Today's random act of wildness challenge is to make a rain gauge. The video above gives clear instructions but as I'm not a jelly person I'm going to put plasticine or play dough in the bottom to make it level. There is one thing certain though as soon as you've made it the rain will stop!
In Forest School we regularly measure the rainfall and we certainly weren't short of a drop or two earlier in the year as you can see below.
Down by the pond yesterday the mouse returned in the night and here are the trail cam captures.
How did you do yesterday? As the weather got worse there seemed to be a lot less bees about. If you didn't spot any you can always try another day or try to work out the ones in the pictures below.
Today's Random Act of Wildness challenge is to watch a wild webcam. There are lots of places that have webcams live-streaming so here are a few to get you going.
1. BBC Springwatch HERE have both live streams and catch up viewing.
2. The Wildlife Trusts HERE have access to live streaming around the country including badgers, bats and puffins.
How did you do yesterday with identifying wild sounds? I think I managed a pigeon, a magpie and a robin.
If you didn't get a chance watch and listen to the video below and see what you can hear.
And how about this for a noisy character. Usually so quiet in the garden but definitely was not happy with me on this occasion.
Today's challenge for a random act of wildness is to see how many bees you can identify. Even though it's not so sunny they are still about. To help you out download the identification sheet you can see below. The link is HERE.
Have fun 😀
Update: Down by the pond some activity the other night. Can you spot the little fellow?
Yesterday's random act of wildness was to watch the clouds and use your imagination.
Here's my attempt at putting drawings to the clouds:-
I've mentioned in a previous post about having a pond in the garden to attract wildlife. This video is from the first day keeping watch on the wildlife that made it to the pond area in the garden.
The Wildlife Trusts and RHS also have a super free booklet about making a small pond in your garden so if you are interested you can read about it HERE and download a free booklet.
Today's random act of wildness challenge is to listen for wild sounds. How many can you hear? If you get the chance to hear some bird calls try to identify the bird and its song. Just learning one builds your connection to nature.
Here we go the first day of hopefully many random acts of wildness lay ahead and the weather couldn't be better for getting outdoors.
If you haven't signed up with the Wildlife Trust initiative yet you can do so HERE and get a free downloadable pack of ideas. Read more about it HERE.
Today was the first chance to see the Forest School site since the end of March and how it's changed!
The whole of spring has passed and everything is growing wildly. Some of the areas that suffered from the winter rain have begun to recover but many areas we regularly use have become overgrown.
The fruit bushes are beginning to produce fruit but the pond area has dried out and become a little lost in the grass.
Many areas are looking magnificent, the beech tree with its huge green canopy and many flowers around the site and in the meadow area.
A random act of wildness challenge for today is to look up at the clouds. What shapes can you see? Why not try sketching them and turn them into the objects of your imagination. Or take a photo and use some drawing software to make your picture.
We would love to see your pictures and to hear about what you are getting up to. You can add a comment to the blog below or Tweet with @LyndonGreenJnr #30DaysWild
They existed on this plant before the times of the dinosaurs and have merged into human folklore and mysticism over time.
Science now tells us that trees are sociable, live in families and have ways to communicate and protect each other.
They can be ancient living for over a thousand years. They change with the seasons, provide food, are homes for many creatures and are one of our most valuable industrial resources.
They are critical to the planet, they take carbon dioxide and give out oxygen keeping the planet healthy.
The Forest School and wider grounds have many trees connecting us with past uses of the site. The oldest trees are about 200 years old and remind us of the time they stood in the grounds of Gilbertstone House which stretched all the way down to where Birmingham International Airport currently can be found. Others tell of when the school was opened or the school eco days and more recently planting of saplings from the Woodland Trust.
So why not begin to find out about the history of the trees in your garden or local street or park.
To find out how old a tree is you can count the rings but this has the problem of having to cut the tree down.
There is an easier way fortunately. All you need is a long piece of string and a tape measure or if you have one a flexible tape measure.
Measure around the tree trunk about 1.4m above the ground. Next decide where your tree is. If in a wooded area divide your number by 1.25. If it is in open space divide by 2.5. the answer gives you an approximate age for the tree. So if you find a tree in open space and the measurement round the trunk is 350 cm 350÷2.5=140 years old. See here for help sheet Why not make a timeline for your tree can you find key historical events that have happened during the life of your tree. Was it in your garden when your house was built? Did it see the first person walk on the moon? Was it alive in the time of Queen Victoria? If you want help to identify what type of tree you are looking at see this sheet or this poster. Please note this activity is for deciduous trees - those that lose their leaves in winter. Acknowledgements: The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben, Tree from seed to mighty forest David Burnie, Photos from Walking in Paradise Photography.
The Trusts have a variety of sites to visit and explore the outdoors, perhaps nearest is Elmdom Manor next to Elmdom Park which has woodland, a meadow, ponds and an old walled garden.
(please note at time of writing many Trust sites and carparks are not open. Where a site is open they would ask you to only visit if you are able to walk to the site from your home. Please follow government guidance to Stay Safe and Stay at Home.)
Their websites have a wide range of information about habitats and the plants and animals that live on their reserves. So how can you get involved?
Each year they run an initiative 30 Days Wild during June. Forest School is usually involved with this and activities are based around the challenges they have. See pictures below.
Individuals and families can also sign up and keep a diary of their random acts of wildness.
I've usually taken part too and perhaps most successful has been the wildlife pond and trail camera installed in the garden.
The pond was simple just a plastic box sunk into the ground with some soil in the bottom with gravel over the top and some pond weed and a stick so anything that falls in usable to get out. In Forest School we've done a very similar thing with buckets. It's amazing what comes to live there, tiny creatures, hoverfly larvae, newts, frogs and more. The children always love going to see what is in the pond. But if you can't go to this why not try just a jar of water outside. After a few weeks you'll find something living in it.
The trail cam has been amazing. I'm really surprised at what manages to find its way to our garden.
Here are just a few of our highlights.
Hopefully this will inspire you to have some random acts of wildness and don't worry too much about the whole 30 days just have fun😀
