Summer Nature Walks

Sunshine is here and those perky spring buds are bursting into bloom. The pinks, reds, yellows, oranges and even blues are out in abundance, feasting the eyes, delighting the nose, and acting as an uplifting tonic for the soul.

With your Active Minds Summer Nature Walker in hand, set off on a gentle walk in a small group or with just one person to soak up the sights, scents and colours of summer.

Why not head out in the morning to enjoy dew twinkling on the flowers and grass? It will make the trip even more special. Or picking a bunch of flowers to brighten up the home? Just make sure they’re from your own garden!

You’ll need

1. Active Minds Summer Nature Walker

The Activity

1. Spend time looking through the Summer Nature Walker before setting off to familiarise the person or group with its images
2. Head into the garden or local park for a short walk with the walker
3. If it is mid-summer and very hot, go out in the morning or late afternoon when the sun is not so strong
4. Try to find one image at a time from the walker while you wander along
5. Once you’ve spotted one, hold the walker up and look through the hole to see how it matches
6. Refer to the back of the walker to find out the names of the images
7. Encourage everyone to be mindful of the smells, sounds and sights
8. Touch what you spot, so long as it’s not out of reach, and encourage people to describe how it feels
9. Keep an eye out for interesting things that aren’t in the walker, and stop to look, smell and feel them
10. Once everyone has found everything they’re interested in, head back indoors
11. While enjoying a refreshing lemonade, discuss all the lovely things you discovered
12. Ask each person to describe how the sights, sounds, scents and textures made them feel – and what they memories they triggered