That’s the suggestion of Ben Vanheems of the Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust

With the summer holidays now well advanced, the familiar trill of “I’m bored!” may be starting to grate. Little minds need big adventures to keep them occupied, and there’s no better place to embark on one than outside.

Nature offers the ultimate playground. There are trees to climb, dens to build, minibeasts to hunt for and puddles that need splashing in! Children are at their happiest when outdoors exploring and positive experiences today will set them up as lifetime wildlife enthusiasts.

Of course, sometimes children need a little encouragement to ditch the electronic gadgets for something altogether more low-tech. This is where imagination and a host of ready-to-run activities come into their own. Get them involved and they’ll be completely hooked on the wonderful world of natural play. So try a few of the following ideas and fire up their curiosity and sense of adventure.

Tease out their inventiveness. Ask them to come up with alternative descriptions for the wild objects around them — is it a sycamore seed or an elf’s helicopter? Are those pine cones or miniature Christmas trees? Pretending to be a wild animal — anything from a tiny ant to a soaring buzzard — is an excellent way to appreciate the world from another perspective.

Get those hands on, and get creative. Laying a woodland trail with arrows made from sticks or stones will nurture the navigator in them. Or how about creating a work of art using leaves, pebbles, shells and mud to form ‘paintings’, sculptures and even jewellery?

Bird boxes are easy to make from pre-sawn lengths of wood, while washing-up bowl ponds will soon attract a resident frog or toad. And you can’t go nature spotting without a bespoke pair of binoculars — two loo roll centres taped together!

Encourage the inner wildlife detective in them. Lift rocks or logs to marvel at the millipedes, woodlice and worms hiding beneath. Use homemade sweep nets to catch creepy crawlies, such as grasshoppers, in areas of long grass. Make a net by tying lightweight netting or fleece onto a ring of coathanger wire inserted into a bamboo cane handle. Pop the insects they catch into a glass jar so children can have have a go at identifying them before they’re released.

Wildlife presenter and BBOWT President Steve Backshall captures the wonder of wildlife-focused activities: “I can remember doing those things as a kid. The first time you see a butterfly or dragonfly emerging from its larval case will change your life.”

Parents and grandparents ready to embrace outdoor fun with their little ones should bear in mind a few ground rules. First, don’t be too precious about the weather; if it’s raining or cold, just dress accordingly. Let your kids get caked in mud! Above all, make sure you also enjoy the outdoor fun; if you’re full of enthusiasm, they will be too.

Those looking for a family-friendly midweek adventure should pop down to BBOWT’s Sutton Courtenay Environmental Education Centre on August 27-29 to take part in a wild art day. During the three days of inventive fun children will be invited to create all manner of crafty creat-ures using natural materials and their wild imaginations. The artistic action kicks is from 10am-3pm.

Ceri Cadwallader from SCEEC invites you to discover more: “The event is great fun and rounds up a busy August here at Sutton Courtenay. Kids can get hands on and make all kinds of animals from what’s available on the nature reserve. It’s a great way to focus their energy and tease out their creative side.”

With the end of the holidays approaching there’s still time to nourish the younsters’ wild side of the youngsters. The Great Outdoors will entertain them by awakening their natural curiosity and satisfying that ever-present yearning for adventure.