Last week the children were asked to think about the wildlife living in their gardens and local woodland. They used their detective skills to investigate which animals had visited by looking for animal tracks. We identified birds, horses, dogs, foxes and even a deer! From looking at the pictures clues below, can you match the tracks to the animals?
This week in forest school we have been noticing the signs of Spring and looking at animal habitats as many animals prepare for their babies to arrive. Children have been spotting and making different animal habitats during their walks. Karrem (Y2) watched a swan building a nest and spotted lots of mole hills! Ellie (Y2) discovered a natural hedgehog home and then decided to make her own in her garden. Mr Magnall shared a video of the changes happening in his frog pond, where he counted 40 frogs busily preparing for Spring! https://forest.aceprimary.uk/2021/02/28/monsters-in-the-swamp/
Saanvika (3S) has shared with us that while on a walk with her mum she noticed
flower buds, leaf buds and small plants growing suggesting spring is here!
Great job Saanvika, thank you for sharing your photos!
Debora (3S) has sent in this fabulous video of a bird box she spotted on a bike ride through the woods. How loud are those birds!? Great nature spotting Debora, thank you for sharing!
As the season is starting to change and the weather is warming up (a little), this week’s whole school challenge is to notice the signs of Spring. This is a very exciting time of year, when we notice so much more ‘life’ appearing around us! This spotter sheet will give you some good ideas of what to look out for. What else have you noticed?
Please leave a comment or send us an email at: forestschool@allertonceprimary.com
Thank you to Kian (Y1) George (Y5) and Edward (Y3) for having a go at the winter tree id and wonderful winter hunt challenges. Great photos, we hope you enjoyed your nature walks!
On Thursday 25 February our pond errupted with activity! The frogs went crazy and left us loads of frog spawn. The lovely sunshine was warming the water and the frogs and so they started to mate and leave us the next generation of frogs. Frogs are amphibians and so they are cold blooded, they rely on the warming weather in spring to help them become active after the cold of the winter.
I counted at least 40 frogs in our pond on Thursday, many of them will now move on to our neighbour’s pond which is more shaded than our pond and so takes longer to warm up.
The earliest date we have seen frogs laying frog spawn in our pond was 14th February – St Valentine’s Day!
Moving on from our tree identification, we have started to think about why trees are so important. One crucial factor is that they support wildlife by providing food, shelter and habitats.
This week’s whole school challenge is to become super nature detectives and get animal tracking! Take a walk in your garden or local area and see if you can spot any animal tracks. Can you figure out who the tracks belong to? This tick sheet will help you.
The printable version can be found here http://www.treetoolsforschools.org.uk/activities/pdfs/pdf_animal_tracks_spotter_sheet.pdf
To extend your knowledge you could find out more about the animal you have identified. Do some research on the internet or from a book. You could produce a fact sheet, poster or PowerPoint presentation to record your findings.
Our Forest school groups have been thinking about ways to support the wildlife in our gardens or local woodland. A few weeks ago we made birdfeeders, below are some other ideas for birdfeeders that you can make at home.
You could also leave out shallow dishes of water for thirsty nocturnal visitors.
Another exciting way of helping wildlife is by building an animal habitat! Here are some ideas to help you:
We can’t wait to see what you get up to!
Please send your pictures or videos to forestschool@allertonceprimary.com
Here is a reminder of our whole school challenge this week:
This week’s whole school challenge is a winter tree ID. Can you take this sheet with you to help you identify the trees in your garden or local area? How many different trees can you find? How do they support the wildlife in the area?
What else could you find out about the trees you identify? Use a book or the internet to research one. Perhaps you could design a leaflet or a fact sheet on paper or using the computer. Could you create a model, collage, painting or picture of a particular tree?
here is a printable version:
http://www.treetoolsforschools.org.uk/activities/pdfs/pdf_winter_tree_spotter_sheet.pdf
Please send your pictures or videos for us to share to forestschool@allertonceprimary.com
2YON have been having lots of fun making some bird feeders. They put some lard and bird seeds into a jug and mixed them to form a mixture. Next they took a small handful and moulded it into balls to create fat balls. They then took the remaining mixture and made moulds which they added string as a handle. When they were ready, they hung the bird feeders on the trees in the garden and the fat balls were put into a bird feeder. The children were really happy with what they made and I bet the birds can not wait to try the tasty bird feeders.
Well done 2YON the birds are very lucky.
