Out to Play - creating outdoor play experiences for children: practical guidance

Appendix 3

Leave Less Trace Nature Play Principles

(adapted from Matthew Browning's work)

Prepare to Play

• Play in small groups – avoid large numbers on a site or break into smaller groups.
• Wear sensible outdoor clothes.
• Avoid littering – go for litter-free snacks and take home all scraps of food waste.
• Go to the toilet in the designated space and follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.

Build and Dig with Care

• Build dens in places that aren't really fragile - for example, in sand, rock, gravel, grass, and snow.
• Build with sticks found on the ground - not on trees.
• Dig holes - but fill them in afterwards.
• Remember that trees are alive - hugs are great but cuts and breaks are painful!

Respect Things you Find in Nature

• Ask adults what's safe to handle.
• Start a small nature collection - bring a favourite object home and leave the rest. Not everything is okay to take.
• Build a large "virtual" collection - take photos of lots of objects!
• Climb trees branches bigger than your wrist
• Find which trees are okay to climb. Some are more fragile than others.
• Let plants stay at home – avoid moving them and their seeds from one area to another.
• Try to only pick common wildflowers, berries and fungi. Only pick one or two even if there is a lot around.
• Find out if there are any invasive plant species which are safe to pick and play with.
• Find out if there's any plants you can help grow.

Be Nice to Animals

• Gently catch minibeasts, frogs and toads with hands or nets.
• Keep hands wet when handling toads and other amphibians.
• Return captured animals to where you found them.
• Remember that people food is not good for animals.
• Make homes for wildlife and then leave them in peace so the animals move in.

Remember You're Playing in A Special Place

• Treat others as you would like to be treated.
• Return rocks, logs, and moss to where you found them – they are plant and animal homes!
• Remove any mud clods from wellies before paddling in a stream.
• Use scarves other protection to minimise bark damage from use of ropes or hammocks.
• Agree the boundary of the main area to be used.