20 wild ideas for busy and rainy days

I’ve come up with 20 wild acts that we can all do when the weather is being rather uninviting or when you simply haven’t got time or space to go on a wild adventure.

Here’s our 20 ideas for busy and rainy days:

Start a free online course on wildlife or nature. United for Wildlife have a free wildlife conservation course and FutureLearn have one on ecosystems.
Learn to identify tree leaves by drawing/stencilling some common tree leaves and annotating them
Similarly, learn to identify garden birds by drawing/stencilling some from a guide book
Watch a wildlife webcam online. I follow the lives of two osprey families in Scotland and England
A game idea: name/write down as many UK species as possible in 5-10 minutes
Read about a recent nature discovery or scientific research. The website for the magazine Biosphere is always an interesting read.
Do a garden birds quiz

Do a wildflower quiz

Do a garden bird watch from your window
Go for a walk in the rain
Take a photo of raindrops, for example droplets on leaves or flowers
Write a poem or haiku about nature. Haikus are easy, just follow the structure.
Take part in a nature campaign and show your support for a good cause. Sign the Charter for woods and trees or help the bees.
Plan a wild trip, for example think about going wild camping in Scotland
Make a bird cake, here’s a recipe to try
Volunteer on Zooniverse and help with their conservation projects online
Draw or paint a picture of wildlife or get a nature inspired colouring book to colour
Read nature writing
Make a DIY bug house, I found some inspiration here
Hunt out the closest bit of nature to you, wherever you are. Whether it be dandelions bursting from a crack in a paving stone or a ladybird flying by.