Nature Detectives

As we are all huge lovers of the woods (and we are lucky we live near the National Forest) we found the children's website from the Woodland Trust a treasure trove of ideas.
It's called Nature Detectives and is just jam-packed with activities.

You can download an impressive amount of activities ideas, worksheets, recognition sheets, booklets, arts and crafts ideas, seasonal activities, you name it!

This is the Halloween activity booklet (click on image to download)

And the Autumn activity booklet (click on image to download)

For a small subscription fee you can join the Nature Detectives club and you will receive some extra material and weekly challenges, we joined but in all honesty (with the huge amount of stuff available for free on the website) we haven't done a challenge in months...
Our favourite resources are the recognition sheets (plants, birds, etc.) and making things (dens, fairy houses, etc.) and we like the seasonal activities.

The boys running in the Outwoods

Make a paper beach

The boys loved the beaches in Normandy and Reuben today had a great idea: let's make a paper beach!!

As usual he is the brains, I am the hands (with a bit more brains if needed...) and he pretty much told me exactly what he wanted. Fist we had to stand up his bodyboard (I tied it to the bookcase) then we needed a big sheet of yellow paper (which luckily we had), then lots of smaller pieces of blue paper to make wavy water.

We sellotaped the blue paper together to make waves then drew wave shapes with felt tip pens

We then drew lots of shells and creatures you find on a beach, to help us we used the Seashore book from Collins Nature Guides and it reminded us of a lot of sea life we have seen in Cornwall, Norfolk and Normandy this Summer.

The boys then grabbed some towels and played on the beach, we are also making fish cakes for supper!

Country parks and nature reserves

An important part of our week is spending time walking, cycling and playing in the local country parks and nature reserves, the boys enjoy playgrounds but I find that their imagination can really take hold outside of structured environments. We also spend time in wooded/forest areas but the activities there are a little different, more forest fun soon.

One of our favourite places is Watermead Country Park in Leicestershire where we live, from their website (http://www.leics.gov.uk/country_parks_watermead) this is a description: On the edge of Leicester, just five miles from the city centre, Watermead Country Park is a 140 hectare green oasis. It is a haven for wildlife and a peaceful stretch of countryside, easily accessible for many people. Most of the paths are surfaced making it an ideal site to visit for wheelchair and buggy users. The park is developing one of the largest reedbed areas in the Midlands, and four bird hides, including a 2-storey hide, provide great viewing opportunities for visitors.

Climbing the dinosaur head

This means that the boys can take their bicycles (and tricycles) and cycle round the lakes, we spot birds (and feed them) and enjoy the dinosaur trail round the main King Lear lake. We have also done map reading/orienteering there as well as geocaching (geocaching info here http://www.geocaching.com) and organised nature walks and den building.

Climbing the dinosaur hill

Top of the dino

Dinosaur ribcage climbing frame

Fairy Houses

What a great idea!!

We were looking at how to make small wooden fairies and their houses and we came across this American website
 http://www.fairyhouses.com/pictures/how-to-build
It is the creation of artist Tracy Kane who initiated a fairy house building project in the US, she has written and illustrated a number of books on fairy houses in natural settings and the gallery page on the website is wonderful, we are now inspired to go out into the garden and build away.

So what are they exactly? In her words:
Fairy Houses are small structures for the fairies and nature’s friends to visit. Sticks, bark, dry grasses, pebbles, shells, feathers, seaweed, pine cones and nuts are just some of the natural materials used. Ranging from rustic to intricate ‘Fairy Mansions’, these whimsical habitats are built by children, families, gardeners and nature lovers reflecting their creativity, joy and pride.
The simple challenge of creating a fairy house gives children a unique activity that encourages them to go outside and connect with the natural world, nurturing care and respect for the environment.

Project Noah

This is a very worthwhile, educational and fun project to get involved in. Share pictures of wildlife and plants to help document our planet's biodiversity.

It works through a smartphone app with linking website and facebook page.
Website http://www.projectnoah.org
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/#!/projectnoah

You can take pictures on your phone then post them to compare with similar ones, to add to the database or for others to help you identify the animal/plant. You can help identify organisms yourself, join missions and help build up a worldwide map.