40 things to do – 1: Visit a museum
1: Visit a museum There are lots of museums in Bristol. In the centre you have the Mshed and Bristol Museum both run touring exhibitions as well as their main collections. This...
40 things to do – 2: Build a dam
2: Build a dam Do you know of a shallow stony stream? If so get the wellies on (do a risk assessment) and get building. Experiment with stones and sticks to see...
40 things to do – 3: Walk 2 miles
3:Walk 2 miles There are a lot of green spaces in Bristol so get out and walk. The council have maps for walking routes in parks all over the city, take a...
40 things to do – 4: Create a secret code
4: Create a secret code There are lots of ways to do this: writing words backwards; substituting numbers for letters, pig latin, symbols. See who can crack the code – they could...
40 things to do – 5: Jump in puddles
5: Jump in puddles Is there any greater joy than jumping in a really big puddle creating a huge splash? Make sure people are kitted up in wet weather gear (or have...
40 things to do – 6: Fly a kite
6: Fly a kite If you fancy building a kite to fly, look at the BAND Pinterest board – kites. There are paper bag, classic diamond shape and more unusual shaped kites...
40 things to do – 7: Climb a tree
7: Climb a tree Find a good woodland with a range of climbable trees – you will need different trees for different sized children. The tree that suits the child is the...
40 things to do – 8: Paint a rock
8: Paint a rock Children decorate rocks with paints, Sharpie pens or nail varnish, and then leave them lying around, partially hidden in places where other children will easily find them. It’s...
40 things to do – 9: Make a grass trumpet
9: Make a grass trumpet Amaze your friends with this lost art. Find a long fat blade of grass and hold it between your thumbs at the bottom and top. Make sure...
40 things to do – 10: Bake a cake
10: Bake a cake There are so many cakes out there. Help us celebrate by cooking big cakes or cupcakes; chocolate cake to courgette cake; Decorated cake to plain delicious cake. What’s...
40 things to do – 11: Make a bug house
11: Make a bug house Insects are really important for the environment and some of their natural habitats are threatened. So we can help them by building a bug house. Find a...
40 things to do – 12: Play Pooh Sticks
12: Play Pooh Sticks After reading a few Winnie- the-Pooh stories , have fun playing this iconic game. Best played with 2 or more people. Find a fast flowing river with a...
40 things to do – 13: Build a den
13: Build a den Everyone loves den building and we love going up to Leigh Woods to find some sticks to build with. Use branches, twigs, leaves and even mud to make...
40 things to do – 14: Climb a Hill
14: Climb a Hill Yes, Bristol is full of hills so you can take your pick. The feeling of achievement when you get to the top and can see for miles is...
40 things to do – 15: Make a daisy chain
15: Make a daisy chain Wait till the daisies are nice & big and pick enough to make whatever size chain you need. Start with one daisy and using your thumb nail...
40 things to do – 16: Make a den inside
16: Make a den inside There is no limit to what materials can be used for an indoor den. The classics are: the blanket/sheet/old curtains den; the cardboard dens; the piles of...
40 things to do – 17: Grow Some Cress
17: Grow Some Cress Fill a container (a small pot or tray) with potting soil. Or you can use a few moist paper towels on a tray. Scatter the garden cress seeds...
40 things to do – 18: Make a picture in a stream
18: Make a picture in a stream Find an area with very shallow water (such as the Trym as it flows down through the gorge at Blaise Castle. Find lots of pebbles...
40 things to do – 19: Make a trail with sticks
19: Make a trail with sticks Find a wood and split your group into two. The first group goes out and lays a trail using sticks to make arrows on the ground...
40 things to do – 20: Hunt for bugs
20: Hunt for bugs Get out the magnifying glasses and get really close to the ground or trees and bushes and see what you can find. You could collect some bugs (gently)...
40 things to do – 21: Find a Gromit
21: Find a Gromit Gromit Unleashed 2 is coming, from Monday 2nd July until Sunday 2nd September 2018, over 60 decorated sculptures will descend on Bristol raising money for Bristol Children’s Hospital...
40 things to do – 22: Build a S(B)andcastle
22: Build a S(B)andcastle From a simple bucket castle to an elaborate sand sculpture you can make what you want. For best results use fine damp sand and keep wetting it and...
40 things to do – 23: Make a Robot
23: Make a Robot Make a robot. This could be anything from the classic cardboard box and silver paper to junk bots made out of old electronic items for the more technologically...
40 things to do – 24: Have a water fight
Have a water fight 24. Have a balloon water fight. Have your balloons ready for a nice warm day. You can buy small water balloons or you can use ordinary party balloons...
40 things to do – 25: Paint with ice
25: Paint with ice Paint with ice. Put different colour paint in an ice cube trays and add water & mix. Start freezing, half way through put a lolly stick in each...
40 things to do – 26: Play Hide & Seek
26: Play Hide & Seek Play hide and seek. It’s the best game as you all know. Play it inside, outside and on trips. It’s important to establish a boundary to play...
40 things to do – 27: Write a song
27: Write a song Write a song. There is bound to be musical talent in your club whether it is singers, musicians or lyric writers. You could start off by writing alternative...
40 things to do – 28: Make a bird feeder
28: Make a bird feeder Make a bird feeder. Encourage wildlife by making bird feeders. From a simple plastic bottle with a wooden spoons stuck through filled with seed, or make fat...
40 things to do – 29: Obstacle Course
29: Obstacle Course Obstacle course. This can be anything from sports equipment arranged to the contents of your loose parts box/shed. You can make it or you could let the children create...
40 things to do – 30: Bubble Painting
30: Bubble Painting Bubble painting. Assemble some containers, a range of yoghurt pots, bowls, mugs and even trays. Put some paint, water and washing up liquid into each of them. Using straws...
40 things to do – 31: Make junk drums
31: Make junk drums Make junk drums. You can make drums out of almost anything! All you need is a hollow container (a cylinder shape is often good) and something to make...
40 things to do – 32: Go on a treasure hunt
32: Go on a treasure hunt Go on a treasure hunt. This could be big or small. You could do it in your outside area and hide treasure to be found, either...
40 things to do – 33: Create a dance routine
33: Create a dance routine Create a dance routine. Lots of children love to dance, copying the latest dance moves and making up a few of their own. Challenge the dancers to...
40 things to do – 34: Build a Windmill
34: Build a Windmill Build a windmill. Using thick paper or flexible card cut a square shape 20cm by 20cm is a good size, but you can have any size you want...
40 things to do – 35: Tie Dye a t-shirt
35: Tie Dye a t-shirt Tie dye a t-shirt. Get ready for the summer sun with a designer one-off t-shirt. For best results do this over a number of days with at...
40 things to do – 36: Go Pond Dipping
36: Go Pond Dipping Go pond dipping. Just as much fun on a cold day as on a warm one. Get out the wellies, buckets, nets, pots/trays and magnifying glasses and find...
40 things to do – 37: Put on a puppet show
37: Put on a puppet show Put on a puppet show. Where to start with a puppet show? Is it making the puppets? Is it writing the story and songs? Is it...
40 things to do – 38: Have fun with slime
38: Have fun with slime Have fun with slime. Make the classic gloop recipe from cornflour, water and food colouring. Solid one minute and liquid the next children love to experiment with...
40 things to do – 39: Build the biggest rolled up paper tower
39: Build the biggest rolled up paper tower Build the biggest rolled up paper tower. A team challenge. Using only paper and masking tape challenge them to build the tallest paper tower...
40 things to do – 40: Make a giant 40 and take a picture
40: Make a giant 40 and take a picture Make a giant 40 and take a picture. Help us celebrate by making a giant 40. What way will you do it? Big...
Back in the Day – BAND @ 40!
Back in the Day – BAND @ 40! As part of our year long 40th birthday celebrations, we invited Bristol City Councillor Ruth Pickersgill to take us on a trip down memory...
