LOCKDOWN IDEAS TO KEEP YOU CONNECTED TO THE CANOPY
THINGS TO DO IN THE LOCKDOWN
At Wild Tree Adventures we are not used to staying on the ground for so long, but like everyone we are taking this time to appreciate the slower pace and realising what we hold dear. Here are just a few lockdown ideas to keep you connected to the canopy!
We have come across so many cool resources for adults and kids to keep everyone at home not just occupied but entertained and connected! We will share these resources in two blogs, this one for adults and another one for kids and families!
The great outdoors are waiting for us, as are our tree friends which we look forward to climbing soon! But in the meantime, please enjoy some of our favourite resources, and please share your favourites with us!
BOOKS
Here is a list of some of our favourite books exploring trees, tree climbing and passing on the love of our planet to our children!
- The Secret Life of Trees – Colin Tudge
- The Man Who Climbs Trees – James Aldred, this is one of our favourites, an exciting account of James Aldred’s tree climbing adventures from all over the world!
- The Last Child in the Woods – Richard Louv
- Wildwood – Roger Deakin
- The Hidden Life of Trees – Peter Wohlleben
And for all of those ‘But what species is it?!‘ questions, we love the comprehensive ID guide: Collins: Tree Guide – Owen Johnson and David More. See also the great Woodland Trust ID App.
If you would rather close those eyes and listen to the soothing tones of David Attenborough, check out this BBC Radio 4 series with David reading the nature writing classic, The Peregrine by J. A. Baker. Written in the form of a diary, it covers seven months from autumn to spring and charts Baker’s observations of this extraordinary predator. And the old childhood favourite The Call of the Wild – Jack London, is also on BBC Sounds.
TV & FILMS
You can see Wild Tree Adventures on TV here!
There are plenty of outdoor adventure films which have been kindly released free of charge for the indoor masses of outdoor enthusiasts!
- Banff Indoor Mountain Film and Book Festival
- 100 Adventure Films to Stream for Free
- Alpkit’s Screen Room: Outdoor Swimming Films
Patagonia have released several films, we highly recommend: Treeline, The Secret Life of Trees. It is a breathtaking production following skiers, snowboarders, scientists and healers to the birch forests of Japan, the red cedars of British Columbia and the bristlecones of Nevada.
We always enjoy watching animals in those hard to reach places, the Wildlife Trust have lots of cameras across the British Isles, you can tune in to lots of animal lives, from Barn Owls in Dorset to Badgers in Essex! Wildlife Trust – British Isles Webcams
The Scottish Wildlife Trust have webcams installed on several of their Scottish reserves, Watch Wildlife Online, and check out the Ospreys who are sprucing up their nest in preparation for laying! Loch Arkaig Osprey Cam.
PODCASTS
We finally have time to listen to all those podcasts we have been storing up! Here is a wee selection of our favourites:
Join James Aldred, professional tree climber, on some of his adventures. From climbing huge Atlas cedars in Morocco, to an unforgettable encounter with South America’s harpy eagle, among the largest eagles in the world, (and the owner of the largest talons of any eagle!). Listen on BBC Sounds to James and the Giant Eagle and also see his other awesome programs at James Aldred Radio.
BBC Radio 4 have compiled lots of podcasts and information on trees, so do have a browse! BBC Radio 4 Trees
In A Life in the Trees, Waldo Etherington another incredible professional tree climber talks us through how he grew up in trees and what led him to his adventure career and his passion and drive for tree climbing.
On the same platform there are loads of podcasts on a myriad of adventurers and adventures! Terra Incognita
From Tree to Shining Tree – The Intelligence of Trees – This RadioLab podcast interviews several scientists investigating the huge scale in which trees trade with fungi! These fungal networks connect trees and allows them to loan resources to each other, warn other trees of danger, and indicates some kind of intelligence or super-organism. A very friendly podcast with a few laughs!
LEARNING
It’s important to keep your mind active as well as your body, and what better way than studying mammals who live in treetops with David Attenborough?
The Open University have released a free course in which David Attenborough looks at life in the trees: examining how species have evolved to cope with arboreal living. In this free course, you will learn how lemurs, anteaters, bears and many others have developed different methods to help movement and survival.
Studying mammals: Life in the trees
Many public building have closed their doors physically but there are so many who have moved online, and their virtual doors are wide open! We came across this selection of virtual tours of museums around the world. Go to the Picasso Museum in Barcelona, the Art Institute of Chicago and an exhibition tour at the Tate Modern in London and more, all from the comfort of your own home!
DRAWING
A great time for all ages to get creative!
We have really enjoyed the following YouTube videos and will use lockdown to improve our tree drawing skills!
And if you are really keen, or just simply want to make a sketchbook for all of our tree drawings, there are tons online, here are two:
If you are drawing and making with young kids, head over to our blog Lockdown Ideas to Keep Connected to the Canopy – For Kids & Families for more ideas and guides on drawing and making things!
A WEE BIT OF SANITY
Have a read of our blog on The Benefits of Trees and Woodlands for Wellness. not only do trees and woodland give us psychological benefits but they also release chemicals which promote immunity and reduce stress hormones! Although getting our woodland fix during these times is tricky, any glimpse of nature can be savoured.
If you have kids to entertain, head over to our list of Lockdown Ideas for Kids & Families!
If you have any more Lockdown Ideas to Keep you Connected to the Canopy let us know and we will add them to the list to share!
*Please be aware that all the content that has been shared here is from sources which are out-with our website and therefore out-with our control.*
TESTIMONIALS
David Knott