Nature Journal

There was a definite sense of spring in the air this lunchtime.  We started by me getting the children to shut their eyes and listen to a clip I had recorded from the previous night on my phone.  Shutting your eyes is a good way to heighten your hearing senses.  They all recognized it...

In anticipation of national bird watch this weekend, we have been making fat balls for the birds here at Foxton.  Whilst you can buy them, they are surprisingly cheap to make.  We used just two ingredients: porridge oats and lard.  I have to say that it wasn’t the best aroma in...

As we feel the chill in the wind and head into the shortest day, it is easy to understand why our ancestors brought evergreens like holly and ivy into their houses, to bring good fortune and fertility in the forthcoming spring. Fortunately, we have a lot of holly and ivy in the nature area.  Th...

As usual, we started off with observations about the seasons, but it was an extremely mild day!  However, the leaves were almost all down with the wind, so we did talk about winter.  First, they talked about a drop in temperature and reduced sunlight and what this would mean for plant life...

Mulch To Do Excuse the pun, but the children have been enjoying all the beautiful leaves around the school. We started by talking about signs of autumn and the youngest children observed that first leaves change colour and then they fall.  We also discussed the differences between plants and...

It was lovely to feel the sunshine for a change at nature club and we were still witnessing the first signs of autumn in the form of a nibbled conker, ripening rosehips and fallen leaves.  The children suggested the hole in the conker might have been made by a bird, mouse or hedgehog and some o...