Beechwoods

Today we took a walk to the beechwoods. We looked at the flowers and their insects:

The girls then made a den:

 And ivy leaf crowns:

Gargoyles @summer at the musuems

We started the day off with a couple of hours playing at the swimming pool, including several goes on the slides!

Then we had a quick picnic lunch before heading to Great St Mary's to join with their Clay Creatures as part of Summer at the Museums. We started off hunting
gargoyles around Cambridge, before the girls sculpted their own clay creatures.

Bat watching @Wicken Fen

This evening we went Bat Watching at Wicken Fen. I love these amazing creatures. It started with a general chat about bats along side some refreshments. Then we went round the board walk but didn't see much in the way of wild life, but one of the people who work at the Fen gave a very interesting talk about the reserve and introduced us to some of the plant life there. Then we stood near the cafe where there is tiny hole in one of the sides and listened the the bats chatting in the nursery before they began to come out - which was amazing!!! We counted 60 bats out before we decided to call it a night!  Sorry no photos of the bats - they were too fast!

Bioblitz 2016 @Trinity College Fellows’ Garden

This weekend was the Cambridge BioBltiz 2016. We went bug hunting on Friday night using a sweep net through the long grass, we looked under logs and then shook a tree!

 We then helped set the small mammal traps.

 We came back in the morning to see what we caught - 2 field mice!

 We then looked at what the moth traps caught - there was a lot of micromoths, although the expert was saying it wasn't a good year for moths!

 We then went pond dipping! 

Anglesey Abbey

We went for walk around Anglesey Abbey. We started with ice-cream which we ate wondering round the rose gardens.

 Then we looked around the house (rare that I manage to get the girls to look in the house!). The girls enjoyed counting the clocks (Lord Fairheaven was an avid collector) and the servants quarter.

Before, we climbed trees, watched the clouds in their new sky chairs and had another wonder round before heading home!

Fun at the park

Today,  in the roasting heat, we went to play at Coleridge park which has a free splash pad which the girls enjoyed! The council has also rejuvenated the play area which has a very cool climbing frame which E enjoyed and a trampoline as well as the usual cool park equipment! The only downside was it was busy and there is little shade in the water.

Wild Flowers and Croquet (Alice in Wonderland)

Today we went to Ickworth to view their wild flower meadow.

We found a beautiful damselfly.

We went for a walk to the fairy pond.

We also found some baby spiders.

Then we went for a game of croquet.

and found another spider

Jam Tarts (Alice in Wonderland)

We are reading Alice in Wonderland at the moment



 
so today we made Jam Tarts.

Ingredients

• 12 teaspoons jam (of your choice of flavour)
• 28g sugar
• 255g plain flour
• 140g cold butter
• 6 tbsp cold water

  Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180oC
2. Sieve the flour into a mixing bowl, add the sugar and rub in the butter until it resembles fine breadcrumbs
3. Add the water tablespoon by table spoon until it is a moist dough
4. Grease a cupcake tray and cut the pastry.
5. Put the jam into the pastry and bake for 12-15 mins
   

Review of our June to do list

On the June to do list was:

• Do 30 wild things

Ok we didn't get out as much as I wanted/hoped but it was kind of hard with a child who can't walk and the weather was so wet! But we gave it our best shot and the girls enjoyed it!  Favourite things included the owl pellets, hunting for slugs and snails and butterfly biscuit making.

•  Do some nature based crafts

The girls made insects and painted their salt dough animals.

•  Celebrate the Queen's birthday

We had a garden party with a few select friends and had a proper afternoon tea with scones. finger sandwiches and crown making!

• Celebrate Father's Day 

The girls made some cards and gave him some chocolates and he went out for a cycle ride with I.