“UN World Wildlife Day has now become the global annual event dedicated to wild animals and plants.”

Activity Ideas for Children & Families

Children and families can get involved in World Wildlife Day in a variety of ways. For example, they can simply get out for walks in local parks and countryside to see some of nature’s flora and fauna, embark on activities to attract wildlife to their own gardens or, if the weather is inclement, get creative at home with some wildlife art. The only limit for possible wildlife-related activities is the imagination! That said, we’ve got some suggestions below to inspire families and children to get started.

Create Some Wildlife Art!

Children love creating wildlife art.Children will love creating wildlife art. Whether it’s drawing animals and plants, making a collage, or constructing an animal out of cardboard or origami, wildlife art is a wonderful way to get children involved. What’s more, they will get a sense of satisfaction from the activity and it can help them appreciate wildlife more.

TIP: Use IFAW’s International Youth Art Contest art competition as possible inspiration. Although it’s now closed in 2025 for judging in readiness for the March event, you can view some previous entries to give your child inspiration (scroll to the bottom of that linked page to see the full gallery of examples).

Another great wildlife-related art activity is to challenge children to combine 2 or more creatures, thereby creating their own, new hybrid animal. Results can be inventive, endearing, or sometimes hilarious! [Examples].

Support a Wildlife-Related Charity

An incredibly worthwhile activity that children can get involved in is fundraising for a wildlife-related charity.Another incredibly worthwhile activity that children can get involved in is fundraising for a wildlife-related charity. This can be done, for example, through a sponsored activity of some kind. That could be a sponsored walk, hop, swim, or whatever children and families choose (under supervision, of course, for the youngest). A sponsored fundraising activity will not only raise funds for a wildlife charity of choice but also spread the word. Furthermore, children will get an enormous sense of achievement at the end when their actions raise vital funds for animals or conservation. Volunteering for local wildlife charities is also hugely worthwhile, of course, but it is more suited to when children are older.

“With over 1 million species estimated to be threatened with extinction, and facing the intensifying triple planetary crisis, innovative finance for wildlife conservation is more urgent than ever.”

Storytelling With a Wildlife Theme

Little girl telling her cuddly toy a story.Challenging children to create stories involving wildlife and nature is both creative and fun! Adults/parents can lead by example, to begin with, so that the youngest children can get the idea. Whether the story involves feeding hungry squirrels in the forest, swimming with dolphins, going on an adventure in the jungle, or something entirely different, it’s sure to pique children’s interest. It will stimulate children’s imaginations and natural spirit of adventure as well as helping to raise awareness of some of the issues facing wildlife.

Challenge the Family to Live More Sustainably

Children and families can challenge themselves to live more sustainably.World Wildlife Day brings into focus the enormous challenges that affect nature’s flora and fauna. Sadly, many of those challenges are caused by humans, whether it’s due to habitat loss, global warming, or something else. By raising awareness through World Wildlife Day activities, children and families can also challenge themselves to live more sustainably. This is a whole topic in itself! However, some easy measures can be things like:

  • cutting out food containing palm oil, which is responsible for the clearance of huge swathes of forests and jungles;
  • stopping the use of harmful chemicals in the home and garden (slug killers, pesticides and weedkillers, for example);
  • eating more vegetarian and vegan food options, which is better for the environment and, of course, animals;
  • recycling more waste;
  • using more sustainable, wildlife-friendly products in the home;
  • and reducing the use of plastics.

It’s a huge topic, so some research will be needed although our examples are a great starting point and are good things to bring to children’s attention.

Visit a Local Zoo or Wildlife Sanctuary

Children can get closer to wild flora and fauna if they live near a wildlife sanctuary, zoo, or National Park.Children can also get closer to wild flora and fauna if they live near a wildlife sanctuary (or zoo) or somewhere like a national park. Nothing can really replace seeing animals and plants in real life and so it’s worth researching to find somewhere to visit close by. In Lancashire, just five miles from Little Acorns Nursery, for example, is Turbary Woods Owl & Bird of Prey Sanctuary, which is well worth a visit. There, kids can see owls, falcons, hawks and more. Visiting will support this non-profit enterprise, educate little ones and give them a wonderful day out.

Plant & Food Growing

Children can learn how to grow their own food.Teaching children how to grow their own plants and, better still, food is a wonderfully educational and fulfilling activity. As well as learning to appreciate wild plants growing in parks and the countryside, learning how to grow their own, at home, is also great fun. Luckily, we have a whole blog post dedicated to Food Growing for Kids, so do take a look.

Take Children on a Nature Scavenger Hunt!

Nature scavenger hunts are fun and educational.A nature scavenger hunt is also great fun and is sure to get children interested in nature, wildlife, and the outdoors. The activity involves looking out for specific natural things, for example, a pine cone, a robin, a squirrel’s drey (i.e. nest), a winged seed, or animal tracks. It will also give children exercise and get them closer to nature in a fun, engaging activity. To make it easier, check out our free Nature Hunt activity reference sheets; our Winter Nature Hunt activity is here and, for later in the year, our Autumn Nature Hunt can be found here. We’ll be adding more to that series in due course.

Animal & Bird Spotting

Encouraging children to look for different types of animals, birds, and insects is a wonderful way to get them interested in nature.Encouraging (and supervising, where appropriate) an activity where children try to see different types of animals, birds, and insects is also a wonderful way to get them interested in nature. To make it easier, we have published some free, downloadable reference sheets, which also double as posters, for families to use during this activity. These include one for British birds, another for British land mammals, one for British butterflies, and one for minibeasts that children are likely to find in gardens and compost heaps.

Attracting Wildlife to Your Garden

Making simple bird feeders is one of several ways children can encourage wildlife to gardens.If children like the idea of attracting birds and other wildlife to their own garden, there are many easy ways to make this possible. As well as putting out suitable food to attract birds, children can help make a quiet, wild area with a compost heap to attract minibeasts. There are so many ways to attract wildlife so, to get you started, check out our wildlife-friendly flower-growing activity here, our make-your-own bird feeders activity and then be sure to read our guide to bird feeding for under-fives. And don’t forget — ditch the harmful chemicals like weedkillers, pesticides, slug and snail killers. After all, if a bird or animal eats something affected, it will also then be in danger from such poisons — and beautiful pollinators like bees and butterflies are being decimated by pesticides. Our children are tomorrow’s stewards of the planet, so it’s important to educate them to form good habits and show empathy towards wildlife.

These are Learning Opportunities

As a parent, you’ll notice that these activities are learning opportunities for children and also include many teachable moments. Through such activities, children will begin to understand the impact that they have on other living things around them and the environment as a whole. They can then adopt greener values, improve feelings of empathy, and understand how to be more responsible citizens. In short, they can self-improve while making the world a better place. Such is the power of the opportunity that World Wildlife Day offers to families who celebrate it. Enjoy!

A Childcare Place at Little Acorns Nursery, Clayton-le-Woods

Weekday Childcare for Babies, Toddlers & Preschoolers Near Chorley

Little Acorns Nursery, Clayton-le-Woods, Chorley

Little Acorns Nursery is rated as a 'Good Provider' by Ofsted.The staff at Little Acorns Nursery in Clayton-le-Woods hope that families enjoy today’s post and the activities suggested therein. We know how important nature is to children and, indeed, have our own gardens where children can connect with nature and enjoy the freedom of outdoor activities.

If you’d like to consider a possible nursery place for your baby or child at Little Acorns, please get in touch using one of the options below. We support many of the government’s childcare funding schemes including free childcare for eligible babies from 9 months of age. As well as being a nursery and preschool for families in Clayton-le-Woods and Chorley, we may also suit those nearby in Clayton Brook, Clayton Green, Thorpe Green, Pippin Street, Buckshaw Village, Whittle-le-Woods, Farington, Bamber Bridge, Lostock Hall, Euxton, Leyland and Penwortham.

Get in touch today:

Bird Feeder Ideas for Kids

Bird Feeder Ideas for Kids

In last month’s article about bird feeding for under-fives, we promised to follow up with a post showing ideas for bird feeders that children can make at home. So, that’s what we’ll look at today.

Making home-made bird feeders is a fun activity for children; it's creative, educational, teaches children new skills and gets children more in tune with nature.Making bird feeders

Making bird feeders is a fun activity for children, it’s creative, educational, teaches children new skills and gets children more in tune with nature. What’s more, making home-made bird feeders is pretty easy. It’s an inexpensive activity. It’s also great for the local birds, who get to eat much-needed extra food and that’s especially important during Winter. That’s a time when most other natural food sources for wild birds are in very short supply and the birds are burning calories just to stay warm. All in all, making home-made bird feeders and feeding birds during the colder months is an excellent activity for young children — and indeed for everyone!

So, take a look at a few easy-to-accomplish home-made bird feeder ideas below. However, young children should be supervised by a responsible adult at all times during both the making and locating of the bird feeders — health and safety comes first! There are also some guidelines included for the safety and wellbeing of the birds.

A simple apple bird feeder - popular among black birds in particular.

Apple Bird Feeder – Simple!

We’ll start with one of the most simple bird feeders: with adult supervision, children can be shown how quick and easy it can be to attract birds to the garden just by threading a nice apple onto a strong twig on a tree or onto the tip of a bamboo stake, or alternatively dangling it from a branch using a loop of string. Perhaps start the apple off by removing some of the skin in one or two sections, so birds can see the ‘flesh’. Before long, species like blackbirds, in particular, are likely to show an interest and be amongst the first to start nibbling them.

Children need to be patient; birds and wild animals instinctively wait a while before trusting new things that have appeared in the garden or anywhere outside. Patience is a great skill for them to develop, though, so this is another great lesson for them.

Important: only put out as much food as is likely to be eaten over just a day or two, otherwise it can go mouldy and that’s terribly dangerous for birds (it can even kill them).

Bread is a popular choice for garden birds, but it's not really that good for them.

Or Use Bread – But With a Warning

Children can alternatively use a chunk of bread (ideally wholemeal, seeded and non-stale) but first read our warning below if going this route:

Warning: although bread is a popular choice for feeding birds, it’s actually not that great for them, particularly if it’s white bread and lacking in any visible seeds. It’s also dangerous for birds if it goes mouldy, which is why we say above that only small amounts that will be eaten within a day should ever be put out for the wild birds. So, in truth, any of the other food types mentioned in this article are far better for birds than bread.Bird eating a seed-covered pine cone.

Although bread is a popular choice for feeding birds, it’s actually not great for them.

Home-made bird feeder made of a pine cone covered in seeds.Seeded pine cone bird feeders

These are fun and simple for children to make. The pine cones can be foraged from local woods and the best ones will be ‘open’ rather than ‘closed’, so that there’s somewhere that bird food can be pressed into. Children can simply spread peanut butter2, suet or lard1 all over the pine cone, pressing it in between the many seed scales that protrude from the open cone. Once covered, the entire thing can be rolled in bird seed and this will stick. The seed-covered pine cone can then be hung outside for the birds using some string, somewhere suitable (we wrote about the best location for bird feeders here).

1. A Word About Lard & Suet

Only use proper beef suet or pure lard that’s hard at room temperature even when it’s quite warm. Proper suet (from cows) is good for them as they need saturated fats and it does lend itself to the making of seed cones, seed balls and even simple seed cakes in plastic flower pots or cleaned yoghurt pots.  However, if you use a type that’s going to melt in the sunshine, then it could actually do terrible harm to birds. So, ensure you are always only using proper beef suet or pure lard that’s hard and does not leave an imprint if squeezed – suet, for example, should be hard and should crumble when handled. Avoid softer fats and so-called suets that may be ‘faked’ through the use of additives to make them appear harder.

This home-made bird feeder features a plastic spoon to dispense the seed and give birds somewhere to land.Water bottle bird feeders.

These are quick and easy to make, great for birds, and also teach children how easy it can be to recycle or repurpose something that would normally be discarded. As you can see from the photographs, empty plastic bottles can be made into excellent bird feeders in a variety of ways. All that’s needed is string at the top to hang them and a suitable hole, which can be cut using scissors or a knife (it’s safest for a responsible adult to do the cutting). This recycled drinks bottle makes an excellent bird feeder (for seed or water).Then, they can be partly filled with bird seed, or perhaps grated Cheddar cheese. Alternatively you can see that some of the designs could be used for drinking water, for example the one shown immediately on the left or at the very top of this article. Another variation even has a plastic spoon pushed into it, forming a convenient perch for the birds to land on and to feed from (see right).

Drinks cartons make wonderful bird feeders that children can decorate.Carton bird feeders

These are similar in approach to bottle feeders, but are made from adapted milk or fruit juice cartons (washed before repurposing, of course). Once again, a responsible adult can help children with the cutting part, for safety. Carton bird feeders can be more creative than water bottle feeders because they’re a little easier to cut and also they can be decorated more easily, for example with paint as shown in our example (right).

Strings of unroasted monkey nuts are popular with larger birds, some tits, and squirrels.Monkey Nut Bird Feeders

These are another very simple type of home-made bird feeder that children can make.  As you can see from the photograph, all that needs to be done is for the monkey nuts to be threaded together to form a ‘string’ that can be hung in a tree or from one bush to another. Larger birds and some tits (plus a few squirrels) will find it easy to bite through the outer husk to get to the peanuts inside. Use unroasted monkey nuts, though, for reasons we’ll explain in the next section.

2. A Word About Peanuts, Monkey Nuts & Peanut Butter

When it comes to any type of peanut-based bird food, you have to be careful and follow a few simple rules.

  • The choice of bird seed can make a huge difference to how popular your feeder is with birds.If using peanut butter in your home-made bird feeders, ensure it is fresh, has no salt or sugar added and is not ‘flavoured’. Smooth or crunchy peanut butter is great for bird-feeders, though, and you can even stick extra bird seed to it once it’s been spread on your feeder e.g. pine cone or apple. There are also some peanut butter brands made specifically for wild birds, by the way.
  • When it comes to peanuts and monkey nuts (peanuts still in their cases), ensure they’re unroasted and break a few open to check they’re fresh and that there is no mould/fungus between outer skin and the actual peanut. Aflatoxin is something that can greatly harm birds and this can be found in any fungus present. Never use them if you find any affected by this fungus; it harms humans too, as it’s a carcinogen.
  • Remember too, to only put out as many peanuts as will be eaten in a day or two maximum, so as to avoid mould build-up, and keep your store of nuts clean, hygienic and dry. Finches, nuthatches, woodpeckers and several varieties of tits will be likely to visit — peanuts are very popular!
  • During breeding season (spring/summer) it’s best not to put out whole nuts for the birds. Parent birds may try to feed them whole to their offspring and chicks are likely to choke on them. So, avoid whole peanuts in warmer months or simply crush them into much smaller pieces to be safe.

Read more about the types of bird food that we’ve found to be really popular with our own local birds here — choosing the right food can make a massive difference to the success of your bird feeders. Read more about the best places to site your home-made bird feeders here. And don’t forget about hygiene, which is important for both humans and the birds.

Nature is one of life's magical pleasures and teaches children so much.Why Nature is So Important for Children

Nature is one of life’s magical pleasures and teaching children to feed birds is a great way to introduce them to the natural world and some of the lovely creatures in it. Nature has so many benefits for children. It teaches them about empathy, about being responsible, demonstrates that it’s important to think about others, and so much more. Learn more about the benefits of nature to children here.

We hope you and your family give some of the ideas on this page a try. Making bird feeders will teach children new skills and introduce them to new facts about the world too. Hopefully, you’ll all soon get to know some of the regular birds that visit your neighbourhood and your child will begin to recognise and name individual species. And, as we said in our last post, teaching children about nature from a young age has been shown to make them more inclined to live greener lifestyles as adults.

Nature at Our Clayton-le-Woods Nursery & Forest School

Little Acorns Nursery, Clayton-le-Woods, ChorleyLittle Acorns is an outstanding Nursery in Clayton-le-Woods, Chorley. As well as being a nursery and pre-school, it’s also a Forest School for under-fives, where children can learn about nature, the natural world, and about themselves. Our Ultimate Guide to Forest School explains more, so take a look if you’d like your child to benefit from everything a Forest School has to offer. Please contact us if you have any questions, if you’d like to visit the setting or if you’d simply like to reserve a place for your child. We’re based in Clayton-le-Woods so are also very near to Clayton Green, Clayton Brook and Chorley in Central Lancashire.

Arrange a Nursery Visit Send Us a Message Call: 01772 696 288