7 Easy Steps To Making Your

BUCKET FULL OF NATURE

TANIA MOLONEY
 BUCKET FULL
OF NATURE
WHAT IS A BUCKET FULL OF NATURE?
Are there activities and adventures out in nature that you’ve thought about
and even talked about as a family that you’d love to do and experience? But
you never seem to find the time – or energy - to do them? Or you forget
about the “brain wave” far too soon after you have it? Or you say, “I’ve
always wanted to …” or “Someday we’ll get around to …”

Don’t worry, sometimes (OK, often) we get what I call a case of the dreaded

“Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda … Didn’t’s”.

So how do you cure yourself of this dreaded foe of family-connecting,

memory-making, fun, outdoor adventuring, and learning experiences?

Firstly, let me take you on a walk down memory lane.

Think about a time when you DID get outside, exploring and adventuring
as a family. Where were you? What were you doing? How did it feel? What
did you all say afterwards? Do you talk about that time still?

Connecting to those memories, feelings and experiences is the first step

back out the door as it provides you with the very powerful WHY you want
to do it rather than just focusing on the WHAT of what it is you’re going to
do.
So, once you've worked out your WHY ...

Then just start doing ‘stuff’, outside, together as a family. One adventure at
a time. One picnic or BBQ in the backyard at a time. One walk on the beach.
One vegie garden – even one vegie (try a beanstalk!). One outing at a time.

Remember, whatever it is, it’s outside and it’s together.

Pretty soon it’ll get to a point where you are racing to see who can get out
the door the fastest!

© Nurture in Nature 2020

“Now that’s all well and good,” I hear you say,
“but what do we do when we get out there”?
We love getting out and about as a family … but sometimes
we get stuck for ideas too.

Enter the amazing “BUCKET FULL OF NATURE” to help you!

It’s a fun, family “to do” list that’ll actually help motivate you “to do” the
things on it!

We love the award-winning book “Have You Filled a Bucket Today? A Guide
to Daily Happiness for Kids” by Carol McCloud. It uses the concept of ‘bucket
filling’ through actions and words to make someone feel good about
themselves, to enhance resilience and inspire them to achieve internal
happiness. We got to thinking about how we could help you fill your bucket
full of nature and family connection experiences, and in doing so help you
to be happier, healthier and more connected with nature and each other.

So in our fun take on the “Have you Filled Your Bucket Today?” concept
… and using a REAL BUCKET … here’s how the “Bucket Full of
Nature” works …

 It’s a planner, an organiser and a place

to help you make and collect a bucket load
of cherished family memories.
 Your Bucket Full of Nature will help you
put everyone’s ideas down on paper – then
onto pegs – and keep them in one place!
 It also provides you with a GO TO place
when your kids say “I’m bored”!
 In making and then doing all the things
together on your Bucket Full of Nature list,
you’ll learn all sorts of things about yourself,
your family members and the natural world.

The best thing about the Bucket Full of Nature is that once you’ve ticked
off all the activities on your Bucket, you can get to work (play!) on
making a new bucket to fill with lots of new adventures and experiences
… and maybe even repeat some of your old favourites!

© Nurture in Nature 2020

 MAKE YOUR OWN
BUCKET FULL OF NATURE
PREPARATION TIME: 30+ minutes
ACTIVITY TIME: As long as you like! LOCATION: Wherever you like!

THINGS YOU’LL NEED

Get all your bucket making bits and pieces together and get ready to
have some creative family fun!
 Paper and pens or pencils
 A bucket with a thin 'lip' (a pot plant
bucket is ideal ... and usually free!)
 Different coloured markers
 Lots of wooden clothes pegs/pins
 Envelopes or something similar for
holding 'memories’
 Camera (optional ... but great for
capturing the moment!)

STEP 1: YOUR WHY

Like I said before, first get everyone together and talk
together about WHY you’re doing this as a family.

Consider things like:

How do you want to feel?
What do each of your as individuals want to get out of it?
What would you like to learn?
What do you want to have happened in your family as a
result of spending more time, together, outside?

Write your WHY'S down on the top of a large sheet of paper.

© Nurture in Nature 2020

STEP 2: YOUR WHAT - MAKING YOUR LIST!
Explain that your Bucket Full of Nature is a
fun way to think of lots of things you’d like
to do together outdoors.

Then grab your paper and pens, crayons or

pencils, and encourage each family member
(parents too!) to contribute their ideas!

The ideas is that everyone participates and all ideas are written down.

Write your list of WHAT'S down below your WHY's on your large sheet of
paper.
It's likely that once the ideas start flowing you'll get oodles of suggestions.

Write them ALL down. The more the merrier!

Think about:
Things you'd like to do and experience in nature
Places you want to visit in nature
Cool things you'd like to learn about nature
Things you'd like to learn to do and accomplish whilst out and about in nature
Ideas for things you'd like to do that will help nurture and protect nature

Here are some ideas to get you started …

© Nurture in Nature 2020

STEP 3: DECORATE YOUR BUCKET
All good Bucket(s) Full of Nature need an actual bucket,
so the next step is making yours!

Your bucket will be used to keep all your adventure

ideas in one place and it's a great place to keep your
memories in it once you've ticked them off!

Take your thin-lipped bucket (a pot plant container

makes a great - and cheap - bucket or you can find a
new one at a hardware or craft store).

Enjoy creating your family's bucket together and make it colourful and fun
by decorating it using stickers, paint, markers or whatever you like!

STEP 4: PEG YOUR ADVENTURES

Once you've got your snazzy bucket all ready, it's time to add your
adventures!

Next grab your wooden clothes pegs/pins and coloured markers and write
your nature bucket ideas on them (one peg for each idea).

You may want to work out how many pegs fit around your bucket and
prioritise which ones will go on the bucket first ... or just get yourself a
bigger bucket!

Any that don't fit can be used to “refill” your bucket when you've “filled”
your bucket and your life with your first lot of adventures from your list!

It doesn’t have to be rocket science and I’m all for making it as easy as
possible really. BUT if you do want to add a twist to it or have it a little more
orderly (for those of you who need to) you can even categorise them it if
you like.

© Nurture in Nature 2020

STEP 4: PEG YOUR ADVENTURES …

Here are some ways that might work for you … or come up with your own:

Colour coded using different coloured markers

 Green for parks
 Yellow for sunny day activities
 Blue for water and rainy days

Inside, Outside & Beyond

 Claire Warden’s classification of spaces as
being “inside, outside and beyond” (Warden, 2008)

I also love LandCare Australia’s philosophy and

practice …
 Do something. Learn something. Give something.

There are lots of ways you might like to group activities, experiences and
adventures.

Whatever works for you - categorised or more free-range - just get your
pegs done, and then get out there and do it!

If there is an activity happening that you want to attend

that is on a specific date, colour code the top of the
clothes peg/pin RED so you know don't miss it!

A great way of keeping track of any pre-purchased tickets or information for

those events, is simply putting them in an envelope and attached them to
the associated peg ready for when you go on that particular adventure.

Then peg/pin them onto your bucket and get ready to take a walk on the
wild side!

© Nurture in Nature 2020

STEP 5: GO ON YOUR ADVENTURES!
Now you've got your list and your bucket,
it's time to get outside and have some
good, green fun!

Take turns choosing the adventures

and make sure you let the kids lead the
way.

You may want to determine how often you'll go on your adventures (e.g.
once per week during school terms or even daily for simple nature play
activities).
And don't forget to take your camera to record your memory making
adventures!

You may also want to take a note pad or some index cards to record any
fun things the kids say or do, or interesting facts you learn. You could call
these your 'Memory Cards' or something fun like that.

These 'Memory Cards' can be pegged to the appropriate clothes peg/pin and
on your return home and will a fun jog to your memory
when reminiscing about your adventures together.

© Nurture in Nature 2020

STEP 6: BUCKET FULL OF NATURE CHECK IN
Once you've had an adventure, get together as a
family and share your thoughts and favourite things
about your experience.

Write everyone’s memories and impressions down on

your 'Memory Card' and print off your photo
memories if you can.

Record the date you completed the bucket item on

the back of the peg and then clip the 'Memory Card',
printed photos and any other bits and pieces you've
collected together.

Then you can proudly drop the finished peg into your bucket!

STEP 7: DISPLAY YOUR BUCKET

Be sure to put your Bucket somewhere in your home
where you see it often. It will create a fantastic
talking point that your kids (and you) will come back
to over and over again to reminisce about all the fun
you had.

Seeing your bucket fill up with memories is really

fun, motivating and rewarding, and it's sure to have
everyone asking what and when the next adventure
will be!

Once you've filled up your bucket with fun memories

and mementos, get started on your next one!

© Nurture in Nature 2020

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT THE BUCKET
FULL OF NATURE?
Shared nature experiences and adventures are a powerful way to
strengthen your family relationships and create cherished family memories
... and having a fun, colourful and very cool tool like the Bucket Full of
Nature is a simple and inexpensive way to help your family choose to get
outdoors together more often in a fun and motivating way.
Here’s what others are have to say about the Bucket Full of Nature …
“I love the Bucket Full of Nature because it helps me and my family to get outside, see the lovely
world of nature and have heaps and heaps of fun together”.
Taylor, Age 5
“We have loved our Bucket Full of Nature. We have always loved getting outside and into nature but
found that life was getting in the way and we would end up having large blocks of nature time and
then large stints when we were too busy and barely made it outside. With our bucket taking prime
location on our kitchen bench it soon became a reminder to get outside and find that balance. My
children were 2 and 4 when we started this challenge so it included lots of smaller moments like find
a cool rock, a new flower, or a new insect (moments that allowed us to explore and just be) and
naturally evolved to include more child led provocations such as can the bandicoot jump and what
exactly are the Aurora Australis. The bucket has been like our family Pinterest board and as we have
new questions and ideas it is added to the bucket to ensure we don't forget them. It has really enabled
us to disconnect from technology and connect with each other”.
Daylene Peach, Mum and Early Childhood Educator
“It has been a great experience. I feel like these are all things we would be doing anyway. However,
there is more buy in from many of the kids. We pulled it out this evening to look at our week and
what activities we might do this week. We are using it to document what we have done as we look
at the clips we put in the bucket as we finish them. We plan on printing one to two pictures for each
activity and writing a card to remember our excursions, putting them in a Project Life book to
remember our Bucket Full of Nature Summer! This could be extended year round or recycled. It
reminds us of our traditions and encourages us to get outside as a family, spending time in nature
together! We look forward to more Bucket Full of Nature items! Thanks, Tania!”
Dr. Carla Gull, Mom and www.insideoutsidemichiana.blogspot.com.au
“The Bucket Full of Nature helps channel creativity and time management into a great way to keep
track of wish lists for summer, vacation, or life in general!”
Geof Benson, Executive Director, Dunes Learning Center

“Thanks Tania, you’re bringing buckets of #VitaminN to Australia!”

Richard Louv, Author ‘Last Child in the Woods’, ‘The Nature Principle’
and ‘Vitamin N’, & Co-Founder of Children & Nature Network

© Nurture in Nature 2020

DO YOU FANCY SOME BUCKET FILLING NATURE
BUDDIES?
On your journey out the door, sometimes it’s nice
to be surrounded by friends and it’s motivating
to see the fun things others are doing with their
Bucket(s) Full of Nature.

Plus who doesn’t love bragging about how cute

their kid looks covered from head to toe in mud?

So we've set up a little ‘online’ Facebook group

to help get you ‘offline’ and playing and exploring
in nature. Here you’ll find lots of ideas for your
bucket lists and we know you’ll be inspired by
what others are doing with their buckets too.

You’ll also get to connect with other nature loving families from all around
the world!

So please come along and join in all the fun ... you'll find the group at

https://www.facebook.com/groups/bucketfullofnature/

I look forward to seeing you and your family OUTSIDE!

TANIA MOLONEY
Mum of two really great nature-loving kids,
Passionate advocate for connecting
children and families with and in nature,
Founder, Nurture in Nature Australia and The Nature Bus

Get in touch! We love to hear about your Family Nature Bucket List Adventures and you
can follow and join in with ours too!

Email: tania@nurtureinnature.com.au
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NurtureInNatureAustralia/
https://www.facebook.com/thenaturebus.nurtureinnature/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nurtureinnature/
Twitter: @naturechildhood

© Nurture in Nature 2020

 CONNECT WITH US AND JOIN IN THE
BUCKET FULL OF NATURE FUN!
Email: tania@nurtureinnature.com.au Phone: 0409 843 965 (Australia)
Web: http://www.NurtureInNature.com.au/
http://www.NurtureInNature.com.au/bucket-full-of-nature/
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bucketfullofnature/
Facebook: @NurtureInNatureAustralia Twitter: @naturechildhood
© Nurture in Nature 2012 to Present

© Nurture in Nature 2020