Fitzwilliam Art week @Summer at the musuems

This afternoon, after a morning of gymnastics and a play at the park, we went to the Fitzwilliam as part of Summer at the Museums.Today we clay sculptures.

We started off looking at the bronze sculpture by Henry Moore, titled Hill Arches

 which is outside the museum. We also found some small works by Moore inside.

 The girls then created their own work of art from clay.

Review of our July to do list

Oh my goodness how can we have done with July already????

• Enjoy some outdoor theatre

I feel I king of failed with this - the biggest girl and I went to see twelfth night but I had plans to see more Shakespeare but they didn't happen! Never mind.

• Make sure the girls carry on with reading etc 

The girls have been reading on their own - I must find time to hear P read aloud. She has enjoyed reading the Rainbow Fairy books. 

• Enjoy the start of the summer holidays

We have eaten lots of ice-cream and had lots of play dates!  

• Get the kids to plan some summer fun

We didn't do this because of the number of playdates.

• Finally have some days out

We have enjoyed the BioBlitz, been bat watching and been to various local National Trust places as well as done lots of swimming and local parks.

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!