Beautiful autumn sunshine greeted us yet again as the children set off to discover as many animal homes as possible in the woods. Nests, burrows, wondrous hammock- like webs and  mole hills were soon spotted by our excellent nature detectives.

We were then able to examine a mole in close up. (Not a live specimen-a taxidermy animal.) These small mammals spend most of their time underground, digging out tunnels and hunting earthworms to eat. The children marvelled at its powerful shovel-like front limbs with sharp claws and learnt that it can dig up to 20 metres of tunnel in a day-although I have to confess that I am not so impressed by this feat when they choose to dig in my garden!  Stroking the mole enabled the children to feel its soft, velvety coat that helps it to move easily through the soil.

The children were then given the challenge of creating a home for themselves, a woodland creature or imaginary friend. A hammock between two trees was a perfect home for some whilst others set to work on creating a bug hotel by hollowing out some elder stems.

We finished the session by collecting some wood in preparation for next week’s campfire. We are hoping to cook food that we have foraged on our way to the woods (baked apples and blackberries)!

Click here to view the pictures from this week's session.