Are you painstakingly searching for new ways to have outdoor fun in your house? Or perhaps you’re missing the adventure of exploring outside? It appears many Brits are yearning for ‘outdoor activities at home’ with Google searches for the term rising 1,600% from February to April 2020.
That’s why Insulation Express, has created the ultimate list of adventure-inspired activities to complete in the comfort of your home – and best of all they’re cost-friendly or even free! So, whether you’re entertaining children, want to get stuck in some DIY, or looking for a relaxing project – we’ve got a list of activities to inspire you.
Kids at Home? Here Are Six Free Ways You Can Create Adventures Indoors
While you can’t fully experience the outdoors, you can still get creative with it by having adventures indoors. To help, we’ve listed six projects that can be enjoyed by all of the family, and you’ll even learn new skills on the way.
1. Build an Outdoor Shelter
Cost: Free
Building an outdoor shelter with your family is an entertaining way to pass time. Plus, if you have a big family – you could even set up a prize for the best shelter. There are many ways you can create these shelters, using branches and trees in your garden. Popular ways are in the shape of an ‘A’ or a tipi – but have fun with it!
2. Become a Pro Explorer by Improving Your Navigation Skills
Cost: Free
Practicing navigation skills can be a great activity to do with children that can help build essential skills for the outdoors. One activity could be setting a treasure hunt in the garden and getting your family to find the ‘treasure’ using a compass (even if it’s on your phone) and some clues.
3. Refresh your Scouting and Climbing Knots Knowledge
Cost: Free
According to Google Trends, searches for ‘climbing knots’ have increased by 14% between February and April 2020. Clearly, many Brits are seeking to refine their outdoor skills while in lockdown. And, who can blame them? It’s a perfect time to practice your knots.
Luckily, there’s a website that has a great resource of animated knots, so you can learn how to tie knots of any kind.
4. Missing a Camping Holiday? Camp Out in the Garden
Cost: Free if you already have a tent. However, you can purchase a tent from as little as £25
Just because we’re in lockdown, doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the fun of camping! Set your children the task of putting up the tent, and time them to see how quickly they can erect it. Now spend the night in your garden and wake up to the beautiful outdoors.
5. Learn how to be an Expert Climber
Cost: Free if using scrap pieces of wood, or £5 if purchasing new wood
DIY hang boards are a useful way to practice climbing skills at home. So, it’s no surprise that Google searches for ‘hang board’ have risen 313% between February and April 2020.
It’s pretty easy to make your own hang board, but probably one for the adults to make. If you have children, you may want to go one step further and build your own climbing wall! You can create climbing holds out of wood (make sure to sand) and attach them to a play area outside.
6. Spark Creativity with a Handmade Geo-Cache
Cost: Free
Geo-Caching is an outdoor activity where people hide treasure outdoors, otherwise known as ‘caches,’ for others to find! While you may not want to go geo-caching right now, you can still make your own geo-cache treasure, which can be anything you wish. Hide it outdoors and leave clues on the app for others to find.
Six DIY-Solution: Five Ways to Bring the Outdoors Into Your Home Interiors
One amazing way to fully enjoy the outdoors and all it has to offer is bringing the outdoors in through DIY projects. Read on to discover amazing nature-inspired crafts and DIY tasks to do at home.
1. Make Your Own Candles
Cost: £6
This DIY project is undoubtedly fun and simple. And just because it’s simple doesn’t mean it’s any less satisfying. There are endless possibilities with the decoration and smell of candles, so it’s easy to create your own beautiful, unique candle.
However, if you have lots of candles that are coming to their end, you may want to use these. All you need to do is pour hot water in the candle jar, let it cool, and then scoop out the leftover wax from the top.
2. DIY with Pallets
Cost: £20
There are plenty of things you can make with pallets, so much so that searches for ‘DIY pallet’ have grown 662% from February to April 2020. We particularly like the idea of making an outdoor swing, or you could even make a cozy garden sofa.
3. Dye Fabrics with Plants
Cost: £6
Did you know it’s super easy to make your own fabric dyes at home with fruit and vegetables? Carrots can dye fabrics an amazing spring yellow, while avocado stones can be used as a pink dye. Perhaps it could be a great time to refresh old clothes, cushions, and throws with natural plant dye.
4. Create Your Art with Pressed Flowers
Cost: Free
It’s easy to make beautiful art with pressed flowers, and it’s so satisfying when you’ve made something yourself. This might be why so many Brits are Googling ‘pressed flowers’ – increasing by 174% between February and April 2020.
All you need for this art project is to press flowers in a book. Once you have pressed flowers, you can assort them in a frame to hang in your home.
5. Longing for Travel? Go on an Adventure with Map Wall Art
Cost: £10
Although we can’t travel right now, we can feed our travel-pangs with other projects, such as a map wall art. Order a print of a map online or print one from your home. Use pins and/or thread to illustrate what places you’ve already traveled to and where you would like to go.
Outdoor-Inspired Projects to Improve Your Wellbeing
It’s certainly easy to feel the stressors of day-to-day life right now. Which means it’s all the more important to set aside some time for yourself. Insulation Express has created a list of stress-busting outdoor-inspired projects to do at home.
1. Grow Your Vegetable Patch
Cost: £2
The number of Brits searching for ‘starting your own vegetable garden’ on Google has increased a massive 238% (from February to April 2020). Suggesting that Brits are wanting to rely on their own means for food.
2. Become a Runner
Cost: Free
Google Trends has reported that Brits searching for ‘couch to 5K’ has skyrocketed since lockdown – rising 307% from February to April. If you’re not a big runner, the NHS Couch to 5K is a great place to start. You’ll start off with brisk walking, and by the end, you’ll be able to run for a solid 30 minutes!
3. Create a Serene Place with a Zen Garden
Cost: £5
A zen garden is part of Japanese culture, usually found outside, but you can enjoy a mini zen garden in your own home. Arranging a zen garden is a form of mediation in itself – it helps you to focus and clear your mind.
So, it’s little surprise searches for ‘zen garden’ have grown 124 % on Google Trends (from February to April 2020). To create a mini zen garden, you just need a container, sand, rocks, and foliage. Have fun with creating patterns in the sand and positioning your elements.
4. Impress Your Friends with a Headstand
Cost: Free
It appears Brits are looking for unusual ways to keep fit while in isolation, with searches for ‘how to do headstand’ increasing by 650 % (from February to April 2020). Headstands require dozens of muscles in your body, from your wrists to your core. So, learning how to perform one can be a great way to get fit and something cool to learn while in lockdown.
5. Grow Delicious Herbs
Cost: £2
The number of Brits picking up a new hobby such as growing herbs seems to have risen steeply, according to data from Google. Searches for ‘growing herbs’ have soared 652% from February to April 2020.
Perhaps Brits are feeling more adventurous with food or want to reap the therapeutic benefits of seeing something you’ve sown; grow! Whether it’s on your windowsill or in your garden, it’s easy and rewarding growing herbs.
6. Wake Up to See the Sunrise
Cost: Free
Can you remember the last time you saw the sunrise? Just because we’re indoors doesn’t mean you can’t wake up and see it. Set your alarm and walk to somewhere you can see the beautiful sun – or enjoy the view from your own home.
Want to have some bonding time with the kids? Follow these simple steps on how to build an epic pillow fort.
