Kate Williams

A stroll in a green space in the springtime is an ideal opportunity for creative fun – and there’s no upper age limit for these suggestions!

Make music… okay, a hideous racket… by blowing grasses. They’re growing tall and strong now – perfect for makeshift recorders – so just make a slight slit in one, hold it to lips in cupped hands and delicately blow. How many in your party? Hmmm, maybe wait till those passing walkers have got a few yards further…

Make flower jewellery: no, not with precious, primroses, cowslips, wild irises or other rare country flowers, but with daisies, dandelions, bluebells if you’re in a sea of them, or anything from your own garden you’re happy to spare a few of, bearing in mind their stems will need to be thick and strong enough for slitting and threading. Make crowns, tiaras, necklaces, belts, whatever takes your fancy, or just stick them in your hair. You might get a few funny looks in the corner shop on the way home, but who cares?

Collect petals: while refraining from picking the beautiful new blossoms and blooms, you can collect their fallen petals or catch them on the breeze. Collect a bagful to make into table decorations or, if scented, potpourri, or arrange them in patterns and photograph them. But be quick about it: petal magic only lasts a flash.

Dandelion clocks: who could ever grow out of dandelion-clock-blowing? In a life of agendas and time-slots, it’s always fun to escape with fantasy times reached by the daft activity of blowing the spores off a fluffy dandelion… Oh, my God, it’s 42 o’clock! I’ve got a meeting in minus 39 hours! With kids, dandelion clocks are a must, of course!

Hide in the long grass: soon the meadow grass will be tall enough to lie down and hide in. Don’t panic – you haven’t really lost your children: they’re in there somewhere! When they finally reappear, get your own back with the same trick.

As the summer comes on, there’ll be other sport to be had. Just look around and think outside the box for natural, creative opportunities!

Comments? Suggestions? Photos? I’d love to see/hear them.
You can get in touch here or via Twitter @Katypoet .

Copyright of text and pictures: Kate Williams