With activities for 5-10 year olds, the booklets can help families get the most out of trips to their local parks and gardens or visiting the wider countryside and coast of Wales. They can also be used at home to learn about the natural world.

Promoting the booklets, Jane Davidson, Environment Minister said: "With more concern than ever about childhood obesity and our sedentary lifestyles, the booklets are full of ideas for outdoor activities that are fun, imaginative, informative. They can help boost health and they are free of charge."

CCW has published five colourful, bilingual Countryside Explorer Guides:

• Seashore
• Parks and Gardens
• Rivers, Lakes and Ponds
• Woodlands
• On the Move

The booklets are crammed with interesting facts about nature, including an extensive identification guide to help everyone get to know the creatures and plants around them. There are also lots of ideas about things to do both outdoors and back at home, how to be a Countryside Carer and quizzes. Every activity completed scores points towards a Countryside Explorer certificate.

Some fascinating Countryside Explorer Facts (selected from the range of booklets):

Did you know?

• Seaweeds are used to make toothpaste;
• An octopus has three hearts and blue blood;
• A bat can eat 3000 midges in one night;
• Dippers are the only bird that can run along a riverbed underwater;
• Woodpeckers have built-in shock absorbers;
• The peregrine falcon flies faster than a Boeing 707taking off.

Activities for children to get stuck into include:

• Making a gogglebox to take a close look at creatures in rockpools;
• Making a bird box or a home for ladybirds;
• Making a pebble fish after a visit to a stream;
• Growing your own tree;
• Painting hand-printed birds;
• Making food chain mobile for your bedroom;
• Playing Landscape Lotto, when you are on the move.

The booklets are all available free from CCW's Enquiry Unit on 0845 1306229 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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