Connecting with nature helps our general well-being reducing feelings of anxiety, stress, fear, anger and sadness and helping us to feel more relaxed and peaceful.
If you have a garden try and spend as much time as possible in it. For those who have limited access to outdoors there are lots of other ways to bring nature indoors and still benefit therapeutically.
Activity 1: Butterflies of Hope
The first butterflies can be seen in gardens and countryside in March and April. Butterflies have long been seen as a symbol of transformation and hope alongside spring.
If you can get out in nature for your daily exercise count how many butterflies you can see on a sunny day. Butterfly numbers have been dwindling over recent years so if you have a garden or a window box you could plant butterfly loving plants to encourage them.
Butterflies like flowering plants such as lavender, marjoram, marigolds and scabious.
You can still buy seeds to plant online if you want to try and attract butterflies to your garden or balcony. You will need a container to plant the seeds in and some compost. Nurture the seeds keeping them in a warm place and water when necessary – take care not to overwater while the seeds are still germinating.
You can identify any butterflies you see here: https://butterfly-conservation.org/butterflies/identify-a-butterfly
Activity 2: Make a butterfly to stick on your window
What you will need:
- A piece of card – if you don’t have any try using the back of an old notebook or a cereal packet.
- Paper glue
- Greaseproof paper, tracing paper or the inside bag of a cereal packet
- Scissors
- Pencil
- Coloured tissue paper pieces or coloured clear sweet wrappers
How to make it:
- Draw a butterfly onto the card using this template
- Cut out the shaded areas – get an adult to help if you need
- Glue the cardboard butterfly shape to the greaseproof paper or equivalent
- Trim the edges of the greaseproof paper to the edge of the cardboard.
- Stick small pieces of tissue or sweet wrapper to the clear areas of the wings.
- Now your butterfly is ready to stick on your window
- Make one for each member of your family, including those who have died.
Activity 3: Butterfly Pairs
- If you have access to a printer at home, print out two sheets of matching butterfly pictures. There are lots of pictures online or draw your own matching pairs
- Stick the sheets on a piece of card or back of a cereal packet
- Cut out each butterfly carefully then you have a set of matching butterflies and can use them to play Butterfly Pairs
- You will need at least two people to play this game
- Turn each butterfly face down on the table then take it in turns to turn two over trying to find the matching pairs
- If you find a matching pair you put those aside in your pile. The winner is the one with the most matching pairs at the end of the game
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