Woodland Trust

Nature DetectivesNature's Calendar

Seen unusual spring sights like ladybirds or daffodils? Tell us naturedetectives@woodlandtrust.org.uk

CLUB challengepuddle

Friday 23rd September

Woo hoo, you made it to the
helter skelter tree :O)

But there's a teeny problem.

There's a HUGE puddle at the
bottom, stopping you from
skidding down!

Complete this week's challenge to sort out the puddle.

 

Your challenge: find a fungus in the woods, your garden or your house.
 

 

Did you know?

Fungi are amazing things that aren't plants or animals. Can you think of anything other living that isn't a plant or an animal?

nature detectives wildlife club arrowtell us

 

  

Funny fungi

Until very recently people only used the long latin names of fungi, but now there are some very strange names!

Be a mycologist and work out which ones are real and which are made up.

this nature resource for kids is a pdf documentfungus or falsedownload this resource from the nature detectives wildlife websitemycologist's puzzle

this nature resource for kids is a pdf document download this resource from the nature detectives wildlife websiteanswers

 


Found a fungus?  toxic warning

If you find a fungus, only touch it if you are wearing gloves as some of them are extremely poisonous.

Even a tiny amount of a Death Cap mushroom (0.5g) could kill 100,000 mice!

this nature resource for kids is a pdf documentfungi hunt sheetdownload this resource from the nature detectives wildlife websitecommon fungi

What will you call your fungus? Make it weird and wacky :O)

nature detectives wildlife club arrowtell us 
 

 

Fungi experiment

Some bolete fungi turn vivid colours when they're cut open.

Try this for yourself but make sure you wear gloves and wash your hands afterwards.

this nature resource for kids is a pdf documentdownload this resource from the nature detectives wildlife websitebolete experiment

Did you find any mushrooms that changed colour when they were cut open?

nature detectives wildlife club arrowtell us

 

 

Dotty demonstration 

Amaze your friends and family by showing them how mushrooms like fly agaric get their spots :O)

All you need is a balloon and some toilet tissue.

 this nature resource for kids is a pdf documentdotty demonstrationdownload this resource from the nature detectives wildlife websitedotty demonstration

 

 

Make a fairy ring

Here's a great fly agaric template.

All you have to do is colour in and cut around the shapes. Roll up and glue the piece that will form the stem, then glue the grey area of the cap and stick it so that you make a cone shape.

You can make as many as you want to create your fairy ring :O)

this nature resource for kids is a pdf documentdownload this resource from the nature detectives wildlife websitediy fly agaric

Now send us a photo of your fairy ring.

nature detectives wildlife club arrowsend us a photo

  

 

Fly agaric art

Colour in or decorate this fly agaric mushroom :O)

 this nature resource for kids is a pdf documentdownload this resource from the nature detectives wildlife websitecolouring sheet

nature detectives wildlife club arrowshow us your picture

 

 

Fungi screensaver

Brighten up your computer screen with a new wallpaper :O) 

this nature resource for kids is a pdf documentdownload this resource from the nature detectives wildlife websitefly agaric desktop wallpaper

After you've downloaded the picture, right click on it and select 'set as background'.
 

 


 

We hope you've enjoyed hunting for fungi, moss and lichen.

Send your stories and ideas to:

nature detectives wildlife club arrownaturedetectives@woodlandtrust.org.uk
 

   

 

leafDone a fungus activity?

Stick this sticker on your
CLUB challenge poster and
head on to find next week's
adventure :O)

 

 

 

Your bat poetry 

A few weeks ago we asked you to get your batty thinking caps on and send some bat poetry to us.

Here's what some nature detectives came up with:

O little bat
So high you fly
Spread your wings
And take off into the sky
 
Above the houses
All over the town
Little bat
Are you coming down?
 
Little bat
How can you see?
It's so dark
Come on with me
 
I can't see
How can you?
You have echolocation
I wish I had that too!


By Olivia aged 6


Bats live in caves and trees
They sleep in the day and come out at night
They have wings and a face and a body
And fly at night and eat lots and lots of stuff

By Thomas


I was walking along in the summer,
Down past a quite church.
Then I saw looking down from the rafters,
Something that made me jump.

A cluster of faces staring at me,
With tiny peeping eyes.
One yelled out some whispering chatter,
So I turned and left.

By Emily


One day I saw a bat
Oh how exiting is that,
Then another one came
It was like they were flying in a plane,
As soon as I went to bed
They swooped around my head,
They finally they went away
And then came back another night.

By Sian


I  am  a  bat
I   belong  to  mat
I'm  scared  of  cats
and  that  is  that

 

The bat saw the fat cat.
The bat saw the hat.

By Aiden aged 4 1/2


Bats are batty
They bat around my den

By Finlay aged 6


There once was a bat from the city
Who was a tad bit witty
He ate all the bees
Till he had wheezed
That witty old bat from the city

I found a enormous bat
He was massively fat
He farted all day
So I made him pay
That's when I fed him to the cat

There was a bat above my tent
At that moment he went
I was very sad
Then I became glad
Came back the bat above my tent

Why are bats so very very small
why aren't they incurably tall
They'd be easy to spot
But then they get shot
I understand why bats are so small

By Charlotte