Five quacktastic tips for Easter fun with a difference

11 March 2022

Easter holidays often mean one thing…. Easter egg hunts! Why not think outside the (egg!) box this year and enjoy our Easter Duck Trail. We know you’ll go quackers for this Easter hunt with a difference!

With the longer, milder days signalling the start of spring Easter is a great time to get all the family together for an adventure outdoors. We’ve got the perfect fun-filled, family day out where you can enjoy our Easter Duck Trail at some of our wetland centres across the UK. Make sure you pick up a trail card and crack the clues to find the bright yellow, cheeky ducks that are hiding around our amazing wetlands. You’ll also discover more about our real life ducks along the way.

To get the most from your visit, try our ‘top tips’ for a quacktastic day out this Easter.

Switch off the screens and switch on the sights and sounds of spring

Keep your eyes peeled and turn duck detective as you go off in search of our ducks. For extra sleuth spy training, switch on your other senses to discover spring wildlife on a whole new level. As an extra challenge (particularly with little ones in tow!) stand still, stay quiet and close your eyes – what do you hear? What does it feel like as you lift your face to the sky on a sunny day? Spring has a smell too! You could turn this into a fun game and use our special senses scavenger hunt activity sheet on your visit or at home.

Fantastic feathers

Our wetlands are home to so many different, beautiful ducks. They are extra fascinating and flamboyant at this time of year as the male ducks show off their bright breeding feathers. Taking the time to look closely, be in the moment and marvel in the beauty of our feathered friends will help you really make the most of your spring visit and may even lift your mood too! If you find a feather as you wander through our wetlands, give it a close look. Feathers are truly amazing. You’ll see how it’s made of thousands of individual strands. Not only do they look pretty special but they keep birds warm and waterproof, enable them to fly and communicate with each other. If your visit leaves you feeling inspired by our real-life birds, why not get creative and sketch your own duck species, thinking about your favourite ducks from your visit. Our activity sheet may help.

Memorable moments

As spring approaches we are treated to an endless succession of ‘firsts’. It’s a great time to enjoy memorable moments of nature together. See the first sand martins, the first tadpoles, the first green shoots and buds. Bring your brood to meet ours and watch a winding trail of waddling ducklings following their mother. These experiences can fill us with a sense of wonder and possibility. What firsts can you see and how do they make you feel? For a special memento of spring have a go at making a spring-time nature mobile.

Embrace your inner five year old and explore nature's playground

We all need an adventure every now and then. A chance to forget your worries and embrace the joy of play and what better place to do this than our wonderful wild wetlands! Visiting our centres gives you the perfect opportunity to explore nature’s playground and have lots of fresh air fun. Whilst we’ve got exhilarating play areas, there’s also wide open spaces and weirdly wonderful wildlife to spark imaginations and help you really connect to nature. It’s easy to take life too seriously sometimes so take on the challenge of our Easter Duck Trail as a family and enjoy the feeling of achievement as you crack the case! And don’t forget to share your smiles of delight with us on social media using #easterducks

Feel inspired to protect the natural world

With your inner child released and remembering the world as a place of hope and fun, don’t forget to continue the adventure at home! You might feel inspired to attract more wildlife to your garden or care for the nature around you. Being more compassionate about the natural world makes us feel good and strengthens our connection with nature. Plant pollinator friendly flowers, create a toad shelter or a bug hotel. From visiting our wetland centres you’ll see that all wildlife benefits from the addition of water so why not build a garden pond and feel the satisfaction of watching wildlife thrive. It doesn’t have to be anything huge or expensive, a micro pond, bog garden or mini wetland can be made with things you already have and are eco-friendly too! It can be fun to get the whole family involved and enjoy life’s simple pleasures whilst also knowing you’re helping nature and the environment.