Nature

Natural History Museum: Activities for All

The Natural History Museum’s Activities for All page lists ways to explore nature at home or close by.

Projects include a Sun print, a cress caterpillar, an origami dinosaur, birdwatching and a nature journal. Outdoor and indoor ideas are kept in separate sections, handy when the weather changes plans. Most involve careful looking and making rather than dramatic experiments.

Ages: Families; adapt the project to the child
Works on: Web browser
Topics: Nature, Science, Art
Languages: English
Listed: 2026-10-11

What kids do

Make a Sun print
Grow a cress caterpillar
Fold an origami dinosaur
Begin a nature journal

Who it suits

The museum frames these for families, with projects that can be scaled to the child.

Notes for parents

Some projects finish in one sitting; the growing ones unfold over days. Wildlife examples are British, and nature journaling needs the fewest supplies.

What you need

Materials for the chosen project
Adult help, depending on the project

Visit Natural History Museum: Activities for All

In these guides

Science experiments at home with everyday materials: Science activities for kids from museum and science-society sites: colors in milk, static electricity, a bean in a jar, shadows and sunshine.
For kids who can’t stop talking about animals: places to look things up: Animal websites and apps for curious kids, from zoo and aquarium sites to apps about mammals and coral reefs, grouped by the kind of animal a child is into.

More Nature

Seek by iNaturalist: Kids seem to spend their time aiming a camera at leaves, beetles and birds, then filing each find into a growing collection.
Merlin Bird ID: Kids hold a phone up to birdsong or snap a photo, and Merlin suggests which birds might be around them.
Earth Rangers: Kids pick real-world conservation missions, earn badges and hear wildlife stories through the Earth Rangers app and podcast.
Cornell Lab Bird Cams: Kids watch live cameras trained on real nests and feeders, with hawks, ospreys, albatrosses and toucans going about their day.
Ranger Rick: Kids meet wild animals through Ranger Rick’s stories, photos, reading games, videos and a wildlife podcast.
Journey North: Kids report the monarchs, hummingbirds and other migrants they spot, then watch sightings sweep across a live map.
National Geographic Kids: National Geographic Kids mixes animal profiles, short videos, quizzes and puzzles on a browsable discovery site.
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Explorers: San Diego Zoo Wildlife Explorers has animal and plant profiles, zoo stories, facts and printable activities.