Duke's Forest School

This week all the children have made woodland flowers and we have had our own act of remembrance in the forest. The children were brilliant, thoughtful and respectful as we had a minutes silence.

The elder flower is out right now in the gardens and the hedgerows. Elder flower can be used to make a cordial/syrup like we did with the cherry blossom a few weeks ago. However the elder flower can also be used to make elder flower pancakes which are lovely, I had them with the dandelion honey we made and they were delicious. You will need a hand from parents as they will have to be cooked in the frying pan. Watch the video and give them ago. Have fun and let me know how you got on.

Have a good search around your garden and find a few caterpillars, avoid collecting hairy caterpillars as the hairs can irritate the skin, and put in a large container. Any type of container will do, add a couple of centimetres of soil (some caterpillars pupate in the soil). Whatever plant you find them on is what they like to eat, so always put some of the plant’s leaves in as well. This is really important as some types will only eat certain plants. Keep an eye on the plants and as this is eaten or starts to wilt replace it with fresh (from the same type of plant). Don’t seal the jar, but put a loose cover on the top, to allow plenty of ventilation and so the caterpillars can’t escape then place out of direct sunlight.
Now simply wait and keep checking. The caterpillars will eventually form a chrysalis and after several days will emerge as butterflies.

Ask your parents for an old sheet, blanket  or duvet cover, then let you creativity go and create your own den in the garden or your bedroom, if its wet. Here are some ideas to get you started. Use what every you can find to support it, your bike, the lawnmower, the bird table and when it’s complete send a picture, I’d love to see what you create.

The bees do such an important job pollinating lots of plants, well we can give them a day off and make our own honey. Here is a short video explaining how to make dandelion honey, it’s very similar to the cherry blossom cordial, but this actually tastes like real honey, it’s LOVELY!

What do those worms get up to underground? this is a fantastic resource from the Woodland Trust showing how to make a little wormery. Have a look, have a go and let me know.

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2020/05/how-to-make-a-wormery/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=blogs&utm_content=wildlife

• Most places if we dig deep enough there will be clay. Clay is a great natural modelling material, and can be combined with things that your child finds outdoors to make fascinating creations.

Playing with the tactile material is good for fine motor control and developing the muscles needed for handwriting, and has the same satisfying sensation as making mud pies.

They can also combine clay with pebbles, pine cones, feathers and more to create their own realistic or abstract masterpieces.