“I Spy Walks”

‘Walk between showers, “I spy with my little eye something beginning with R” (photo)

Playing I spy on a walk is a great way to encourage children to look around more at their surroundings, and notice new or different things.

Look for objects, colours shapes, letters, numbers compare things.

Can you find a big leaf and a small leaf.

Can you spy a flower for each colour of the rainbow?

If you follow the same walk every day to school or the shops, point out the changes with the seasons. The little buds on the branches turning into leaves, season changes the bluebells in spring, or the colours of the leaves in fall.

Do you see the weeds as they spring up through the pavement cracks! Can you name them? - If not take a photo and look them up. Discuss how they think the plant is got there and is able to grow?

If you live in a more built up area, you can look for different building styles, the materials that have been used.

Look for architectural design similarities and differences.

Do the buildings have columns and arches?

What shapes are the windows?

How many windows are there?

Can you find a coloured door for each colour of the rainbow?

Are all the houses the all the same or different?

As you walk down the street do the numbers go up or down, are they odd or even, can you can in two’s what number will come next?

Stop and Listen, sounds are often missed on a walk, just taken for granted as back ground noise. But sounds make up so much of your life, nothing is more delightful than to hear the sound of a bird sing between the hum drum of the cars. It if you don’t take those moments to listen you will miss it.

What can you hear, if there is a space to stop or a bench to sit on, ask the child/ children to close their eyes and just listen.

Can you hear the birds? A dogs bark? The wind or the rain as it falls through the leaves, or hits the top of a wheelie bin?

All walks can turn into your next adventure. Have fun discovering new things together, stay curious and have fun.

Rachel x