Working out things you can play in a small front garden. Using chalk to trace the shadows of the plants. Picking the leaves off the beech hedge. Finding the first insects in Spring.
283 – How many insects can you find in a minute?
Monday 24 March. Sunny, 13°C
A quick challenge after school. Before heading into the house B has to see how many different bugs she can find.
I’d never noticed before how much insects disappear in the winter. I’d sort of presumed there was a low level of slugs, snails and woodlice all year round but no. We did not find one throughout January and February despite some searching (see 360 -Exploring the garden in the dark). Now though there is definite movement. We’ve had some warmer and sunnier days and, without looking very hard, I can see a couple of snails and an ant or two.
B gets to work. She finds the snails too. We’re not sure they’re awake yet but then find a wriggly one in the middle of a sunny patch. There are a few brave little ants beginning to wander about and one very tiny spider. There’s some old cobwebs in a corner but we can’t find a spider with them. Then we dig a bit into the earth to see if we can find some worms and come up trumps straight away. We try and get as many as we can to stay on the ‘283’ we’ve chalked on the pavement and then call it a day. We’ll definitely repeat this one in a month or two though and see how many more we get when its’ warmer.
282 – Collecting things: Catkins >
332 – Chalking the plant shadows
Monday 3 February. Sunny. 9°C.
It’s another lovely sunny afternoon with really long shadows everywhere. Inspired by the Friday before (see challenge 335 – School yard shadows) I’m determined to do something in the very sunny but very small front garden. I grab some chalk and leave it on the doorstep.
When B and I come back we’re already having fun with our looooooong shadows as we walk down the road towards the house.
B spots the chalk: “What’s that for?”
Me: “Well you can do anything you like with it, but how about drawing over the plant shadows for today’s challenge?”
On the wall by the front door is the shadow of a few plants. B gets it straightaway and dives for the chalk, alternating colours as she goes. I pick up another colour and start from the other side. In no time we’ve completed our own front of house artwork (which I reckon will last about 24 hours, as the rain is coming tomorrow.)
< Beach combing in winter with kids (333)
349 – Picking the leaves off the beech hedge.
Friday 17 January. Cloudy. 3°C.
We need something quick and easy today with clubs back on after school. B is all for wandering off to see what we can see but I reckon we have about fifteen minutes at most and am not confident we’re going to find anything. Then I remember the beech hedge at the front of our house. It’s covered in brown leaves which have died but are holding on tightly till the new ones come out in spring. We sprayed a lot of them gold for Christmas.
Me: Do you want to pull the leaves off or make the 349?
B: Pull the leaves off!
She goes for speed over precision, pulling huge handfuls and throwing them down. I request some whole leaves which she gets but prefers the first method. It’s definitely messy but lots of fun. It’s time for school and she’s sad to leave it.
B: Can we continue when I get home?
Me: Of course you can.
We didn’t of course. She came home and headed straight for the tablet and the sofa. There’s definitely something about these things being hard to start but then also tough to stop.
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