We follow a curriculum from @raisinglittleshoots called Exploring Nature with Children. Each week of the year has a different, seasonal theme to base your nature study around. This post is about Exploring Nature with Children in May. If you’d like to discover more search the hashtags #ENWC and #ExploringNatureWithChildren.
- This blog post gives you some resources you may find helpful for each week in May.
- As always these posts get added to each year as we go through the cycle of the curriculum again.
- Join the Facebook group to be updated when new resources appear.
- If you are on Pinterest you might like to check out my ENWC Pinterest board here.
This website contains affiliate links. As an affiliate I may earn money from qualifying purchases. As an Amazon Influencer/ Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, at no cost to you. Thank you if you do use one of my links – it helps keep my website going. Please see affiliate link and disclaimer page for more information.
Navigate May Ideas & Resources
May 2025 Exploring Nature with Children Dates
You can find the full calendar of dates for the year here. Under the ENWC dates you will find other dates you may wish to consider as they fall into these weeks including awareness days and religious festivals/ dates.
28th April-4th May – Grasses Week
- Beltane – 1st May
- Pagan and Wiccan festival celebrating the peak of spring and the coming of summer.
- Mother Goose Day – 1st May
- Celebrates classic nursery rhymes and stories for children.
- International Harry Potter Day – 2nd May
- Commemorates the fictional Battle of Hogwarts from J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series.
- World Press Freedom Day – 3rd May
- Highlights the importance of press freedom and honours journalists worldwide.
- Free Comic Book Day – 3rd May
- Promotes comic books by offering free comics to readers; observed on the first Saturday in May.
5-18th May – Caterpillar Week (2 weeks)
- National Cartoonists Day – 5th May
- Recognises the contributions of cartoonists and their work.
- Children’s Book Week – 5th to 11th May
- An annual celebration of books for young readers and the joy of reading.
- Buddha’s Birthday – 5th May
- Celebrates the birth of Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism.
- Make a Book Day – 8th May
- Encourages creativity by making and sharing books.
- Limerick Day – 12th May
- Honours the fun and whimsical five-line poems known as limericks.
- National Stationery Week – 15th to 21st May
- Promotes the importance of handwriting and stationery.
- Endangered Species Day – 16th May
- Raises awareness about conservation efforts for endangered animals around the world.
- National Biographer’s Day – 16th May
- Commemorates the anniversary of the first meeting between Samuel Johnson and his biographer
19-25th May – Black Garden Ants Week
- World Bee Day – 20th May
- Highlights the importance of bees and other pollinators for the ecosystem.
- Sherlock Holmes Day – 22nd May
- Celebrates the birthday of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes.
- International Day for Biological Diversity – 22nd May
- Promotes understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues.
- World Turtle Day – 23rd May
- Aims to increase knowledge of and respect for turtles and tortoises, and encourage human action to help them survive and thrive.
- Towel Day – 25th May
- Honors the work of Douglas Adams, author of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.”
26th May – 1st June – Butterflies Week
- Garden Wildlife Week – 26th May to 1st June
- Encourages people to create habitats that support local wildlife in their gardens.
- World Otter Day – 28th May
- Highlights the importance of otters and promotes actions to conserve these charismatic animals and their habitats.
All Month
- Be Kind to Animals Month
- Encourages compassion and kindness towards all animals.
- Get Caught Reading Month
- Promotes the joy of reading books for all ages.
- National Share a Story Month
- Aims to promote the power of storytelling and its role in education, particularly among children.
- Short Story Month
- Celebrates the short story as a literary form.
- Latino Books Month
- Highlights literature by and about Latinos.
Exploring Nature with Children Grasses Week
Free Comic Book Day – 3rd May
We adore comic books and graphic novels. To find lots of our posts about these types of books with our favourite recommendations head here.
Exploring Nature with Children Caterpillar & Butterfly Weeks
Caterpillar week is one of our favourite weeks. It covers two weeks, that’s how wonderful it is! Below you’ll find a free download as well as useful books and resource links.
Free Caterpillar Download
Helpful Blog Posts & Resources
Make a Book Day – 8th May
Make your own zine! Find out how simple this is in the video below.
Exploring Nature with Children Black Garden Ants Week
World Bee Day – 20th May
Free Bee ID Card Download
Useful Blog Posts and Resources
World Turtle Day – 23rd May
These two books in this post are fantastic for exploring turtles and their habitats.
Garden Wildlife Week – 26th May to 1st June
For this week you might like to check out some of my posts in the Garden Series below.
Garden Series Posts
Are you looking for a little garden inspiration? Would you like your children to be able to explore the outdoors and enjoy learning through play? This is the series for you. Click on the titles below to head to that blog post
World Otter Day – 28th May
Here’s some books that we love with Otters in:
Exploring Nature with Children Butterflies Week
More Nature Resources for May
Helpful Blog Posts
Exploring Nature with Children through the Year
You can find more resources for different weeks in the ENWC curriculum by clicking on the links below:
