Feet have feelings

My step-dad Peter often used to state “where there’s no sense there’s no feeling”. At the weekend this saying was particularly apt. After a loving nine-year relationship with my walking boots, I dumped them. It was a hard decision made a little easier by my dog chewing up one boot. Duck tape and glue are only temporary fixes when there’s been an endless downpour of rain and soggy surfaces to tread.

And so I entered the outdoor shop. I was met by an enthusiast assistant with a shoe fetish. He wore specially imported Nike boots. For the first time since adolescence, my feet were measured and boots were put on my feet and correctly laced. I felt like a novice as I was shown how to get the perfect tightness whilst reducing the chances of the laces becoming undone. I was even given advice about how to walk up and down the ramp to test the boots!

Several pairs later, my feet were complaining. They didn’t like being crammed into a perfectly fitted space and my heels started rubbing me up the wrong way. I bought the most comfortable pair and took them home. Alas the pains continued as did my mourning for my old boots. When it was time to walk the dog, I grabbed my wellies.

My welly purchasing experience earlier this year could not have been more different. It was love at first sight in the gardening centre. I put on a pair of Hunter wellies and my feet sighed and went to heaven.

I ended up buying two pairs. One adult-sized light blue ones and then a pair of lime green children’s wellies. The children’s wellies are slightly shorter, have reflective tabs on them and are almost 66% cheaper. Both live up to the legendary claims of comfort and fit. Prior to this moment I had always been anti-expensive wellies in the mistaken belief that it was snobbery and status that made people wear them.

My Hunter wellies have withstood dog walks in all weathers and seasons. The sole is thicker, more insulated and orthopedically shaped for a better fit. It’s possible to walk for miles without getting a blister or other foot complaint.

So going back to my new relationship. I think it might just be a speed date. Tomorrow I’ll return the walking boots and reconsider my options. Perhaps I’m being a goody two shoes but I think I need to wait until the right pair comes along before committing myself to such a long term investment.

Squirrels and Birds

I really enjoy visiting my parents’ house. Every time I go, there is something different or new and the other week was no different. As I was munching my muesli and gazing out of the dining room window, my eyes were drawn towards my step-dad’s latest invention: a grey squirrel proof bird feeding station.

For those of you who don’t know much about UK wildlife politics, the grey squirrels are the Bad Guys. They do not belong here. They must go back to their native countries to find nuts and buckeyes and stop chasing the nice cute red squirrels out of their British woodlands. They are space invaders and must be stopped.

This is not my personal opinion, I hasten to add. There is a big project which is organised by Scottish Natural Heritage and backed up by voluntary groups all over Scotland all dedicated to the conservation of our declining red squirrel population. The UK Red Squirrel Group would thoroughly approve of my step-father’s actions. Their website states:

"The UKRSG does not recommend supplementary feeding for red squirrels as feeding station pose many possible risks. Grey squirrels may be attracted into the area; feeding stations act as a focal point to spread disease; they entice squirrels to cross exposed route and roads (putting them in the paths of cars and cats) and artificially boost the population.

An alternative would be to encourage the growth of their preferred food plants in your garden. The best foods to provide them are similar to those they might encounter foraging in the wild: 

Hazelnuts in their shells, 

Beechnuts 

Sweet chestnuts

Sunflower seeds, 

Pine nuts

Apples and carrots (other native fruit & vegetables)"

So, if you look closely at the photo you can see that the squirrel proof bird feeder is quite a simple contraption. The pole was made from an old washing line pole or something similar. A large empty paint tub has been turned upside down with a long bolt drilled through it and inserted into the pole, secured into a piece of wood. For some reason trying to climb up and over the paint tub defeats the squirrels and they can’t reach the nuts. Aha! It's been sited far enough away from trees or a hedge so that squirrels can't jump onto it.

If you aren't into DIY design and technology, then as usual, a commercial alternative exists. Just Google "squirrel proof bird feeders" and the choice is dazzling. But for me, once again, it's my step-dad's creativity and ingenuity that truly leaves me amazed and very proud. Nice work, Peter!

Death, decay and new life

With the clocks having gone back one week ago, suddenly I feel we’re heading into winter. Signs of death and decay are everywhere from a road killed fox and hedgehog to fallen leaves fluttering down the streets leaving a distinctly ghost town feel to being out and about.

There has been a huge amount of rain which is most unusual for the dry north-east. When I was walking by the local river there wasn’t another soul to be seen. Evidence of recent flooding was everywhere: flooded fields, flattened plants and paths wrecked or eroded by passing high water. Very sadly, only two of the six cygnets have survived on the River Dee near Inverurie.

It is strange that Autumn, the dying season, is so beautiful. The changing colours of leaves, even just on one tree or plant are quite remarkable. This year I managed to find a complete range of colours on local rosebay willow herb, Chamerion angustifolium, which can be seen in the photo.

This activity is easy to undertake with children. The leaves, seeds and shoots can be flattened and dried by pressing them for a few days. You don’t need a formal flower press. Separate the leaves and put them between two sheets of recycled kitchen roll. Place this in the middle of a large hardback book. Then stack more heavy books on top. Flowers can be pressed this way as well as leaves. Different varieties keep their colour better than others and part of the fun is experimenting to find out which dry well.

It's worth talking about the life cycle of plants and how the process of decomposition aids the growth of new plants in the spring. A finger puppet worm and a story-based approach can make this interesting even for young children. Having a good look at a compost bin can help too. It is possible to make mini composting systems in plastic bottle. In Sweden, at one outdoor nursery, an acetate panel had been added to allow children to view the breakdown of fruit and vegetables when every they wanted to.

There's also lots of super books which discuss death and it's role in giving life. Interestingly all of them reflect on aspects of nature. My favourites include:

• The Tenth Good Thing About Barney by Judit Viorst. When a boy's cat dies, he discovers that life continues as flowers grow up over the place where his cat was buried.
• Northern Lights: The Soccer Trails by Michael Kusugak. A book about an Inuit perspective on death. Beautifully written and illustrated.
• Waterbugs and Dragonflies by Doris Stickney. A very short, clever book which explains a Christian concept of heaven. Great for assembly, pond or minibeast projects.
• On the Day You Were Born by Debra Frasier. This was a present when my son was born. It celebrates the birth of a child through events in nature. Great illustrations and a simple text for young children.

Conkers Part 2

This posting looks at games for groups of children which can be played with conkers.

Pass the conker

Everyone stands in a circle holding a conker in each hand behind their backs. An adult or a child who isn’t part of the circle counts to twenty quickly. The children in the circle, close their eyes and start passing conkers to their left as quickly as possible. Once the counting ends, the aim is for each child to have a conker in each hand.  Those without a conker in each hand are out. The rules can be varied, e.g. if a child has more than one conker in each hand, he or she is out. Another option is for the child who is counting to walk around the outside of the circle, feeding conkers into the game.

Conker Crawl

Put conkers in heaps around a grassy area.  The children start in the middle of the area. When the whistle blows, the children have to crawl to the heaps and collect 10 conkers.  They can be stuffed in their socks, pockets, sleeves, etc. Once a child has 10 conkers, he or she yells “TEN!” and the game stops. The children will get wet and muddy so waterproof jackets and trousers are a good idea. An additional challenge for responsible groups is to complete this activity blindfolded. Supervision is required.

Grab

The Conker King (an adult) sits in front of a semi-circle of children with a bag or basket of conkers in front of him. The Conker King starts telling a story. Whenever he says the word “Grab”, he throws a conker into the semi-circle. The children make a grab for the conker and the winner is the child with the most conkers at the end of the story. Some ground rules are worth putting in place such as the children may only crawl to get a conker as it can get quite rough otherwise.

Conker Bat

In this game, a child throws a conker up into the air and tries to hit it with a bat in an agreed direction.  This is surprisingly tricky. Each child gets three shots. The winner is the child who has batted their conker the furthest. Do ensure that the rest of the group keep their distance and are in the opposite direction to that where conkers are being hit.

Collect the Conkers

You need a lot of conkers for this game. Put the conkers into four heaps, at each corner of a large square, like rounders. In teams, the children set off running, one at a time and try to pick up 5 conkers at each base. If she drops a conker, it may not be picked up. The team with the most conkers collected in one run (max 20 per child) is the winner.

Finally

When the children are exhausted from all of the above, just leave a basket of conkers out and see what the children do with them...sometimes just being left to play is the nicest activity of all.

Conkers Part 1

 Last week I was on a secret mission. Deep in the woods outside Inverurie, there are some horse chestnut trees which always have a good supply of conkers. Under the pretence of taking my dog for a walk I took a bag and set off during the middle of the day to add to my collection.

As I approached the trees, my apprehension grew. Year after year, I suffered disappointment as a child, usually being the last to get to the conker trees and having the tail-end pickings. At first glance when I arrived I thought my childhood nighmares were going to be relived.

Conkers hide themselves remarkably well. In their cases, tucked away in the leaf litter, was a huge natural treasure trove. Oh wow! But there’s a lot more you can do with them aside from gloat over their shiny brown skins.  Oh yes!  Relief spread over me as I realized my covert secret squirrel operation to avoid the hordes of children, was entirely unnecessary. The only mild disappointment was the over all size of the conkers. If there has been a drought in the early or mid-part of the spring or summer, or too much rain in the summer and not enough sun, then the conkers don’t grow as well.

These days, few children collect conkers. Mad myths about not being able to use them in schools exist and generally they are consigned to the Age of Reminiscence along with toilet tubes and egg cartons. However times are changing and from the deep, dark past I have unearthed some great activities and advice. Do remember, though, that conkers are toxic and hands should be thoroughly washed after handling them.

Firstly, don’t bother trying to knock conkers out of the tree. They are the seeds of the horse chestnut and are still ripening. The result will be poor quality conkers. If the tree is beside a road or pavement, don’t shell your conkers from their cases and leave the shells on the ground.  They do make a mess and elderly or less physically able people can slip on them. Take them home and put them on the compost heap or add them to woodland litter elsewhere. Collect conkers in a sustainable way and leave plenty for wildlife such as squirrels and to reseed.

Ignore the advice about soaking conkers in vinegar and baking them in the oven. These are more myths. Vinegar does nothing except spoil and corrode the surface. It’s better to let the conkers dry naturally. Drill a hole for strings straight away. Practise on a few unimportant conkers first until you get the hang of making holes, and then make your specimens. According to tradition, the figure of eight knot is the best one to use as it won’t come undone with repeated competitions.

Next, put away the best conkers, with pre-drilled holes for next year. The conkers harden with age.  These are your secret weapon next year. The string should be slightly shorter than the length of your forearm. Do not try and cheat by varnishing your conker or filling the insides with superglue, polyfilla or other hardeners. You will be discovered. For playing conkers, there are official rules which are used in the World Conker Championships.

Finally for more child friendly information about conkers, visit the Woodlands Junior School website. Watch this space though as next week I'm posting some games and activities to try with conkers and children.

I'm a teacher, get me OUTSIDE here!

I'm in a very good mood. To my surprise and delight the Real World Learning Partnership produce promotional postcards, and some of them advertise this blog. Oh wow!

The RWLP is an umbrella organisation for at least 16 organisations with a genuine interest and commitment to getting more children outside more often. There are lots of other groups and companies which are "Hangers on" like Creative STAR, that fully support the aim of this partnership and the work undertaken to raise the profile of outdoor learning at local and national levels. The website is a handy reference for education staff wanting to find out more about outdoor learning.

ICT Outdoors in the Early Years

Last week I was directed towards an article in TESS about an Edinburgh teacher using digital technology outside with her class. It was a lovely, positive article which I hope will inspire more teachers to take young children outdoors into the world beyond the designated outdoor area or school grounds. The talking postcards mentioned in the article can be bought from TTS. It's also worth shopping around on the Internet for other deals here too.

Using digital technology outside is not new and the range of possibilities are ever growing as portable ICT equipment becomes the norm. In fact I don't think it will be too many years into the future where the iPhone or a similar equivalent becomes a standard piece of teacher kit. A couple of months ago I mentioned some of the outdoor uses of iPhones on this blog.

Other possible ICT outdoor activities offer great opportunities to enhance the indoor classroom provision. Have old digital equipment available for children to take apart and look inside.

Two plastic cups linked by a piece of string still works! However fun can be had with webcams which are set up indoors to view activities happening outside or to see children playing in other settings, using GLOW or other shared networking.

Children need time to explore and experiment with digital equipment such as cameras or camcorders. Parents and carers can also show children and allow them to use their mobile phones for such experiences too.

Many children enjoy playing with radio controlled cars and toys which provide a natural introduction to positional language. Simple obstacle courses for such toys can be set up outside which the children can make up with props available.

Children enjoy collecting tiny objects and using digital microscopes to view the objects close up.


Other ideas for using ICT in the outdoor curriculum including real world experiences can be found in Bilton H (2005) Learning Outdoors\;

• Have old mobile phones for outdoor role play.
• MP3 players are great for dancing indoors or out
• Digital recorders – for listening activities, games and recording sounds outside on walks etc
• Radio mikes – relive your time at T in the Park and hold outdoor concerts – informal and impromptu!
• Karaoke – Can be put at a window for listening, singing along to and dancing outdoors
• Digital cameras – A must. Have old ones for use in role play and teach the children how to use a real one. Smart phones are very useful here too so that children can see the photo they have taken instantly.
• CCTV. Buy a cheap one from a DIY store, checking that it is suitable for outdoor use. Set it up in different parts of the nursery including outdoors.
• Children’s video cameras are great fun, e.g. Intel Digital Blue. Again, teach the children how to operate. Also useful for taping a game or activity and getting the children to watch and reflect. They like seeing themselves and each other on film!
• Metal detectors. Buy a child size hand held one and plant treasure in the sand pit or digging area or other places for the children to find. Lots of potential here.
• Go for a technology walk in the local area. Press the buttons on pelican crossings. Use an ATM machine, look at parking meters, digital advertising, screens and clocks. Find shops which sell digital equipment.