Theme: Wild Animals

Well, this week didn't work out quite so well. We were a bit busier and didn't do any of our themed activities until Thursday. As I sit here blogging on Sunday afternoon there is still one craft we haven't got to, although if Toby's feeling creative when he wakes up I may give it a go. Also, I ordered one of those bug viewing boxes for Toby, with the magnifying glass in the top. It was returned to the sorting office on Monday because I wasn't in to take delivery. Graham finally picked it up for me on Friday, we excitedly unpacked it, and... the viewer was hopelessly blurry. So much for that bright idea.

Anyway, enough of the stuff we didn't do. On Thursday we made birdfeed cakes. This was one of the reasons I needed those 16 yoghurt pots! I punched a small hole in the bottom, poked a piece of string through and tied a nice chunky knot.

Then Toby helped me measure out 2 pots of breadcrumbs and 4 pots of birdseed. I melted a 250g block of lard (although I believe suet is recommended), poured it in and we stirred it all up. I guess the breadcrumbs compressed, because it actually only filled 5 yoghurt pots in the end.

They've been in the fridge for the past few days and I just got one out to check that it would actually come out of the pot! A few snips in the base and a shove, and it came out quite easily - and almost all in one piece.

The RSPB do a nice children's bird book with a "guess who?" format. Toby has enjoyed reading it even though it's a little advanced for him, so hopefully once we get some visitors to our birdseed we can use it to find out who they are.

Our outing was a trip to Attenborough Nature Centre, over towards Nottingham. It's a network of lakes formed from old gravel workings, bordered by the River Trent. Graham wasn't working that day so was able to join us, and we had a pleasant walk round. We investigated a variety of insects, even without the bug box.

Damselfly?

Looking at a snail

Scarlet lily beetle

One of those flies that wants to be a wasp

There were lots of water birds with their babies, from the ubiquitous mallards to swans, Canada geese, coots, and something I've tentatively identified as an Egyptian Goose.

Coot with babies

Egyptian goose

Look! Ducklings!

Teenage mallards

Finally, there was a kids' section inside with beautiful pokerwork wooden blocks and puzzles, lift-the-flap questions, and colouring sheets.

The last craft is set up and ready to go, so I'll update you with how that goes!

Comments

National Forest Way: The End!

The National Forest Way finishes at Beacon Hill, Leicestershire, with beautiful wide-ranging views in all directions. I'd been hoping for a sunny day, and this one certainly fit the bill. The frosty earth lay under a glorious canopy of shining blue sky. I parked at Swithland Wood, close to where we finished the previous walk. Finding the waymarker on the first gate was bittersweet - this was the last time I would be following these familiar circles. Swithland Wood had been acquired by the Rotary Club in 1931, and later passed on to Bradgate Park Trust. The lumpy terrain was due to slate quarrying. I skirted a couple of fenced-off pits. As I left the wood, I passed a lake which I assumed was another flooded quarry, but with an odd little tower next to the water. I followed a road up a steady hill towards Woodhouse Eaves. Many of the houses were surrounded by walls of the local slate. Woodhouse Eaves was a prosperous-looking village with some nice old buildings. Crossing the wide ...

Theme: Body

I didn't plan this to be a theme week, but Toby's new refrain has become, "I want to do something else " (how does he know it's the school holidays?) Something else turned into my digging out my body-themed activities and roll of cheap wallpaper. So here we go! First thing to do is draw a body, and fortunately I had a handy template. Lie down, Toby! Just ignore the face. And lack of neck. I know it's not a great likeness, but he really is that tall. How on earth did that happen? He knew pretty much all the body labels already, so I can't really claim it as a learning opportunity. Still, revision is good, right? And everyone enjoys colouring on a huge sheet of paper. Another sheet of wallpaper became a blank canvas for hand and foot painting. Fortunately it's been great weather, as outside is always the best place to do this. Even with a strategically placed tub of water for washing off in. I've gone gree...

Trent Valley: A windy walk along a winding river

The air was on the move. Vast mounds of atmosphere were in a hurry to get somewhere else, pulling leaves off the willows, pushing water into waves, flicking flags into a flap as they rushed past. The sky was full of sunshine and the world was full of sound. It was a good day to be out. At Trent Lock the ground was scattered with conkers: glossy brown nuts and their spiky cases. Ahead, past the Erewash Canal, the land was once farmland; then it was dug for gravel. Now the gravel pits are flooded to create a network of lakes and have been designated as a nature reserve. Immediately after Trent Lock I was on another man-made section of water: the Cranfleet Canal. There was a memorial by the River Trent sign - Bob's Spot - with flower spinners which were whizzing around in the wind. A long railway viaduct crossed the canal and the river, and boats were moored alongside the towpath, hopefully with anything loose well tied down. The canal section ended at Cranfleet Lock. From here I cont...

Martha's Marvellous Munchies

Search This Blog