Welcome back to the PGP blog. In this blog post, you will find some suggestions for some tiny signs of Summer you may spot when out in nature this June, the best places to find them and some playful suggestions for free activities to help you and the little people in your life feel closer to the green spaces around you.
What might you spot in June?
We are now moving into the summer season, and days are getting warmer and longer. Why not take advantage of the lighter evenings and go for a nature walk around your local area after dinner? Recent research has suggested that time spent with parents in nature appears to positively impact children’s sleep quality (Kokkonen et al., 2021), meaning the added bonus of more rest for the whole family!
Elderflower
The Elder tree (Sambucus Negra) is a native and widespread small tree. Hugely resilient, you will find Elder growing in a variety of habitats; in fact, it is known to thrive almost anywhere and to grow very quickly. With its abundant and tasty blossoms in Spring, its delightful berries in early Autumn and its branches which were historically used in fire lighting, it comes as no surprise that Elders hold a prominent position in Folklore across Ancient Europe. Commonly associated with major goddesses and fairy communities in many Pagan traditions, Elder is frequently understood to symbolise rebirth and renewal.
The delicate flavour of Elderflower makes it a popular choice for foragers, and you can follow our recipe below to make a refreshing summer cordial for all the family to enjoy. When foraging for elderflower, take care not to pick all your blooms from one tree, making sure to leave some for pollinators. You can recognise Elder trees by observing the leaves, which grow in sets of five. You can also look at the shape of the blossoms, which grow in tight, flat clusters of five-petalled cream-coloured flowers. The strong and distinctive scent of the Elderflower blossoms also aids identification.
Now is the perfect time to make this delicious summery syrup, which can be used as a cordial by mixing with water, as well as to flavour cakes and desserts. This would also make a lovely seasonal gift for a friend or family member. Just make sure a grown-up is on hand to help!
Debug your blooms:To rid your elderflower of any creatures who may be sheltering in them, spread a sheet of paper on a table (preferably outside). Prop your container of flowers upside down over the paper; any insects will then crawl out towards the light and remain unharmed. You may also wish to rinse your blooms. However, doing so will reduce the flavour of your syrup slightly.
Make the syrup:Bring the water and sugar to a simmer in a large pan. Add the elderflower and lemon slices (we also added some rose petals for a subtle floral flavour). Leave this to continue simmering for 30 minutes.
Infuse:Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to steep for a further 4 hours to let the flavour develop.
Strain and bottle:Place a clean tea towel in the bottom of a colander and place this over a clean container. Strain the mixture through, you should now have a clear, golden liquid. Decant into sterilised bottles/jam jars and label.
Enjoy!This syrup should keep for a couple of months in the fridge.
PGP Hull Diary: What’s happening next?
Wave and Willow Wednesday sessions:
Wave and Willow run weekly sessions for home-educated children at our site in the Botanic Gardens every Wednesday, from 1-3 pm. All sessions are £10 per child. To book, please message Tasha on +44 (0)7788 405093
References:
Kokkonen, J. M., Vepsäläinen H, Abdollahi A, Paasio H, Ranta S, Erkkola M, Roos E, Ray C. (2021) ‘Associations between parent-child nature visits and sleep, physical Activity and weight status among Finnish 3-6-year-olds’, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(23), p. 12426. doi: 10.3390/ijerph182312426.
Welcome back to the PGP blog. In this blog post, you will find some suggestions for things that you might spot when out in nature this May, the best places to find them and some playful suggestions for free activities to help you and the little people in your life feel closer to the green spaces around you.
Spring Event
On the 25th of April, we opened the gardens to the community and welcomed many lovely families to share in some magical nature play. The sun was out, the flowers were blooming, and a range of activities were on offer, including spring flower pounding (where children created stunning prints to take home), mask-making (which resulted in some fabulous creations being worn around the event), nature painting, clay play, and so much more.
Families were also invited to contribute to some co-design opportunities on the day, including helping us to build a giant bug hotel, which had already started welcoming its first residents by the end of the afternoon. Attendees also worked with professional storyteller Alan Raw to create some magical Spring tales in our new story circle under the shelter of our giant ’octopus’ tree!
Thank you to all those who joined us and to our fantastic volunteers for all their hard work in creating another fantastic day for all in our community!
What might you spot in May?
We are now in the middle of the Spring season, and signs of new life and colour are all around us. When out and about with your little ones, here are some of the May treasures you might be able to spot together.
Buttercup
The Meadow Buttercup (Ranunculus Acris) is a fond and familiar sight at this time of year, with its glossy yellow petals making it easy to spot. You can find this native plant in grasslands, meadows and pastures. Indeed, you will most likely be able to spot it around this time of year on a walk in your local park. Buttercups are members of a very old family, with species of Ranunculus found in 20-million-year-old fossils! You have probably held one of these flowers up to your friend’s chin to see if they like butter! But did you know that the name buttercup comes from an old belief that cows grazing in fields with buttercups growing made the creamiest butter? Funnily enough buttercups are poisonous to cows, meaning they will avoid eating them, thereby increasing the number of buttercups growing in the field!
Common Blue Butterfly
Emerging in May, the Common Blue (Polyommatus Icarus), is the most common blue butterfly in the UK. These insects are found in a variety of different habitats, but can be most easily spotted in sheltered and sunny spots. A small butterfly, it is distinctive for its bright blue colouring, and caterpillars like to feed on Common Birds-foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus), which is a very common and widespread wildflower which you may find in parks and on grass verges.
If you would like more information and resources on Butterfly spotting across Hull, check out Hull Butterfly City Hull Butterfly City.
Choose a spot: Head to a sheltered and sunny local area (Priory Meadows is a particularly good spot for butterfly spotting: with a good variety of wildflowers and weeds, as pollinators butterflies of all species are attracted to a diversity of flowering plants).
Don’t rush: You could walk at a leisurely pace, keeping your eyes peeled and staying curious. You could also find a comfy spot to sit and watch and see what happens.
Approach with caution: Butterflies are shy creatures and scare easily! Take care not to move suddenly or to cast shadows over them as this can frighten them. If you want to get a closer look, approach very slowly and carefully.
Documenting your finds: If you would like to identify the butterfly species you find, you might like to take a photograph so that you can remember the details of its wings, its size and colour better. You could also make a drawing of what you find – why not keep a butterfly journal over the Summer?
PGP Hull Diary: What’s happening next?
Early Years Daily Mile Launches at the Botanic Gardens
The Early Years Daily Mile will launch on 30 April at the Botanic Gardens in partnership with the Northern Branch of the London Marathon Charity, bringing schools and nurseries around Hull together to celebrate everyday movement and wellbeing alongside the ambassadors of Peppa Pig and her family.
The event invites children to take part in some nature-based activities and be involved in completing a simple mile (or 15 minutes!) of movement around the garden, reinforcing the message that regular physical activity should be accessible, enjoyable, and inclusive. By linking local school and nursery participation with the London Marathon, the initiative highlights how small daily actions can contribute to the wider well-being of children around Hull.
Maternal Mental Health Week Family Picnic:
We will be hosting a picnic for Maternal Mental Health Week on 7thMay in collaboration with Together in Nature from 4.00 pm – 6.00 pm at The Botanic Gardens. Book your ticket via the Eventbrite.
Wave and Willow Home educator sessions:
From the 20th of May Wave and Willow will be hosting their home education sessions on Thursday afternoons at our site in the Botanic Gardens. See here for more information: Explore Our Nature-Based Activities | Wave and Willow
In this post you will find some suggestions for some tiny signs of Spring you may spot when out in nature this April, the best places to find them and some playful suggestions for free activities to help you and the little people in your life feel closer to the green spaces around you.
What might you spot in April?
We are now in the middle of the Spring season, and signs of new life and colour are all around us. When out and about with your little ones, here are some of the April treasures you might be able to spot together.
As the nation’s favourite wildflower, bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) are a popular native species. Usually appearing in woodlands around the first half of April, around half of the world’s population of bluebells are resident to the UK! The vibrant blue of these flowers along with their distinctive and delicate ‘bell’ shaped petals and sweet scent make bluebells one of the most loved Spring spectacles that nature offers us. There are many examples of local and regional folklore centred around bluebells; commonly believed to be used by the fairy folk as tiny bells to call fairy gatherings, take care to listen extra carefully when in a bluebell wood! To see these magical flowers for yourself, head down to Burton Bushes in Beverley Westwood. Please remember that, as a protected species, it is illegal to pick Bluebells.
Generally considered a weed, the common dandelion (Taraxacum Officinale) is a powerhouse for Spring pollinators and increasing biodiversity in urban environments. Dandelions flower across the whole year, but peak flowering occurs from April to June. You should be noticing these distinctive spots of sunny yellow popping up on grass verges, in parks and, of course, in your back garden! Whilst lots of effort is spent on trying to kill these plants using pesticides, dandelions are an excellent source of nutrition for humans too, with the whole plant (roots, petals and leaves) being deliciously edible and high in vitamins. Please note that, due to the amount of pesticides used on them, it is best to forage for these plants in your own back garden, a friend’s
Go for a short walk to any grassy patch close to you, you will find plenty of dandelions! Collect some of the dandelion heads in a bag or basket, remember to leave some for the bees!
Use your pestle and mortar (or a rock and a chopping board will also work), to grind the petals into a smooth paste – you may need to help any little ones to apply enough pressure to do this!
Add a teaspoon or two of hot water to your petal paste before continuing mixing and crushing the mixture.
Once you have achieved the consistency and colour you’re looking for, leave the mixture to settle for about 20 minutes. This will allow your colour to deepen.
Have fun creating with your home-made dandelion paint!
PGP Hull Diary: What’s happening next?
Spring Event:
On the 25th of April, we will be hosting our Springtime event down at the Botanic gardens. Please join us with your children for a day filled with nature crafts, storytelling and creative play! You can find more information here: Upcoming Events
Earth Day celebration:
On the 22nd April we will be celebrating the Earth’s birthday down at the Botanics, joined by children and their teachers we will be learning all about plants and the small creatures who live in the garden.
London Marathon mini:
On the 30th of April we will be hosting the launch of the Hull Mini Marathon event. We will inviting local settings and schools to join us with their children and learn how to get involved.
Happy 2026 and welcome back to the PGP blog. Spring is here, and the Earth is starting to wake up. In this blogpost you will find some suggestions for some tiny signs of Spring you may spot when out in nature this month, the best places to find them and some playful suggestions for free activities to help you and the little people in your life feel closer to the green spaces around you.
What might you spot in March?
After the long, cold nights of the Winter months, March signals the start of the Spring season. When out and about with your little ones, here are some of the signs of Spring you might be able to spot together.
With their early blooming season, wood anemones (Anemonoides Nemorosa) are a seasonal star (small and bright white, their petals really do make them look like a shower of fallen stars!), usually appearing before the leaf canopy has closed overhead. Wood anemones are known to be very slow-growing, only spreading around 6 feet per century, making them a sign that you are in very old woodland. In parts of Derbyshire, wood anemone is traditionally nicknamed ‘moggie nightgown’, with moggie being a pet name for mice. Can you imagine a tiny mouse wearing pyjamas made of anemone petals? To see these special spring flowers for yourself, why not take a stroll through Hull General Cemetery? You can find more information on the cemetery and the wide variety of wildlife you can find there on their website: The Friends Of Hull General Cemetery
At this time of year, nature also brings us a foraging feast in the form of wild garlic, or ramsons (Allium ursinum). This tasty plant likes to carpet shady wooded areas and is distinctive for its strong garlic-like smell. As an early spring flower (ramsons are best tasting before the appearance of their small white flowers), wild garlic is an important plant for pollinators and its presence is a sign that we may be in ancient woodland. You can find plenty of wild garlic (in addition to other early spring wildflowers) lining this circular woodland walk in Cottingham: Explore Jilly Wood circular (AllTrails).
Easy Wild Garlic Pesto recipe
(Recipe adapted from ‘foraging with kids’ by Adele Nozedar)
Ingredients
100 grams Wild Garlic leaves (washed and patted dry)
50 grams strong cheese (Parmesan or Cheddar will do nicely)
50 grams toasted pine nuts or cashews (optional)
1tbsp olive oil (optional)
Season to taste
Method
Add all ingredients (except the olive oil) to a blender and whizz to desired consistency.
Add to pasta, cheese toasties or spread over pizza as an alternative to tomato! If wanting to store for later, transfer to a sterilised and airtight container and pour the tbsp of oil over the top where it should keep for a week.
A note on foraging for ramsons:
Whilst there are some similar-looking, non-edible plants which could be mistaken for wild garlic, they do not share the distinct garlicky aroma that this plant emits! If in doubt, follow your nose.
Take only what you need, leave plenty for fellow foragers.
Use scissors or a pen knife to cut the leaves 1-2 inches above the ground.
Something to secure your finds to the stick (elastic bands, hairbands, a piece of string).
Go on a walk! This could be around your local estate, a park close to where you live or on a day trip somewhere further away. This activity is great for exploring and noticing how nature shows up in urban, rural and coastal areas.
As you explore, collect any loose natural specimens you notice around you and secure them to your stick. You might find feathers, leaves or flowers. Once your wand or your walk is complete, take a close look at your wand. What kinds of things have you collected over the course of your journey? Can you tell the story of your wand?
PGP Hull Diary: What’s happening next?
Spring Event: The PGP Hull team are in the process of planning our Spring event, which will take place in the Botanic Gardens on the 25th of April. After the success of our Autumn event, we are looking forward to welcoming you all back for more nature-based storytelling, craft and play in our beautiful green space.
Earth Day celebration:On the 22nd April, we will be celebrating the Earth’s birthday down at the Botanics, joined by children and their teachers, we will be learning all about plants and the small creatures who live in the garden.
London Marathon mini:On the 30th of April, we will be hosting the launch of the Hull Mini Marathon event. We will invite local settings and schools to join us with their children and learn how to get involved.
Maternal Mental Health Week Picnic:We will be hosting a picnic for Maternal Mental Health Week beginning on the 9th May in collaboration with Together in Nature. Keep your eye on our website for more information.
References:
Nozedar, A. and Harper, L. (2018). Foraging with kids: 52 wild and free edibles to enjoy with your children. London: Nourish, an imprint of Watkins Media Limited.
Welcome back to the PGP blog. This post details our Summer family feast and the launch of our new tree trail. Continue reading to find out more about all the fun we had and see some photos from the event which was a resounding success.
Tree Trail
During the event we launched our new Tree Trail. Visitors to the gardens can now use our map to navigate a path around the site and learn facts both whimsical, historical and scientific about some of our beautiful trees.
Keen observers may also spot some hidden creatures who have taken up residence in their branches so look carefully! Grown-ups and little ones alike loved exploring the site on the day and using the map to make sure they ticked off all the trees.
Family Feast
Families who attended helped to prepare some delicious food, (much of it homegrown by our star grower Cathy!) and to cook it over our firepit with many of the children using fire lighting flints to get the fire going.
Plenty of marshmallows were toasted for afters and made into delicious smores – our youngest attendees were particularly enthusiastic about taking part in this activity!
Highlights
Here at Playful Green Hull we are particularly lucky to have a fantastic forest water run on site which inspired an impromptu family water fight! Luckily the weather was on our side and everyone dried off quickly.
Families also enjoyed using our bug and minibeast hunting resources to find small creatures who have formed habitats across our site. And it wouldn’t be a Playful Green Planet get together without some very impressive tree climbing!
Save the date!
On the 25th of October we will be hosting our official launch event at the Botanic Gardens. This PGP launch event will provide opportunities to set intentions for the Autumn and Winter seasons ahead, with a little help from the local fairies! Families will have opportunities to create magical seasonal crafts, enjoy some cosy Autumnal refreshments and celebrate all that Autumn has to offer through the power of storytelling, song and nature. Come and join us, (spooky) fancy dress encouraged!
We are still finalising the details for this event so watch this space to find out more and book your place!
Welcome to the PGP blog. This is the first of what will be a regular series of posts, exploring ideas close to the project and providing you with any updates on what’s going on onsite!
Who are we?
We are a small team of academics from the School of Education at the University of Hull who are passionate about connecting children and people from across the local community with nature. We are based in the Botanic Gardens at Thwaite Hall, where we have historically trained many professionals across the education community to become Forest School practitioners. For this project, we are working closely with the Royal Society of Arts, in close collaboration with The Eden Project and Bath Spa University.
What is PGP?
Playful Green Planet is a National landmark project funded by the National Lottery Community Fund. Currently in the pilot phase, Hull is lucky enough to have been included in the project, alongside Dundee, as one of the first two sites nationally.
The PGP project aims to connect children with nature, using community driven approaches combined with creative play in the great outdoors. The project seeks to support the transformation of previously underutilised green spaces locally, to maximise the benefit of project sites for both children and the environment.
Many terms have been used to describe humanity’s need to be close to the natural world. ‘Biophilia’ refers to the innate desire of all humans to be surrounded by biological and natural life (Gunnarsson and Hedblom, 2023). The concept of ‘awe’ suggests that humans have a greater capacity for feeling wonder and marvel when observing natural spectacles, both big and small, than in other areas of life (Ballew and Omoto, 2018).
Evidence suggests that spending time in the great outdoors can have positive impacts on our wellbeing and mental health, as well as the physical benefits of being more active in the fresh air (Roberts et al, 2020). Research findings demonstrate that people may even experience less boredom in natural spaces (always a win for parents!) (O’Dea et al., 2025). However, humans spending time in nature can have a positive impact on green spaces too. The closer we feel to the natural world and the greater our understanding of it, the more we want to protect and preserve it.
Despite the positive implications for both nature and people, findings suggest that overall, we are spending less time outside than ever, with numbers having dropped after a temporary peak during the Covid-19 pandemic (Office for Natural Statistics, 2023). Children from families with lower household incomes are particularly impacted, with almost three quarters of children whose annual household income totals less than £17,000 spending less time outdoors, despite 8 in 10 children stating that time in nature makes them very happy (Natural England, 2021).
At a time when climate change poses a major threat to both the human and natural world, it has never been more significant that we seek to heal our relationship with nature (Forest Stewardship Council, 2024). The PGP project team here at Hull believe that it is crucial that children are offered opportunities to develop positive relationships with nature through what they know best – play!
By offering children from across Hull a space to have playful interactions with the natural world, the PGP project can support them to harness positive benefits such as an increased capacity for exercising agency, including increased critical thinking skills and self-reflection (Gjelvik et al., 2024). A wide range of research findings also suggest that time spent playing in green spaces allows children to develop improved creativity, owing to factors such as more time spent alone, disconnection from technologies and the relaxing and inspirational qualities provided by natural spaces (Vella-Brodrick et al., 2024).
What’s happening next?
PGP Hull are on a mission to support as many children from across our city as possible to spend time in our beautiful green space at Thwaite Gardens. We are in the early stages of running regular sessions with local schools and private settings. If you and your setting or community group would like to participate in the project, please drop us a message as we would love to connect with you!
We are lucky enough to have the support and wisdom of some of the most inspiring partners from across Hull in the form of our co-design council. If you are an organisation or group working in the Hull area with a focus on the arts, nature or childhood and would be interested in joining the council, please reach out for further discussion.
Events
On the 19th of August from 4:30-6:30 pm, we will be hosting a Family Feast event and Tree Trail. During the event, we will be doing some campfire cooking – making a healthy, plant-based meal of veggie skewers over our firepit. With toasted marshmallows for dessert! Families from across the community are welcome to join us and spend time playing across our whole site and completing our tree trail. Please email us at ForestSchoolHull@hull.ac.uk to let us know if you will be coming and make us aware of any dietary requirements.
We are currently in the process of planning our launch event which will take place at the Botanic Gardens on the 25th of October. The event will see us collaborate with our partners to bring you a fun-filled day of seasonal, nature-based crafts, play and entertainment.
Watch this space for more information!
References:
Ballew, M.T. and Omoto, A.M., 2018. Absorption: How nature experiences promote awe and other positive emotions. Ecopsychology, 10(1), pp. 26-35. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1089/eco.2017.0039 [Accessed 25 July 2025].
Forest Stewardship Council, 2024. Why is sustainability important? [online] FSC. Available at: https://fsc.org/en/blog/why-is-sustainability-important#Why%20is%20sustainability%20important? [Accessed 25 July 2024].
Gjelvik, I. G., Hauge, Å. L., Lindheim, M. Ø., Johansen, E. H., & Johnsen, S. Å. K., 2024. Affordances for agency in a nature-based outdoor activity program: a qualitative study of ‘Nature school’ for childhood critical illness survivors and next of kin. Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning, pp. 1–22. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/14729679.2024.2386342 [Accessed 25 July 2025].
Gunnarsson, B. and Hedblom, M., 2023. Biophilia revisited: nature versus nurture. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 38(9), pp. 792-794. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2023.06.002 [Accessed 25 July 2025]
O’Dea, M.K., Militaru, I.E., Igou, E.R., Rentfrow, P.J., Barrett, I. and van Tilburg, W.A.P., 2025. Nature adds color to life: Less boredom in natural versus artificial environments. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 154(8), pp. 2220–2240. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0001764 [Accessed 25 July 2025].
Roberts, A., Hinds, J. and Camic, P.M., 2019. Nature activities and wellbeing in children and young people: a systematic literature review. Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning, 20(4), pp. 298–318. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/14729679.2019.1660195 [Accessed 25 July 2025]
Vella-Brodrick, D.A., Lewis, K.J. & Gilowska, K., 2024. Exploring the nature-creativity connection across different settings: A scoping review. Educational Psychology Review, 36, pp. 134. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-024-09964-0 [Accessed 25 July 2025].
