Things to do outside and in, 24th February – 2nd March 2012

The rather uneventful months are over and we’re back into the swing of lots of activities being offered either outdoors or about nature indoors.

To get an overview of what’s on, have a look at the calendar of events where I try to add all the things that I find out about.

However, in spite of trying to be ever so meticulous, even today I came across events this weekend that are not in the calendar. So, fittingly, I’m going to feature them here and now.

The Scottish Youth Theatre have their most recent Family Storytime event on with The Lad Who Went to the North Wind, on 25th and 26th February. We like the Scottish Youth Theatre very much so this is bound to be another fun filled and interactive event, a great introduction to the theatre for 3-7 year olds. 10.30am and 12.30pm, price £5 per ticket, under 2s go free, family of 4 £15. Booking highly recommended: www.scottishyouththeatre.org, 0141 552 3988

Find out more about the RSPB, their campaign work and how they help birds of all kinds, from back garden species to birds on the other side of the world. Thinking of becoming a member but not sure what it involves? Come along to this FREE membership taster day and find out all about Lochwinnoch, and take part in a guided walk of the reserve. Includes introductory talk, guided walk, Q&A session, tea/coffee and a chance to find out more about RSPB campaigns and how you can get involved. 25th November, Lochwinnoch Nature Reserve, 11am-2pm, free.

Living Willow Dome and Tunnel

There are many great initiatives and project in Glasgow. One of them is quite local to me, the Battlefield Community Project which looks after a community garden in the heart of Battlefield which is in the Southside of Glasgow.

This weekend, Urban Roots (also a Southside organisation) had set up a weekend of creating living willow structures, and I’d been looking forward to this for quite a while. I’m quite partial to anything to do with wood, and it was definitely on my wish list to learn a thing or two about willow. At the end of the summer, when the Forgotten Island disappeared, there were piles of living willow going for free and I was tempted to make use of some, but then thought better of it, not knowing much about willow or how to look after it.

Today, the 10 people or so who took part in the workshop, created a willow dome and tunnel which has added a children’s corner and play area to the community garden. I tested it out with my kids later in the day and it definitely got the thumbs up.

What I really like about this (apart from the fact that I can walk by and say “I made that!” which is quite a nice thing to be able to say) is that it’s an open space in the middle of a very densely populated part of a city, with no fences, totally open access. It’s quite astonishing what the Battlefield Community Project has managed to do, step by step, to create an oasis with garden space, regular events in the garden and now this wonderful willow den.

I didn’t just learn something new which I can use again, but I’m rather pleased that my kids now have this great outdoor play structure available to them in walking distance. And maybe, just maybe, this could be an inspiration for others to do something similar near them. It doesn’t take wide open spaces, woodlands or parks to encourage outdoor play. Sometimes, amazing things are possible in the middle of the city.

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Tweet tweet – it’s all about birds!

This weekend has most definitely a bird theme. I’ve read somewhere that it’s the last weekend where you can put up nest boxes for use this year, so how fitting that there are a few places around Glasgow offering the opportunity to build your own bird box which you can then take home and put up!

Dams to Darnley start off at 10 am on Saturday 18th February. As part of ‘National Nest Box Week’ the countryside rangers will help you to build some nest boxes. All materials provided free of charge. Meet at the Ashoka restaurant car park, Corselet Road, off Nitshill Road, Darnley.

The RSPB at Lochwinnoch also offers to build and decorate a nest box on Saturday 18th of February, on a drop in basis from 10am to 3pm. £6 or £2 for members. Includes a box to take home.

Check out further events for kids and the family in or about nature on the calendar of events. And if you would like to add an event to it, just let me know the details.

Love… Outdoor Play!

You know what? We luuurve outdoor play.

Yes, we can go on about all the health benefits. How it’s such an equaliser and means everyone is involved. How there are less tensions, less bullying, more empathy. How it nurtures responsible citizens, and a sense of belonging and caring for the world around us which we need to survive. How it develops balance, skills to assess risks, social skills, fine and gross motor skills. How it gives children an opportunity to move and explore on their own terms rather than being stuck in limitating four walls.

At the end of the day, though, we simply love outdoor play.

Why not share your love? This is the time to do so, because the love outdoor play campaign has been launched and ach, it is just such a fabulous campaign. So for Valentines day, share your love of outdoor play, online, off line, and with your MP, MSP, Councillor:

How about sending a Valentine’s card to your local MP or Councillor?

Local Authorities, accountable to our MPs and Councillors, make decisions that affect every aspect of our neighbourhoods, our schools and children’s centres and the parks, woods and green spaces near us. Town and parish councillors often have direct influence on play spaces.

The decisions they make shape the spaces and places children have to play, as well as the availability of after school clubs (and whether they are staffed by play workers), of holiday play schemes and adventure playgrounds. They decide if it is free to close a street for play or if you have to pay. They will have influence over local schools, and for instance could recommend longer lunch breaks or play training for lunch time supervisors.

But do they even realise how important freedom to play outside is to you, to your family and to your local community?

So how about telling them what’s most important to you, about what you would like to see and encouraging them to show that they Love Outdoor Play too?

This could be as simple as:

• Asking them to email us to add their name to the list of supporters of Love Outdoor Play.
• Displaying the Love Outdoor Play symbol
• Committing to consider children and young people’s need for freedom to play when they are looking at planning, transport, education, public health and parks
• Keep up to date with the latest campaign news by signing up to:
  • Facebook: www.facebook.com/loveoutdoorplay,
  • Twitter: @LoveOutdoorPlay.

You could use this Love Outdoor Play Valentine’s Card and sample letter to tell them why they should support the campaign and children’s play, or make up your own. The more personal the better, but just do what you have time for.

If you’re a parent or work with children and young people, how about getting them to make a card? The more the merrier! And for schools and nurseries that can count towards your ‘civic engagement’ commitments as well as literacy…

If you want more evidence to back up why we all need to love outdoor play you could send your MP or councilor a present of the World Without Play literature review (published by Play England & BTHA) – packed with research from every angle about why play is valuable.

You can find the names of your Councillors, MP and other representatives from Write to Them, through Parliament.gov.uk or through Direct Gov.

And why not let loveoutdoorplay.net have a copy of your letter and possible response? It’ll make their voice even stronger, for the benefit of all our children. Ah go on, show your love!

Gone Fishing

We stopped at a little access point to the White Cart river. There was mud galore, water, countless sticks and a willow tree.

Somehow it occurred to me that I could make simple fish out of willow. After that, there was no stopping the 3-4 year olds: 10 fish it had to be, because that’s what it says in the nursery song. So 10 fish were made (I’m sure it was more) from tiddler to whale. Sticks became fishing rods and the fish were carefully fished out of the river (which is almost stagnant at the location) and thrown in again to be fished out again. For anything between one or two hours, as new pre-schoolers arrived and had to be introduced to the game, equipped with fishing rods etc, it went on and on and on.

And I didn’t have my camera to capture it all …

We went on to a different location later on, where we were looking for stones and found saw dust from what I guessed was a larch tree, it smelled and felt lovely. We hid the fish in it, touched it, let it run through our fingers, made holes and just enjoyed this rare, soft, fragrant material. Oh yes, and we picked one bag up, to use it for some crafting later on. There was dogwood nearby and I added to the collection of bendable wood.

Back at home, I did have a camera.

This is a dogwood fish, not as neat as the willow because dogwood isn’t quite as flexible. We made yarn and willow hearts.

1 year old explored the sawdust in a box as she’d slept through the discovery of it.

Then, I introduced her to finger paints, which she didn’t like so much, but the paint brush, oh, that was a different story. She was making her first marks on paper while I was making the yarn hearts with 4 year old, when big sister exclaimed in shock that little sister was painting on the window! That she was, very focused on the task, and engrossed in it. I just couldn’t bring it over me to tell her not to paint on the window, so instead, both were allowed to paint on just that window just today (since I had to clean it anyway).

 

 

Oh we had fun. Lots of printing, glueing, decorating and painting later, we made this (inspired by that artist woman). And yes, it was VERY messy, but wasn’t it worth it?

Snowdrop Stroll

It was a status update just in time on Facebook, by the Finlayston Country Estate page, which commented on the weather forecast for the day, and it was good. I’m not a nice weather outdoors person, but after the downpours of yesterday, and a toddler who was a bit sicky in the morning, I have to admit that it was the prospect of a day outdoors without coming home absolutely drenched and cold to the bone had a certain lure.

Within half an hour we were out and on our way. It is the Snowdrop Festival and to celebrate the beautiful first signs of spring (which have been out for a while already due to the mild winter we had), Finlaystone Country Estate is running ranger led Snowdrop Strolls every Sunday in February at 2pm. My older daughter loves snowdrops, and although she wasn’t keen to go (she really wanted to visit the Disney store today because her infatuation with princesses is getting ever so slightly out of hand), it didn’t take long until she started to enjoy, well, every minute of our long stay.

The countryside ranger explained many interesting stories, some of which we missed out on because there were wooden wigwams and the like on route that were just too inviting not to explore.  After the guided walk, we lost ourselves in active and pretend play in the adventure play area, which in spite of the significant storm damage is still one of a kind. We lost ourselves so much, that we returned too late to buy the snowdrops on sale at the Eyeopener shop…

One could criticise the cost of Finlaystone, but I always find that we easily spend a full day there, and a very enjoyable one at that, although we’ve been many a time. So it is worth it, because really, kids of all ages will have hours of fun.

On 18th February at 7pm, there will be an hour long snowdrop lantern event at Finlaystone, with song and stories. Book in advance if interested.

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Events Calendar

I have created a calendar for events in or about nature for children. You can find it on the Calendar of Nature Events page. If you would like to suggest events to add to them, please email me the details and I’ll add your event. Please email me at naturekids@cartside . co.uk (leaving out the two spaces in the address).

Hopefully this will be a more user friendly and reliable resource than my not always weekly run downs of what’s on. I will still highlight events in the upcoming week on Wednesday, but maybe just one or two per week rather than everything that’s on.

The calendar is not filled yet but just come back in the next few days and you’ll see it filling up bit by bit as I get my head around Google Calendar