Outdoor learning is an impactful and joyful way to educate children, helping them build real-world skills through play, exploration, and hands-on experiences. Inspired by The Muddy Puddle Teacher, we’ve compiled the ultimate list of 100 outdoor learning activities that foster curiosity, creativity, physical health, and academic growth. These ideas span subjects, age groups, and environments—ideal for schools, home educators, and Forest School leaders.

Top 100 Outdoor Learning Activities

1. Nature scavenger hunt (Childhood by Nature)
2. Bug hunts with ID charts (RSPB)
3. Leaf rubbing art (The Artful Parent)
4. Build a bird feeder (RSPB)
5. Storytime in the woods (Muddy Faces)
6. Plant a garden
7. Create a sundial (Education.com)
8. DIY weather station (Met Office)
9. Rock painting and kindness stones
10. Build a mini bug hotel (The Wildlife Trusts)
11. Make a mud kitchen
12. Sensory nature walk
13. Bark rubbing and tree ID
14. Create a fairy or dinosaur garden
15. Bird watching logbook
16. Map-making with natural materials
17. Puddle jumping math games
18. Stick maze building
19. Floating and sinking experiments
20. Create nature-inspired poetry
21. Outdoor yoga or stretching
22. Shelter building challenge
23. Sound mapping (recording natural sounds)
24. Collect and press wildflowers
25. Measure tree heights using shadows
26. Shadow drawing with chalk
27. Nature mandalas
28. Tracking animal footprints
29. Campfire storytelling (with safety supervision)
30. DIY rain gauge project
31. Nature ABC hunt
32. Construct a compass rose
33. Clay faces on trees
34. Make wind chimes from nature
35. Cloud classification activity
36. Outdoor picnic and nature-themed story reading
37. Tree hugging mindfulness practice
38. Nature journaling (National Geographic)
39. Create a bug observation journal
40. Design and build nature boats
41. Learning to tie knots (Scouts.org.uk)
42. Tracking weather changes over a week
43. Foraging with a guide (ensure safety and legality)
44. Outdoor role play and drama
45. Create a life cycle mural with natural objects
46. Build a nature obstacle course
47. Seasonal change walk & drawing
48. Build and test paper windmills
49. Estimate and measure nature items
50. Create a sensory garden
51. Color scavenger hunt
52. Make leaf crowns
53. Outdoor alphabet game
54. Hapa zome (plant dyeing with hammering)
55. Make a stick skeleton
56. Weather diary drawing activity
57. Observe pollinators and their plants
58. Math trails with measurement challenges
59. Create an outdoor puppet show
60. Photograph nature changes over time
61. Chalk art on paving or stones
62. Design an outdoor board game
63. Nature-inspired dance or movement sequence
64. Make seed bombs for wildflowers
65. Outdoor science experiments (e.g., vinegar & baking soda)
66. Build a wormery
67. Sort natural objects by size, color, texture
68. Leaf symmetry painting
69. Create bird nests using twigs & grass
70. Write and perform nature-inspired songs
71. Use magnifying glasses to explore bark and bugs
72. Create story stones
73. Litter pick and sort waste into categories
74. Design a mini zip line for a toy figure
75. Make nature bookmarks
76. Create a bug-themed board game
77. Learn animal calls and mimic them
78. Outdoor group challenges (relay, teamwork tasks)
79. Map school or garden grounds
80. Write a weather forecast script and perform
81. Outdoor math – addition with stones or leaves
82. Play hide and seek using nature clues
83. Create natural percussion instruments
84. Make binoculars from cardboard tubes
85. Build a twig raft and test its buoyancy
86. Design a scavenger hunt for others
87. Start a compost bin
88. Observe dew and condensation in the morning
89. Use mirrors to explore sky and canopy
90. Nature bingo
91. Outdoor painting with natural brushes (leaves, sticks)
92. Make a stick star or dreamcatcher
93. Create a timeline of the seasons
94. Conduct an outdoor sound experiment
95. Track shadows at different times of day
96. Leaf classification and charting
97. Mini beast roleplay in costume
98. Make herbal tea from safe, edible plants
99. Build a weather vane
100. Celebrate an ‘Outdoor Day’ with multiple stations!