Make a Squirrel Spotter Station Outdoors

Can you build the perfect place to spot a squirrel?

This simple Let’s Make It Outdoors challenge encourages Early Years children to use large loose parts to design and build their very own squirrel spotter station.

Children can use:

• planks of wood
• crates
• logs
• blocks
• cardboard
• fabric
• tubes
• ropes
• buckets
• other open-ended loose parts

Then comes the important part:

What does a squirrel spotter station actually need?

Should it be tall?

Should it have somewhere to hide?

Does it need binoculars?

Could it have a roof?

Where should it face?

How will the squirrel spotters get inside?

There is no model to copy and no single correct answer.

Children have to imagine, design, construct, test and adapt their own ideas.

Discover more: The Complete Guide to Early Years Outdoors

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What Is a Squirrel Spotter Station?

A squirrel spotter station is an imaginary observation point created by children using loose parts.

Think of it as a child-built wildlife hide.

Children might construct:

• a lookout
• a hide
• a viewing platform
• a squirrel research centre
• an explorer base
• a woodland observation station

The finished structure is far less important than the thinking that happens while children create it.

One group may build a tiny hide.

Another might create an enormous observation tower.

Another may simply arrange two crates and a plank and announce:

“This is where we watch the squirrels.”

All are valid.

Explore the Outdoor Communication and Language Hub for more ideas and tips in this area.

Why Squirrels?

Autumn is a wonderful time to encourage children to notice squirrels and other wildlife.

Young children may see squirrels:

• running across grass
• climbing trees
• jumping between branches
• searching for food
• carrying nuts
• burying food

These observations naturally generate questions.

Where is the squirrel going?

Why is it collecting food?

Where does it live?

Can it see us?

How does it climb so quickly?

The squirrel becomes the starting point for investigation rather than simply the theme for an adult-made craft.

Start With a Real Experience

Before building, go outside and look.

Can you spot a squirrel?

If squirrels are not visible in your outdoor area, children can still investigate signs of wildlife and talk about places where squirrels might live.

Look at:

• trees
• branches
• leaves
• nuts and seeds
• possible hiding places

Talk about what children already know.

Then introduce the challenge:

“If we wanted to watch squirrels without disturbing them, what could we build?”

Now there is a real purpose for the construction.

Use Large Loose Parts

The Muddy Puddle Teacher approach encourages settings to keep a simple, consistent outdoor environment where resources such as large loose parts remain available throughout the year. The learning changes through what children do with the space, rather than practitioners constantly rebuilding the provision.

This activity works perfectly with that approach.

You do not need a special squirrel resource pack.

Use what is already outside.

Planks that were roads yesterday can become the walls of a wildlife hide today.

Crates that were shop counters can become seats.

Fabric can become camouflage.

A cardboard tube can become a telescope.

The children transform the resources through imagination.

What Could Children Use?

Try providing access to:

• wooden planks
• crates
• logs
• cardboard boxes
• tubes
• ropes
• fabric
• pegs
• wooden blocks

You could also offer simple reusable accessories such as:

• clipboards
• pencils
• binoculars
• magnifying glasses
• books about woodland animals

But keep the setup stripped back.

The children should do the making.

Autumn Play Early Years Cards

Make Your Own Squirrel Binoculars

Cardboard tubes are perfect for imaginative binoculars.

Children could use:

• two cardboard tubes
• string
• reusable joining materials

Or simply use one tube as a telescope.

There is no need for every child to make an identical pair.

One child might create binoculars.

Another could create:

• a telescope
• camera
• squirrel detector
• woodland microphone

Follow their ideas.

Where Should We Build It?

Ask children to think about location.

Where are squirrels most likely to be?

Where could we see a tree clearly?

Would squirrels come near us if we were very noisy?

Where could we sit quietly?

Children begin to think about how the environment affects wildlife.

This turns an imaginative construction challenge into an opportunity for Understanding the World.

Build, Test and Change

The first squirrel station probably won’t work perfectly.

That is a good thing.

Perhaps:

• the roof falls down
• a plank is too short
• the station is too small
• children cannot see through the viewing hole
• the structure wobbles
• there are not enough seats

Ask:

“What could we change?”

Instead of fixing the problem for children, give them time to experiment.

This is where loose parts play becomes particularly valuable.

Children are:

planning → testing → changing → trying again.

Turn It Into a Squirrel Research Station

Once the structure has been built, children’s play can continue.

They might become:

• wildlife researchers
• squirrel experts
• park rangers
• photographers
• nature explorers

Add a clipboard if children want to record what they see.

They could make simple marks for every squirrel sighting.

For example:

| | |

Three squirrels spotted.

Now mathematics and literacy have emerged naturally from the play.

Make a Squirrel Spotting Chart

Reception children could create a simple observation chart.

They might record:

• squirrels
• birds
• insects
• other animals

Children could use tally-style marks or drawings.

Then ask:

Which animal did we see most often?

Which did we see least often?

The activity has moved naturally into early mathematics.

Add Books About Squirrels

Place a simple wildlife or woodland animal book near the station.

If a child asks:

“What do squirrels eat?”

rather than immediately providing the answer, you might say:

“How could we find out?”

Children begin to understand that books and information can help answer questions.

This creates purposeful early literacy.

Squirrel Spotter Station and Understanding the World

This activity can support children to notice:

• animals
• habitats
• trees
• seasonal changes
• animal behaviour
• the local environment

Use children’s observations to begin conversations.

Try:

• Where do you think squirrels sleep?
• How do they move through trees?
• What have you noticed them collecting?
• Why might they need food?
• What colours can you see?
• How is the environment changing in autumn?

Follow children’s questions wherever possible.

Squirrel Spotter Station and Communication and Language

Building together creates rich opportunities for conversation.

Children need to:

• explain ideas
• give directions
• negotiate
• describe what they see
• ask questions
• solve problems

Introduce vocabulary naturally:

• squirrel
• woodland
• habitat
• observe
• search
• scurry
• climb
• branch
• shelter
• lookout
• binoculars
• camouflage

The words become meaningful because children are using them within play.

Squirrel Spotter Station and PSED

A large loose-parts build usually requires cooperation.

Children may disagree about:

• where the station goes
• which plank to use
• how high it should be
• who sits where
• who gets the binoculars

That is not a failure of the activity.

That is part of the activity.

Children are practising:

• negotiation
• turn-taking
• cooperation
• listening to others
• managing disappointment
• solving conflict

Adults can support without making every decision.

Squirrel Spotter Station and Physical Development

Large-scale construction is highly physical.

Children may:

• lift
• carry
• push
• pull
• balance
• reach
• squat
• transport

These movements develop:

• gross motor strength
• coordination
• balance
• spatial awareness

Smaller actions such as using pegs, drawing observations and manipulating tubes can also support fine motor development.

Squirrel Spotter Station and Maths

Maths can appear naturally throughout the build.

Ask:

Which plank is longest?

Do we need another crate?

How many children can fit inside?

Which tower is tallest?

How far away is that tree?

Children might:

• count
• compare
• measure
• estimate
• explore position
• solve spatial problems

The mathematical thinking has a genuine purpose.

Squirrel Spotter Station and Literacy

There are lots of reasons to read and write.

Children might create:

• SQUIRREL SPOTTER STATION signs
• wildlife lists
• observation sheets
• maps
• badges
• researcher names
• “quiet please” signs

You could ask:

“How will everyone know what this building is?”

Children may decide that they need a sign.

Now writing has a purpose.

Communication and Language Outdoors: The Complete EYFS Guide

Squirrel Spotter Station and Expressive Arts

Children can add imaginative details.

Perhaps the station needs:

• camouflage fabric
• a flag
• a squirrel picture
• a woodland map
• a pretend camera
• a microphone

Keep creative decisions with the children.

Avoid turning the activity into everybody producing the same squirrel craft.

Add an Autumn Squirrel Story

Once the station is built, tell a story.

Try:

“This morning, a squirrel came very close to the station. It was carrying something enormous…”

What was it carrying?

Where was it going?

What happened next?

Allow children to continue the story.

The construction has now become a setting for oral storytelling.

Create a Squirrel Trail

Extend the play beyond the station.

Use loose parts to create an imaginary squirrel route.

Children might build:

• bridges
• pathways
• tunnels
• climbing routes
• hiding spaces

Ask:

“How could the squirrel travel from the tree to the station?”

Children can physically act out the route too.

Look for Squirrel Food

Without encouraging children to feed wildlife unnecessarily, talk about the foods squirrels might look for naturally.

Children could search for examples of autumn objects such as:

• acorns
• seeds
• cones

Your Look for It Outdoors Autumn Cards already encourage children to discover seasonal objects including acorns, conkers, pine cones and coloured leaves.

That makes the squirrel station a lovely activity to link with the wider autumn discovery-card range.

Link Look, Play and Make

This activity shows how your outdoor card range can work together.

Look for It Outdoors

Go looking for:

• acorns
• pine cones
• autumn leaves
• sticks

Play It Outdoors

Become squirrel researchers or woodland explorers.

Make It Outdoors

Build the squirrel spotter station.

The resource identifies these three child-led strands as discovery/scavenger, imagination/play prompts, and expressive arts/loose parts/STEM.

Together, they can take one simple seasonal idea much further.

Keep It Child-Led

Try not to show children a finished squirrel station and say:

“Make this.”

Instead say:

“What do you think a squirrel spotter station needs?”

Then listen.

Children might come up with things adults hadn’t considered.

Perhaps it needs:

• a secret door
• a squirrel alarm
• three viewing windows
• a roof for rainy days
• a pretend lift
• somewhere to store binoculars

These ideas belong to the children.

That is the point.

What Should the Adult Do?

The adult can:

• introduce the initial challenge
• ensure resources are used safely
• model useful vocabulary
• help children think through problems
• notice collaboration
• introduce information when useful
• encourage children to observe wildlife respectfully

Avoid taking over the construction.

Try:

“Tell me about this part.”

“What are you trying to make happen?”

“What could make it stronger?”

rather than immediately showing children how to do it.

Questions to Extend the Learning

Try:

• Where should we build the station?
• Why did you choose that place?
• What will you need?
• How will you see the squirrels?
• How can we make the structure stable?
• What could we use for a roof?
• How many people can fit inside?
• What have you spotted?
• How did the squirrel move?
• Where do you think it is going?
• What could we add tomorrow?

Squirrel Spotter Stations and SEND

Keep participation flexible.

A child might:

• carry materials
• choose where a plank goes
• look through a tube
• observe wildlife
• use AAC to identify an animal
• draw what they see
• simply sit quietly inside the station

Not everybody needs to engage with every part of the activity.

Consider:

• visual prompts
• reduced choices
• familiar adults
• quieter observation spaces
• accessible construction materials
• different communication methods

Keep Wildlife Safe

The purpose of a squirrel spotter station is to observe, not chase or handle wildlife.

Encourage children to:

• stay a respectful distance away
• move calmly when animals are nearby
• avoid disturbing nests or habitats
• leave natural areas as they find them

This helps children learn that outdoor play also comes with responsibility for the natural world.

EYFS Teaching Ideas: Bringing Joy, Play and Creativity into Reception

Why Loose Parts Work So Well

Loose parts have no single predetermined purpose.

A plank can become:

• a wall
• seat
• roof
• bridge

A crate could become:

• a lookout
• table
• step
• storage box

A cardboard tube can become:

• binoculars
• telescope
• camera lens
• squirrel detector

The same resources can therefore support completely different play tomorrow.

The Muddy Puddle Teacher resource guidance promotes this type of simple, reusable provision precisely because it gives children endless possibilities while keeping outdoor setup manageable for adults.

You Don’t Need to Buy a Squirrel Station

That is perhaps the most important point.

You could buy a purpose-built wildlife hide.

But if the children build one themselves, the learning is in:

• making decisions
• problem solving
• communication
• physical effort
• collaboration
• imagination

The finished structure may look less polished.

The learning is considerably richer.

The Muddy Puddle Teacher Approach

At The Muddy Puddle Teacher, we encourage Early Years settings to keep their outdoor environment relatively simple and consistent throughout the year.

Then change the purpose of the play.

The same loose parts that made a pirate ship last week can become a squirrel spotter station this week.

Next week they might become a bridge.

Or a café.

Or a dinosaur enclosure.

The resource guidance explains this principle clearly: the magic comes from changing what children do within the space, not constantly replacing the space itself.

This makes outdoor provision:

• sustainable
• affordable
• manageable
• child-led
• imaginative

And much more interesting.

Squirrel Activities EYFS FAQs

What is a squirrel spotter station?

A squirrel spotter station is a child-created wildlife observation area made from open-ended resources such as crates, planks, cardboard and fabric.

What age is this activity suitable for?

It works particularly well with Nursery and Reception children, with the level of adult support adapted to children’s age and development.

What resources do we need?

Use existing large loose parts such as crates, planks, boxes, fabric, tubes, logs and ropes.

Does the setting need squirrels?

No. Children can build the station as imaginative play and use it to observe birds, insects and other wildlife too.

What EYFS areas does this activity support?

It can support all seven areas, particularly Understanding the World, Communication and Language, PSED, Physical Development, Mathematics, Literacy and Expressive Arts and Design.

How does loose parts play support learning?

Loose parts require children to decide what materials represent and how to combine them, encouraging creativity, problem solving, physical development and collaboration.

Should adults build the station first?

No. Give children the challenge and allow them to design their own solution.

Can we leave the squirrel station up?

If it is safe and children remain interested, absolutely. Children may revisit and adapt it over several days.

Let’s Make It Outdoors

This Squirrel Spotter Station is part of the Make It Outdoors style of play — using simple loose parts to encourage children to design, build, create and solve problems.

Pair it with:

• Look for It Outdoors – Autumn Cards
• Play It Outdoors – Autumn Cards
• Autumn Outdoors EYFS
• Loose Parts Play EYFS
• Understanding the World Outdoors
• Autumn Play Early Years

Develop Your Outdoor Play Further

The wider Muddy Puddle Teacher Play Range uses child-led cards for discovery, imaginative play and making, alongside adult-led play prompts.

Want to understand how to use simple loose parts to create purposeful outdoor provision without constantly changing your setup?

Explore The Muddy Puddle Teacher Play Training and learn how to extend children’s play, independence and learning through a simple, sustainable outdoor approach.

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