There are so many outdoor adventures for children, says Ben Vanheems of BBOWT

Next week is half term and rambunctious children will need plenty to keep them busy. I know… the summer holidays seem like only yesterday. But fear not, here are a few ideas to keep youngsters amused and you… well… sane!

Autumn is the season of sticks, leaves, mud, mosses and lichens — all the ingredients for a wild time. Or almost all; you’ll also need to add a dash of energy and a generous dollop of imagination. Nature, after all, can be as dramatic as we want it to be.

A good place to start is in your garden or the local park where recent seasonal gusts will have brought down plenty of colourful leaves, twigs and sticks. These are the perfect raw materials for creative fun.

Children can raid this natural treasure chest to create all sorts of animals or weird-and-wonderful characters. Bodies can be made from odd-shaped sticks or moulded from clay soil. Use twigs for legs, leaves for ears, berries for eyes then finish off with moss or feathers for hair, tails and wings. Appendages can be poked into position or tied on using raffia, string or masking tape.

It’s also Halloween next Friday, which means witches’ broomsticks, wizards’ wands and an armoury of swords for any headless horsemen that happen to be gallivanting about!

Flying broomsticks can be crafted by tying bundles of long twigs on to a stout (and comfortable) pole. Tie them on in small, manageable bundles, building up your besom broom layer by layer.

Choose a special stick for a wizard’s wand. Add further magic by painting, carving, sanding or sharpening it to fantastical perfection. Fashion swords from long, flat sticks then add a handle by securely tying on a crosspiece near the base.

Make a snack stop for our feathered friends by mashing bird seed into soft lard then squishing the mixture on to a stick with rough bark (to help the lard to grip).

Pick a stick with plenty of smaller branches coming off it — these will offer perches from which the birds can feed.

Attach string and hang the snack stop somewhere the kids can watch the birds that visit.

A bug hotel is easy to make with the end result hugely satisfying for both children and the creepy crawlies queueing up to check in. The simplest hotel uses a plastic drinks bottle for its outer walls. Cut the bottom off the bottle then stuff it with bamboo canes, straw or rolled-up cardboard.

The plastic will keep the contents dry so that insects such as lacewings and ladybirds can feel right at home. Wedge it in among branches.

Oxfordshire authors Jo Schofield and Fiona Danks have plenty more stick-based projects in The Stick Book (Frances Lincoln, £9.99). You will never look at the humble stick in the same way again!

Half term is a busy week at BBOWT’s Sutton Courtenay Environmental Education Centre, near Didcot. From Tuesday to Thursday next week the centre opens its gates for wild play and adventures.

Families are welcome to drop in any time between 10am and 3pm for nature-themed fun. Children can have a go at building a den in the woods and creating their very own muddy masterpiece (old clothes recommended).

There’s also the chance to make a raft to float in the pond or try a game of conkers. Once they’re tired out, it’s round to the campfire for toasted marshmallows. There is no need to book but donations are welcome. Bring your own picnic and make a day of it.

With so much natural inspiration around us at this lively time of year, it shouldn’t be too difficult to keep your little ones entertained this half term. Just let them loose and wild in the Great Outdoors.