Parenthood has given me many gifts, the obvious one being two healthy beautiful souls; my children. My children reignited in me the joy of every day. As an expat parent, with no immediate help apart from my husband, I learned to celebrate the simple wins. Then, the simple wins extended to looking outside our homes and out to the natural world. Although I don’t have an extensive knowledge of trees, at least I now know a few. During spring and summer, I decided to go out with my kids to explore nature. Now, they are teens they are less interested but I have kept that sense of wonder. Did you know there are many initiatives throughout the year that will allow you get closer to nature and contribute to its welfare? These are my top pics for nature-led activities for mindful living.
| Date | Season | Campaign |
|
24 – 26 January |
Autumn/Winter | No need to have your own garden, pop out to your local park or nature reserve to bird watch. Every year the RSPB runs the Big Garden Birdwatch. It’s been running since 1979! You can register online, takes only a few minutes and it’s not too late. |
| Ongoing | Autumn/Winter | Have you had the unexpected pleasure of spotting a hedgehog? Record it on Hedgehog Street Register. On the website, you will also learn ways to make your garden hedgehog-friendly and learn all about the adorable spikey creatures. |
| Feburary – April | Spring | Help the RHS locate when, how and types of daffodils growing near you. Log your findings on the Daffodil Diaries. They are particually interested in the species Mrs R.O Backhouse, Mrs William Copeland and Sussex Bonfire. |
| 1st – 31st May |
Spring/Summer |
As May comes around, the grass looks lush, flowers are in bloom and min beasts are a-buzz. During this month, Plant Life suggests we allow our grass to uncut this month, for No Mow May. However, if this is too hard for you to do because you prefer a manicured lawn, select a portion to the side or back that can be left to go wild without messing up the aesthetic you desire. On the website, you will find information about the campaign, along with printable colouring sheets for little ones and fact sheets. |
| On Going | Spring/Summer | As a novice gardener, I adore wildflowers. Their resilience impresses me and they are so much easier to grow. To learn more about the British variety of wildflowers with Grow Wild. |
| 18th July – 10th Aug | Summer | Who doesn’t love butterflies? Little ones and not-so-little ones, many of us get excited at the sight of a butterfly. Big butterfly count is fun to do with kids or for yourself to learn the varieties, observe them in their habits, and report your findings. The reports help the butterfly conservation nationwide citizen science survey to asses assess the health of our environment and how the species is doing out in the wild. |
| All Year Round | All Year Round |
In urban and suburban areas, we are used to seeing the lonely fox out and about. However, other mammals live among us. The Living with Mammals campaign allows the PTES to assess to gain knowledge about the wild mammals in our local areas. They say ‘Whether in a garden, allotment, a local park or churchyard, telling us what you see builds a bigger picture of the wildlife on our doorstep. It can tell us when a species is in trouble.’ |
Just remember, no matter how dark and rough life gets, there’s always something to be grateful for. Observing the resilience of nature, just migth give you the postive outlook you need. Best of all, by contributing to the programmes listed above you’ll be helping the organisations make an impact with their reports.
Have you ever participated in any of the above initiatives? How often do you get out into nature? How do you practice mindful living?
Comment below; I would love to hear from you.
You can find more lifestyle here on the blog and follow me on Instagram @MsXpat and Xpat_At_Home
