Celebrate nature play for Parks Week

Go wild outside and take up the challenge to visit our local parks and become a Parks Week winner.

The annual Parks Week event, organised by the NZ Recreation Association, runs from 10 March to 18 March to raise awareness of the value of open spaces and get people outside enjoying themselves.

Parks Week is a chance to have fun in nature.

Christchurch City Council is focusing on nature play for Parks Week with a challenge for families to visit as many parks as they can, do some outdoor activities, and be in to win an explorer pack - a child’s backpack stuffed with useful tools including a head torch, bug-catching kit, net and magnifying glass and nature books.

The Nature Play Challenge sets nine different activities to be done in nature, including balance on a log, roll down a hill, read a book outside, spot an insect, and dig in dirt. 

Several other events held during the week provide more great reasons to visit local parks and opportunities to tick off the nature play challenges.

Seven parks that are located near libraries - including Bishopdale Park, Halswell Domain and Redwood Park - will have hidden treasure boxes with nature-related books inside as part of READiscover Your Local Parks. Fill in a logbook when you've read a book to go in the draw to win some books about nature. The seven libraries involved will also be holding nature-themed outdoor story times for Parks Week. 

At Halswell Quarry Park Council park rangers will host a Playdate with Wetland Wildlife on 13 March introducing children to creatures such as eels and insects and  Messy Mud Nature Play will be on offer at Bottle Lake Forest Park on 15 March when the big hoses turn a bike track into a mud slide. 

Council Neighbourhood Parks Operations Manager Al Hardy says that, for children, playing is learning. “And there’s no better space for kids to learn than the outdoors and no better play resource than nature. Rocks, dirt, trees, bugs and water are all great things for kids to engage with and discover."

Mr Hardy hopes the READiscover programme will encourage locals to combine a trip to the library with a visit to the neighbouring park.

“It’s sometimes about getting people to notice what they have on their doorstep – so many wonderful local parks that can be used for more than just sports. Many of our Christchurch parks are great destinations for nature play – no playgrounds required!”

Christchurch City Council’s Parks Unit is supporting Little Kiwis Nature Play to present Christchurch’s first Nature Play Conference on 9 March called Take Me Outside – Connecting Children and Parks. 

Other Parks Week events include a pop-up nature play park at Thistledown Reserve and By Woodland Escapes, zumba and tai chi in Doris Lusk Reserve and a bilingual Treasure Hunt in Victoria Park organised by TriPounamu.