Summer Wellbeing Calendar

It’s simple to take part! You can either:

• Download the calendar to print it out
• If you're using a phone or tablet, tap and hold the image above to save it to your device
• If you're on a desktop or laptop, right-click to save

Below, you can find extra advice and tips to help you participate in each activity.

You can do these activities on your own, or you can team up with someone else, or do this as a family activity. Many of the ideas are child-friendly. We have included [family] beside the activities below where it is particularly well suited for all ages.

1. Relax and enjoy your garden. No extra advice needed! Take as long as you like - 5 minutes, 35 minutes - simply appreciating your garden and spending time in it. Try not to think about anything that might need doing.

2. Make a cut flower arrangement. Choose a selection of flowering plants and interesting leafy stems or grasses and create a display for your home. This guide, while focusing on autumn plants, contains lots of helpful tips.

3. Go cloud spotting [family]. Spend some time looking up. You could do this activity sitting in the garden, or inside, looking out the window. What cloud types can you see? This Country Living article has facts and images about the main cloud types spotted in the UK. Can you spot any cloud shapes? You could have some fun and take a photo on your phone then use the edit function to draw the imagined shape as an outline (see photo above).

4. Deadhead flowers. Enjoy instantly improving the appearance of your plants by removing dead and faded flowers. Our guide to deadheading has tips.

5. Take an outdoor walk [family]. You could stroll around your garden, or you could join with a friend and go to a park or local green space. Enjoy the feel of the air and notice the nature around you.

6. Make edible flower ice cubes [family]. Brighten up your drinks by adding edible flower ice cubes. Find a step-by-step guide here.

7. Count butterflies [family]. Spend peaceful time observing your garden and noticing which species of butterfly and how many you can see. If you are doing this between mid July and early August, you could record your findings as part of the Big Butterfly Count.

1. Make herbal tea. We think tea is a year-round drink! Try making yours using fresh herbs - picked from the garden, if you have them. Read more about making herbal tea.

2. Have a picnic in your garden [family]. Enjoy your sandwiches or salad with a side dose of fresh air. You could get out a rug and have a picnic on your lawn, or sit at a small garden table. If you don't have suitable garden space, pop to the nearest public park or green space where you could sit and eat on a bench.

3. Save seeds. This is a quiet, calm activity that allows you to spend time getting close to nature. Growing new plants from existing ones is also hugely satisfying (and cost-effective). Find more advice in our guide to saving seeds.

4. Have a 5-minute listen. Sometimes, switching off can be a challenge. By focusing on the sounds of nature for a few minutes, you have the chance to immerse yourself in your surroundings. Listen for birds, trees, or any other sounds you might find in nature and see if you can tune out the human world for a little bit.

5. Make a nature walk cardboard vase [family]. This is a simple way to add fun to a nature walk or trip around the garden. You get to appreciate what's growing and look in detail at flowers while collecting them. Follow our step-by-step guide for detailed advice.

6. Go stargazing [family]. You may need to stay up late for this one! The wonderful thing about looking up at the stars is how it can put things in perspective, looking at the vastness of the universe. You could search for constellations. If you need some help with this, there are apps like Night Sky. Or, just enjoy the patterns and scale.

7. Harvest fruit and veg [family]. If you're growing your own, summer - especially late summer - can yield a glorious supply of apples, tomatoes, beans, salad and more. If you're not growing anything edible, or your harvest is a bit lacking this year, head to your nearest Pick Your Own and enjoy gathering fresh food.

1. Outdoor breathing exercise. Find a favourite spot outdoors and try the following. Breath in slowly through your nose for 3 seconds. Hold your breath for 4 counts. Then exhale through your mouth for 5 counts. This simple act should help you feel calm and centred.

2. Create floral-inspired art [family]. Take your creativity in any direction, with inspiration from the beauty of flowers. You could create a realistic painting or pencil sketch of a plant, be inspired by Georgia O'Keefe's abstract close-up art, create a collage to represent a flower - or anything else that appeals to you.

3. Walk barefoot on the grass [family]. When you walk barefoot on the grass, you get to connect with nature, quite literally, with your toes as the tools. Get some extra tips here.

4. Make a cress head [family]. Cress is hugely satisfying to grow as it germinates so quickly. Create living comedy characters in your home by making an eggshell cress head. Follow our guide.

5. Design your garden. We often recommend the start of the New Year is a good time to make plans for your garden. But, it can also be a great activity while your garden is in bloom. This way, you can instantly note what's growing, what you love, what you wish was there and any gaps. Find a template and tips here.

6. Talk to your plants. The idea of talking to your plants may make you feel silly. But there is some limited evidence that plants may grow more in response to noise vibrations. Try talking in a gentle, positive tone. You only need to say a few words; 'Good morning, dahlia!' or 'What's new with you, apple tree?' Think about how talking to your plants made you feel and whether you'd consider doing it again!

7. Try nature photography [family]. Nature photography could mean taking images of plants, wildlife, the sky, mountains, water or other natural elements. It allows you to capture something you love in nature, be creative and make people think or feel something about the natural world. Find tips in our guide to nature photography.

1. Compile a list of autumn bulbs to buy. From the end of August, garden centres start to fill up with bulbs to plant in autumn, such as daffodils, alliums, bluebells and tulips. Get yourself set by researching and creating a list of bulbs you're hoping to plant this year. Our guide to autumn bulbs has extra advice and tips.

2. Read a book in the garden [family]. Combine literature and nature and enjoy the benefits of both. You could read a few chapters of a book at a patio table, take a newspaper to the nearest park, or have reading time with a younger child on a rug on the lawn.

3. Play a colour hunt game [family]. This could be played in your garden, or at your local park or public green space. Point out a colour on something you / anyone you are with is wearing. See who can find the closest colour match to it in nature. This could be a flowers, leaf, tree bark, feather. Anything, as long as it's a natural item.

4. Have your morning drink outside. Start the day with a dose of fresh air and Vitamin D. Take time to notice the natural sights, sounds and scents around you at the same time as enjoying your beverage.

5. Try focaccia bread art [family]. Focaccia makes the perfect, tasty backdrop for nature-inspired art using vegetables and herbs. Many focaccia recipes will require dough prepping in advance, but if you are creating this with younger people, you could try this quick and easy recipe.

6. Dry flowers [family]. When you dry flowers, you get to preserve a moment in time. That could be a favourite flower in the garden, or a bouquet you love. There are different ways to dry flowers. You could hang them upside down somewhere dark and dry for a few weeks. You could press them using books. Or, you could microwave dry at 30-second intervals - take care not to let them burn.

7. Relax and enjoy your garden. We end the Summer Wellbeing Calendar by repeating the day one activity. Summer is a wonderful season for relaxation and enjoyment. We hope you've found plenty to spark your imagination, interest and connection to nature over the last 28 days!