Bringing nature closer space Fun ways to turn your green into a wildlife haven

@AngleseyAbbeyNT #wildtime

1

Contents 1

How to use this guide.

2-3

Bringing nature closer. Bird feeder.

4-5

Bird bath/shower. Bird home.

6-7

Ladybird sanctuary. Creepy crawly homes.

8-9

Creepy crawlies you might find.

10 - 11

Hedgehog home. Bee home.

12 - 13

Moth catcher. Worm farm.

14 -15

Frog and toad home. Butterfly home.

16 - 17

Buterfly feeder. Sundial.

18 - 19

Some more resources.

20

Acknowledgements.

How to use this guide We hope you’ll find lots of ideas in this guide for exciting activities your friends and family can do together in your very own nature club. We’ve picked ideas that have little or no cost and use very few resources, so everyone can have a go. Don’t worry if you haven’t got friends involved in a nature club yet, you’ll find plenty of inspiration here to help you and your family have fun with nature in your own garden. You don’t have to be limited to this guide – try out your own ideas and explore resources on the internet as well. Here are some good websites where you can find more inspiring nature activities and resources: Project Wild Thing: http://bit.ly/1cH58wM The Woodland Trust- Nature Detectives: http://bit.ly/NB6Av7 Opal Explore Nature- Kids Zone: http://bit.ly/1ouerFP The Wildlife Trust- Wildlife Watch: http://bit.ly/1e6SVXL Nature Explore- Family: http://bit.ly/1f1MR2d BBC Breathing Spaces: http://bbc.in/1hPzDGn

Your friends and family are brimming with ideas too. Why not quiz your parents or grandparents on what kind of outdoor activities they did as children? What games did they play? What did they make? What animals did they see? Learning from other people is a fantastic way to get inspired outdoors. Nature clubs can bring families closer and lead to wonderful new friendships with other children as well as across the generations.

2

3

Bird feeder

Bringing nature closer

You will need: A clean juice or milk carton, leaves, scissors, glue, a stapler, string, twigs, bird seed.

How to make it: 1. Cut a door shaped hole in the front of the carton, about 5cm from the base. Make sure it’s about the right size for small birds to get to the food. 2. Use the glue to stick some leaves to the outside of the carton to decorate it and help it blend in with the natural surroundings.

These pages are all about creating things with and for nature. You can make lots of things from recycled materials. So, why not give it a go?

3. Poke several small holes in the bottom of the carton so that water can drain out when it rains, but not too big as you don’t want any seeds to fall out. 4. Poke a twig through the carton just below the doorway to act as a perch. 5. Put the bird seed inside, making sure it is nice and full. 6. Make sure the top of the carton is stapled shut. Pierce a hole in the top for hanging and use the string to tie it to a tree or fence. 7. For a simple alternative find a fir cone, and pack it with unsalted peanut butter or fat and seeds to hang outside.

FACT:

There are more than 500 different bird species in the UK. Birds eat berries and seeds, ants, slugs, snails, worms, larvae and caterpillars.

4

5

Bird bath/shower

You will need: A clean plastic bottle with cap, a drawing pin and a watering can, some string, a shallow bowl, some small clean stones, shells and pebbles. How to make it: 1. Cover the bottom of the shallow bowl with small stones. 2. Place the bowl on a small sturdy table or level tree trunk. If there aren’t any, you could hang it from a branch. Birds won’t use the bird bath if they feel vulnerable. 3. Put it close to bushes, somewhere where birds will have a good view of the garden and any approaching cats or sparrowhawks. 4. Make a tiny hole in the bottom of the bottle using the tip of a drawing pin. Decorate the bottle if you like. 5. Put water in the bottle and put on the cap tightly. The water will flow out in a stream at first but will then reduce to a steady drip. 6. Attach the string to the cap of the bottle and hang it in a branch above the bowl. The dripping water will make ripples that will attract birds. 7. Add some water to the bowl and clean it every couple of weeks to remove droppings and dirt.

Bird home

You will need: A plastic flowerpot with a base dish or large yogurt pot with a lid, some string, scissors, strong glue, decorations and waterproof tape.

How to make it: 1. Thread the string through the holes in the bottom of the pot and tie them together inside the pot to ~create a hanging loop. 2. Cut a hole in the side of the pot around 3cm wide and 5cm from the bottom. 3. Cut some drainage holes in the base dish. 4. Glue around the bottom of the plastic base dish and stick it to the bottom of the pot as the base of the birdhouse. 5. Decorate your birdhome with dried flowers, twigs, snail shells and pinecones. 6. Cover the top with strips of bark, and use waterproof tape to secure them and prevent rainwater dripping into the nest. 7. Hang your bird home in a tree using the loop and rest the bottom on a branch to make it even more secure. A sheltered place out of full sun and away from predators is best.

6

7

Ladybird sanctuary

You will need: Corrugated cardboard, a clean plastic bottle, twigs, and a pair of scissors.

Creepy crawly homes You can use all sorts of containers, logs and natural resources to make a bug hotel. Here’s one way to make a bug-friendly home: You will need: A bucket, woodchippings, soil and an outdoor space.

How to make it:

How to make it:

1. Cut the top off a plastic bottle. This can be tricky, so you might need an adult to help.

1. Make holes in a bucket and fill it with woodchippings and soil.

2. Cut out a piece of cardboard the same length as the bottle, cutting across, not along the corrugated tubes.

2. Leave it in the garden. This will attract stag beetles. 3. You can also put a woodpile nearby, which will attract all sorts of creatures. Why not drill some holes in to a few logs to make a great home for bees and bugs?

Club Idea:

3. Roll the cardboard up nice and tight without crushing the tubes, and push it into the plastic bottle.

Why not ask everyone to find a rock, and decorate it using chalk or nontoxic paint. You can then put all the rocks together to make a rockery, or let everyone take theirs back to their own garden. A rockery makes a great habitat. If you smear yoghurt on the rocks it will encourage lichen to grow.

4. Fill in the hole with twigs for ladybirds to land on. 5. Find a dry and sheltered place to put your bottle, perhaps in some shrubs. Place it sideways so the opening is lower than the bottom so rainwater can drain out.

Another way to discover the world of creepy crawlies is simply to pick up logs and stones and see what’s underneath. You can try this in any park or outdoor area. To create your own sheltered bug habitat, all you need is a board or plank of wood. 1. Place a bit of board on the ground. 2. Leave it there for a month. 3. After a month, lift it up to see what has moved in.

FACT:

Ladybirds are great for gardens because they feed on greenfly and other tiny pests.

4. Use the identification sheet on p8 to see what you’ve found.

8

9

Creepy crawlies you might find

Woodlouse Found in dark, damp places. Woodlice eat plant material and even their own droppings. They are crustaceans related to crabs.

Earwig Look for the pincers on their backs. Earwigs use them to fight other males. They hate the cold and like to find warm places to hide.

Worm Worms have no eyes, ears or nose but can sense light and vibrations. They swallow soil as they tunnel through it.

Slug A slug is like a snail without a shell. They stretch to 20 times their normal length to squeeze through small spaces.

Millipede Look for four legs (two pairs) on each body segment. They move much more slowly than a centipede.

Centipede Look for just two legs (one pair) on each body segment. They hunt and eat insects - and even each other!

Ladybird The bright red colour of many ladybirds warns predators that they taste nasty and can release a foul smelling chemical.

Spider Look for 8 legs on a spider. Spider silk is five times stronger than steel.

Ant An ant can lift 20 times its own body weight.

Caterpillar Caterpillars have 4,000 muscles (a human has 630). They use most of them for eating.

Shield bug Look for a triangular shaped plate on their backs that protects them, just like a shield.

Harvestman A long second pair of legs contain special sensory organs for tasting and feeling the ground ahead.

Spider’s eggs A spider egg contains as much DNA as four humans combined.

Ground beetle Beetles have a pair of wings protected by hard wing cases. They hunt at night for slugs and other minibeasts.

Insect larvae These are young insects growing in a protective case. They come in lots of shapes and sizes.

Snail Snail shells grow a new spiral ring each year, so you can tell how old they are.

11

10

Hedgehog home

Bee home

You will need: A large cardboard box, some old newspaper, some rocks or bricks, dry grass and leaves, twigs and some plastic sheeting.

You will need: A weatherproof box or clay flowerpot, some hollow bamboo sticks, secateurs string or twine, mud or plasticene.

How to make it:

How to make it:

1. Turn the box upside down - this will be the basis for your hedgehog home. 2. Cut out two small air vents in the side of the box (about 15cm X 5cm). Then cut a doorway big enough for a hedgehog to squeeze through.

Top tip

Remember not to disturb the box once a hedgehog has moved in.

1. Cut the bamboo to be a bit shorter than the box or flowerpot. You can do this with secateurs, but watch out for the sharp ends. 2. Tie the bamboo into a bundle and block one end with mud or plasticene.

3. Cover the box with the plastic sheet. Camouflage it with some leaves and put a couple of rocks or bricks on top to keep it in place. Pile sticks over it in a dome shape to keep it sheltered.

3. Push the bundle into the box or flowerpot.

4. Put some leaves and newspaper strips inside for bedding, but not too much because hedgehogs like to collect their own when they are getting ready to hibernate.

5. On a sunny day, watch for solitary bees and other insects coming and going from your bee home.

4. Put your bee home in a sunny place with the opening lower than the base, to stop it filling up with rain.

5. Position the hedgehog home in a sheltered area, ideally with the entrance facing south. Putting your home near a messy, damp area of the garden will encourage a hedgehog to move in.

If you want to make a sturdier home, why not try using a wooden crate? Or to keep it even simpler, create a pile of dry leaves under a sheltered bush or pile of logs to attract hedgehogs.

FACT:

You can tempt hedgehogs with cat food, but never give them bread and milk as it will make them very ill. Hedgehogs often nest in compost heaps, so be careful during the winter, and always check piles of wood before you light your bonfire.

FACT:

Some plants are especially attractive to bees: thyme, heathers, verbena, sunflowers, meadow cranesbill, lavender, borage, purple sage, hollyhocks and honeysuckle. For more information on how to make your own wildlife garden, take a look at pages 4 - 7 in our ‘Growing things’ guide

12

13

Moth catcher

Worm farm

Make a moth catcher so you can look at moths up close.

Have an underground adventure and make friends with some worms!

You will need: String, a white sheet, two powerful torches, a cardboard box, some egg boxes with no lids, scissors, stapler, double sided tape.

You will need: A clean plastic jar, jug or tub, sand, a skewer or something sharp to make holes with, strips of newspaper, leaf litter, compost, soil and scrap food, fruit and vegetable peelings.

How to make it:

How to make it:

1. Hang the sheet between the branches of a tree using string to secure it. Hang a torch behind the sheet

1. Poke holes in the bottom and near the top of your plastic container using the skewer or scissors. You might need to ask an adult for help with this.

2. Cut off the top flaps on the shortest side of the box. Cut one of these flaps into four narrow strips.

2. Pour in a 10cm layer of sand. Add moistened newspaper strips

3. Tape four egg boxes inside the box at each end and scatter the others on the base for moths to perch on

3. Pour in the leaves with some compost and soil. Then add more sand.

4. Staple the strips to the top of the box so the two remaining flaps make a valley with only a narrow slit of access in to the box. 5. After dark switch on the torches and place the box below the sheet. Place a loose torch on end inside the box. Leave this catcher for one to two hours (or overnight) and go and take a look at what you have found!

FACT:

Scientists are still not sure why moths are attracted to light. Moths come in all shapes, colours and sizes and can often be mistaken for butterflies, bees or wasps! There are over 160,000 species of moth in the world - far more species than butterflies.

4. Collect worms by digging up garden soil. Put them in the jug and add food scraps and peelings. 5. Cover the jar and place in a dark place for a few weeks. Keep adding food scraps as they use up the supply. 6. Carefully empty the worm farm on to the soil and look at it closely.

FACT:

Earthworms have no eyes, ears or nose but can sense light and vibrations. There are 3000 different worm types in the world. Some tropical species grow to more than one metre long. Worm tunnelling aerates the soil and creates drainage channels. Worms digest dead matter, and leave behind coiled casts (poo) which are high in nutrients. All of these things help plants to grow!

15

14

Frog and toad home

Butterfly home

Club Idea:

You will need: A clay pot, a trowel, damp leaves, gravel, a watering can and a saucer or large plastic lid.

You will need: A clean juice or milk carton, scissors, glue, string, bark, twigs and leaves.

How to make it:

How to make it:

1. Find a cool, moist, shady place. Dig out a hole in the ground with enough space for the pot to lie sideways and half submerged in the soil.

1. Draw three slits about 5cm long and 1cm wide and cut them out with scissors. Ask an adult to help you with this.

2. Place the pot on its side in the hole and bury half of it with loose soil placed inside and around it.

2. Make a viewing door on the next side of the carton by cutting out a large flap on three sides. Place bark inside so butterflies can land on it.

3. Make a nice bed inside the pot by placing lots of damp leaves for the frog or toad to enjoy. Moisten the area with water from the watering can. 4. Place a small saucer nearby with some gravel and water for the frog or toad to splash about in. You could make a little sign to welcome your new friend to its home.

Hold an ‘All things butterfly’ event. For younger children, you could theme your event around ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’.

3. Decorate the carton by sticking on twigs leaves and empty snail shells. This will attract butterflies as it will look like a natural resting place for them. 4. Thread twine or a bent twig on the top of the carton so it can be hung on a tree or somewhere sheltered like under the roof of a shed. 5. Make sure you clean it out every now and then to stop spiders moving in and trapping your butterflies.

FACT: Toads eat flies, moths, mosquitoes, snails, slugs and larvae. Do you know the difference between toads and frogs? Frogs have smooth damp skin, whilst toads have warty dry skin. Toads waddle around, whilst frogs tend to hop. Frogs can come in many different colours and can change their shade according to temperature and mood. The colour of toads varies according to their habitat and the colour of the soil.

16

17

Butterfly feeder

You will need: A paper plate, string, some over-ripe fruit.

Sundial You will need: One large straight stick and twelve markers such as pinecones, leaves or stones and a watch or clock. It needs to be a suuny day.

How to make it:

What to do:

1. Make 4 holes round the rim of your plate.

1. Find a sunny spot that doesn’t get shaded.

2. Try to get them evenly spaced or the feeder will hang lop-sided.

2. Place your stick upright into the ground and put a marker where the shadow falls.

3. Tie a piece of string through each hole, then tie all the ends of the string together. The feeder should now look like an upside-down parachute.

3. An hour later, place the next marker where the shadow of the stick now falls.

4. Place the fruit on the plate. Now hang the feeder near some flowers and wait for the butterflies to arrive.

Making butterfly supper You will need: A saucepan, ¼ cup of sugar, 2 cups of water, a brightly coloured sponge, a plate How to make it: 1. Ask an adult to help you with this stage, as boiling sugary water is dangerously hot. 2. Put the sugar and water in the saucepan. Heat the pan until the sugar dissolves. Boil it for a few minutes. 3. Let the sugary water cool for at least half an hour 4. Soak the sponge in the sugary water. Put the soggy sponge on the plate outside, near some flowers. Now just sit back and watch all the butterflies come to feast.

4. Do this every hour for as many hours as you can until you have a semi-circle of markers. 5. This may take a few days to finish, depending on what time of day you begin, and the weather. 6. Once you’re done, you’ll be able to tell the time just from the sun. 7. It’s a good idea to mark the 12 noon spot in some way, to make your sundial easier to use.

18

Activity resources Project Wild Thing:

Some more resources

http://bit.ly/1cH58wM The Woodland Trust- Nature Detectives: http://bit.ly/NB6Av7 Opal Explore Nature- Kids Zone: http://bit.ly/1ouerFP

Here’s a list of some of the resources we used to compile this guide. These might be useful if you want more detail and more ideas. We’ve also added a few other links which we think are worth taking a peak at.

The Wildlife Trust- Wildlife Watch: http://bit.ly/1e6SVXL

Books:

BBC Breathing Spaces: http://bbc.in/1hPzDGn

Nature Explore- Family: http://bit.ly/1f1MR2d

How the mushroom got its spots: An explainer’s guide to fungi Sue Assinder & Gordon Rutter Sharing nature with children Joseph Bharat Cornell

List of nature books for kids:

All about garden wildlife David Chandler

http://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/200801/ BTJRecommendedNatureBooks.pdf

Wildlife Garden Martyn Cox

Richard Louv’s list of ideas:

http://richardlouv.com/books/last-child/ resource-guide/

For more information on why getting children outdoors is so important, see the recent National Trust Report on Natural Childhood by Stephen Moss: http://bit.ly/1k9yAyX Setting up your own club:

Garden Detective’s Handbook Miles Kelly

Here are some other brilliant guides on how to set up your own nature club:

Last Child in the Woods Richard Louv

Children and Nature Network: http://bit.ly/1g37lY4

The Bumper Book of Nature Stephen Moss Go Wild: 101 things to do outdoors before you grow up Jo Schofield & Fiona Danks The Stick Book Jo Schofield & Fiona Danks

Nature Play WA: http://bit.ly/P4Rn6r Neighbourhood Nature Clubs: http://bit.ly/1cxXtqw

Other web resources: The Children and Nature Network website http://bit.ly/1f1TL7z

19

20

Acknowledgements

Design Sorsha Roberts & Sophie Atkinson Illustrations © Families from The Croft Child & Family Unit/ St. Philip’s Primary School/ Rachel Bingham/ Janet Jephcott Photography © National Trust/ Sophie Atkinson/ Rachel Bingham/ Kate Boursnell/ Emma Bruce/ Allan Drewitt/ Maddy Geddes-Barton/ Zena Hagger/ Alysoun and Lucy Hodges/Janet Jephcott/ Jo Marriott/ Sorsha Roberts/ Helen Snow/ Eleri Thomas/ North East Wildlife Additional editing: Kate Boursnell The National Trust is an independent registered charity, number 205846