Nature’s Calendar

Next term we are diving into our conservation topic. We have been exploring and observing the signs of spring in our woodlands and surrounding areas so we will be participating in the Woodland Trust Nature’s Survey to record things we see around us. Phenology is the study of the times of recurring natural events like the flowering of snowdrops, leaves appearing on trees and hearing certain birds. Through adding data to Nature’s Survey we will help scientists gather data on how climate change is affecting nature.

Although our woodlands are small we can help make a difference!

If you would like to get involved at home here is the link and you can see the Phenology guide PDF here!

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Measuring Trees

We measured the height and circumference of trees in our woodlands this week! We used our bodies to measure and we hugged the trees. We measured our arm span and any space between our hands to work out the circumference. To measure the height of the tree we got somebody to hold a meter stick near the tree and then we went back until our finger was the same length as the meter stick. We used our fingers as a meter and we measured how tall the tree was! We recorded our finding s in our outdoor journals! We also used tape measures and rulers!

‘I learned that it’s really easy to measure something that is bigger than you!’ – Katie

‘It was spectacular and amazing!’ – Owen

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Getting inspired for writing outside

This week we had a really foggy morning so we went outside to get some inspiration for some free creative writing.

Aniah has written a fantastic story starter using lots of figurative language to describe what she noticed in the woodlands.

‘One foggy day I went to the woods. I saw trees moving and the rain on the tips of the tall branches looked like beautiful tiny crystals. The clouds were silvery, I couldn’t see much because of the mist. It felt creepy and cold. Every time the rain hit the ground it sounded like footsteps…’

Great job Aniah!

 

Exploring the Woodlands

This week we went out into our woodlands to get to know it even better! Our first task was to find something so special to us that it could be put in a fancy frame in an art gallery. We made our own frames out of sticks and shared why our spot or thing was special to us. We noticed that everyone’s special thing was different!

After that we decided to use our sense of touch to get a feel for the trees living in our woodlands. We worked in trios and led a blindfolded friend to a tree. They had to feel it all over and then be led away, spun around and generally confused! Then they had to find their tree without their blindfold using only their memory of what they could feel. We really enjoyed this task and had a lot of fun. We build trust and showed that we could be responsible for the safety of our friends.

Lleyton found an ash tree in our woodlands! He remembered how to identify it in winter from our forest day at Low Port!

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What a great afternoon!

Our Woodlands Writing

It was a beautiful morning so we went out to the woodlands for some inspiration for our writing. We wrote down words that recorded what we saw, heard, smelt and felt. We did some free writing to share our morning!

In the Woodlands by Chloe

In the woodlands I see fungus on logs, flags on trees, mystery dens and holly bushes. As I walked down the woodlands I hear birds tweeting lovely songs. Every step I take I can hear sticks cracking. I was so excited at first and I started to get calm as I went but I got very cold. When I sniffed I smelled the lovely smell of fresh air. I even smelled a tree. It smelled like earth and moths. The dirty ground smelled like grass.

The Woodland by Nikola

In the woodland. Long branches that look like monster claws spread across the sky looking like they want to grab me. I saw a big, green, brown bent tree and lots of brown leaves, branches, grey feathers and other things. The birds were tweeting. All the cars and the planes sounding creepy but also dogs barking at us. I felt the sun and the wind, also the cracking branches under me. All the nature up my nose. Feeling weird from head to toe. All the bugs under my feet, really creepy wanting to bite. I take my feet away, scared there’s glass under my shoes. With brown leaves stuck to you and fuzzy birds nests up in the trees.

Out in the Woodlands by Tom

My eyes burn from the sunlight as it glistens on my face. The smell of smoke blocks my nose. Crunching twigs snap beneath my feel while birds chirp like there’s no tomorrow. As I look up the birds jump from branch to branch. Twigs and leaves sneak into the back of my shoes.

The Nature Woodlands by Billie

When I went to the woodlands I saw leaves falling down from the trees. My feet crunching when I walk. I felt the logs when I was tripping over the wind blowing on my face. Shivers going up my legs. The I felt Lucy touching my feet. I walked on and heard the birds singing in the trees. Then I heard airplanes flying across the sky. I heard Owen tapping on his white board. Then I see lots of frosty mud crunching and breaking. I see fuzzy nests in the trees made out of lots of sticks. Then I smell lots of dry wood trying to crawl up my nose. Then I felt good sizzling breakfast coming out of the houses. Then I smell smoke coming from the school.

The Woodland by Elle

Leaves were crunching whenever I stepped on them. I heard birds tweeting in the sky. The wind was blowing in my face whilst an airplane flew in the sky. I wandered through the woods. I danced about and smelt the beautiful fresh air, it was like I was dreaming. I touched a dirty, bumpy brown tree whilst I walked past a green bush. It rubbed up against me and felt soft. All the wood had beautiful carvings on them. Coldness running through my body, I was shivering. Birds were flying in the sky, leaves falling off the tree. There was dirty grass and dirty mud all over the ground. Tree branches swaying with the wind gently. My day in the woods was so fun. It was a nature adventure.

 

A Walk in the Woods by Ryan

I was walking in the woods and I heard the beautiful tweeting of birds, however I saw the amazing holly. I feel motivated to have a look around. Nevertheless I smell the wonderful smell of grass growing.

A Walk in the Woods by Abigail

The sun shining on my face. Birds singing all around me, Crunching twigs under my feet. Leaves scattered on the ground. Trees grown so tall. Wind nipping my face. Creatures running all around. Insects in and out of the ground. Smell the smell of nature. Soft under my feet, leaves like pudding. Moss grown on trees. Birds wings as strong as wind. Leaves blowing all around me. Stones being moved by ants. Roots of trees under my feet. Big trees, small trees, trees split trees in half. Twigs being used for dens. Big branches scattered on the ground. Holes for in trees for owls, plants been grown.

A Walk in the Woods by Muhammad

I can hear bird tweeting and singing as I walk in the frosty air. I can feel the leaves and branches below my feet. I can see the cold sun shining on my cold face. I touch the old tree with my eyes closed trying to calm my nerves. It makes me feel that I am special. I can hear the cars and buses on the distant road. I feel the wind gliding onto my face and hands. I can see the wind pushing the leaves. I can hear the wind as I quietly sit on a chunky log.

A Walk in the Woods by Rachel

As I walk in the subtle, tranquility of the woods I can hear the birds chirping and singing beautifully. I love the beautiful and peaceful atmosphere as the sun glistens in the day. I feel very joyful as I pass by a birds nest filled with chicks. The trees blow in the wind I stand and let the breeze blow in my face.

A Walk in the Woods by Nia

As the crisp leaves crunch under my feet, the bright sun shines in my eyes and I am blinded by the beautiful beauty. Silently the cool breeze blows against my face and birds tweet throughout. My breath is visible and the damp bark is something I smell as my mind is at peace as all is quiet. Shadows are dark against the floor. Big holly bushes pick the air and nettles sting the ground. Bird nests lay in the oak tree and baby birds are looking hungry. Squelchy mud and dirt cover my shoes and rocks have moss creeping up them. Grass is growing and stumps are icy while logs are rolling. Bugs are walking on my page as I write away.

A Walk in the Woods by Andrew

I hear pigeons calling in the trees and many other birds. There’s a cold, gentle breeze blowing on my face but I’m not the only one. The cold air sends shivers down his spine. All the trees are bare except for some holly trees but the stone I’m sitting on makes me wet. As I look around I see some rubbish but the sight gives me light. Some dens are here but the birds and insects you can barely see but you can hear. There are some brambles but they are not ready to be eaten. I sit there smelling something stinky. I taste coldness in the air. As I walked along leaves crunched under my feet. I never want to go because it was too fantastic

Building Toy Shelters

Earlier in the year we were playing in our woodlands in warmer weather. We were all really busy making shelters for some woodland creatures. We have been exploring our woodlands, selecting materials and working together to solve a design brief. We discussed what makes a good shelter and shared our work with all our friends. Check out some of the amazing leaf skeletons we found! We also tasted some delicious sour bramble berries, it’s not just the birds and small animals that love brambles!

Animals need somewhere to live, and a lot of the places they could build a home are not there anymore because of people’s houses and gardens. You can make a habitat for an animal using small containers, tubes or boxes! Log piles in our woodlands make a nice home and we have a bug hotel for the animals.

Here is a link to help you get some ideas for making a home for animals in our gardens!

CLICK HERE!

Meet Chris Marf Shields

This week we had another visitor in our school! We found a frog or toad near our door! Meet ‘Chris’!

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We had a ‘who am I?’ internet research challenge to find out what species we had visiting us and some interesting facts about her/him.

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We found out he was a… common tree frog! We named him Chris. Here are some of the facts we found.

Facts about Chris the common tree frog:
Full name: Chris Marf Shields
‘Ranidae’
Britain’s most common frog, also found in Europe. They are often found in garden ponds
Males grow to 9cm and females 13cm
Average weight: 22.7g
They eat algae, insects, snails, slugs and worms
They vary in colour from grey, brown, yellow and olive green. Limbs and backs have dark blotches
They breed at age of 2-3 years old
They are found in February to October
Common frogs hibernate through the winter, either at the bottom of ponds (breathing through their skin) or on land under refuges such as compost heaps

Chris did not like the noise in the playground so we carefully captured him and released him back into the wild!

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