[Ad- gifted product] Whenever the weather takes a turn for the better, we find ourselves going to our local nature reserve. Parndon Wood Nature Reserve not only has a bunch of seasonal activities, like Forest Bingo, Photography Contests, and Nature Trails filled with stuffed animals to spot, but they always have a few areas that are well set up for people to explore. If you want more of a quiet walk, you can go to one of the many bird-viewing platforms to see some birds dotted about. If you are full of energy (or have children that are full of energy) you might want to check out the den building area.
As Amelia’s school project has her walking each day, paired with how good this nature reserve is for playing Pokemon Go, she suggested we head there for her daily walk, especially as the sun was out for the first time in a long time. Robin was super pumped to see that the Den Building area had been set up today, with loads of large sticks placed all around, ready for us to complete the den. Oftentimes the workers at the Nature Reserve will pick out a bunch of huge sticks and get them ready, but we’ve not caught the area right after setup before.
Kai is in his teenage age, and mostly is stuck to his phone. He did end up helping build up the den for a few moments, before sitting inside one, and then pacing around watching TikTok – but what can you do with teens. Amelia was very excited to capture Pokemon and stack up sticks. She also started sweeping the forest floor, moving around the crunchy leaves, as apart of creating her den area. Robin was all over the place, as many of the sticks were much larger than what she could lift, so instead she started directing. Once the little dens were built out, it became a photo shoot for Robin!
Robin loves taking pictures and climbing, two things that rarely go hand in hand. Robin and I had on our new rain coats from Lighthouse, which Robin has fallen in love with. As she is named after birds, anything covered in colorful birds is her vibe. She also likes the Velcro pockets, that look like they are buttons, as that’s much easier for her to use. My rain jacket is quite plain in comparison, however the internal fabric is a colorful striped look, which peaks out at the sleeves and at the hood. Robin had fun taking some pictures of me climbing and I took some of her!
Getting out and about is such an important thing, especially when the weather permits, which is often rare in the wintertime in England. If you’ve not explored your local nature reserve, you should really take a look and see what activities they have on offer.
You can check out our other Days Out to see what else we’ve been up too!
oh so much fun I used to love the woods at my grandparent’s farm, always a chance to play. I agree with getting out in the open as much as possible, especially during the winter months.
That is such a pretty place! I love taking my family to spots like this.
We’ve always loved getting out in nature like that. When my son lived at home, we visited all the local nature areas. That’s a great spot.
I can’t think of a better place for a walk! The trees are very pretty.
That is so cool! I would love to do something like that with my son…This is so much fun, so much!!!
Reminds me of Europe. There’s so much more nature over there than here (CA). I miss that. Wish we had more places like this over here. Great fun for the whole family.
Last year, we explored the Parndon Wood. You could see birds, pond life, and seasonal activities. We were especially excited to find the den building area and won 1st place as the biggest den. We had fun working together, using our imagination and creativity on creating the biggest shelter, and we feel closer to nature.
This looks like such a cool walk. Seems like your kids definitely had a lot of fun.
Getting Stranger Things vibes from this haha looks like a really cool spot and a fun idea for the whole family.
I bet it was such a great time! Definitely something fun to do!
Parndon Wood Nature Reserve looks & sounds like a wonderful place to explore! I like that they have activities to participate in, in conjunction with their nature trails.
It’s heartwarming to see your children enjoying nature and getting creative with building dens. Plus, your photos capture the joy of being outdoors perfectly! Can’t wait to have our own adventure at the nature reserve soon!
It looks like a nice place to explore with family. Looks like you guys had a good time there