Fun nature activities that children will love. Recreational games.

Let’s try flying a handmade bamboo-copter

How to make a bamboo-copter (taketombo)

When you hear “bamboo-copter,” you might imagine it’s hard to make, but this video shows a simple way to craft one in just under 10 minutes.

Since it involves using blades, it’s best left to adults, but a handmade bamboo-copter is sure to delight your children.

Let’s have fun searching for spring wildflowers

Let's play with nature! Spring wildflowers (1)

When spring comes, you start finding lots of small, cute flowers along the roadside.

Dandelions, white clover, and fleabane are typical examples, and there are also edible plants like horsetails and mugwort.

How about going outside to look for these spring plants? Dandelions, which you see often and children also know well, actually come in two types: native Japanese and foreign varieties.

You can tell the difference by looking at the underside of the flower.

You can also have fun making rings from dandelions or flower crowns from white clover.

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Playing with bamboo leaf boats

Playing with leaves: bamboo leaf boats

Here’s an introduction to leaf-made bamboo boats (sasabune).

This video carefully explains the basic way to fold a sasabune.

In the past, it was common to see children playing with them by the river, but these days you don’t see it as much.

If you know how to fold one, you might impress others when playing by the river with your children.

Adults can also rediscover their inner child and have fun.

grass sledding

cardboard sledding

This is a video showing grass sliding using just a single piece of cardboard.

It’s a simple activity, but a classic that little kids love.

Even without a store-bought sled, one piece of cardboard you have at home is more than enough to play.

When sliding on grass, it’s safest to play on gently sloped grass together with an adult.

Grass-whistle play

Leaf play: grass whistling

This video shows how to make a grass whistle using a leaf.

The demonstration uses leaves from a Japanese pittosporum (masaki), but it seems you can use any leaf of a similar size.

You might enjoy trying different leaves to see how the sound changes.

The Sound Play of Pennywort Grass

shepherd's purse

This video introduces a little sound game using shepherd’s purse.

It’s a simple pastime where you pinch the plant between your index finger and thumb and spin it to make a sound.

Shepherd’s purse is also known as penpen-gusa, and, because of its shape, shamisen-gusa.

It’s one of the seven spring herbs and grows almost everywhere, making it perfect for enjoying the feeling of the season.

How to play the pea whistle

How to play the pea whistle

This video introduces how to make a grass whistle using the traditional plant Vicia sativa—commonly known as “pee-pee beans.” It explains in detail how to choose the pods and how to make them sound, so once you get the hang of the blowing technique, anyone can easily produce a tone.

It’s a simple sound play, but surprisingly fun.

Making a water gun out of bamboo

Let's make bamboo water guns and play!

There are many traditional toys made from bamboo, and this video introduces a bamboo water gun.

It covers everything from how to choose the bamboo, the materials you need, and how to make it, to tips on how to play with it.

If you can get some bamboo, why not use this as a guide to make one yourself? It could also be a great craft project for your child’s summer vacation.

Plantain leaf sumo

Plantain leaf sumo

This is a video introducing grass sumo using plantain leaves.

It’s a short video, but the rules are simple: you hook the blades of grass together and pull; the side whose grass breaks loses.

It’s an easy game you can play with grasses other than plantain, so try it with different kinds.