This post is the update on the last event of 2010, all about getting ready for winter; hibernation and food storing etc.
(As an aside; I am SO over winter… I cannot see to make anything much after 2:30 in the afternoon, it gets so dark because we are in a north-south valley.)
It was a cold day- a bit grim to be honest, but there was a very good turnout and the log burner was great so we were all cosy in the barn! We made frog homes, night and day door hangers, clay and twig hedgehogs, and used a lot of shredded paper in dormouse nests and hedgehogs sticky pictures. Here they are (well some of them).
The frog homes were just flower pots to put in the garden- but they were suitably embellished as appealing homes – with info on what frogs might like! Very popular!
This one already has an occupant! (you have to look closely)
We had a heap of old gardening periodicals (not valuable – don’t worry) with lovely mellow aged print. They looked fab shredded (along the font lines) as hedgehog spines and for dormouse nests on the ‘sticky pictures’. The idea was to put the spines on in layers… but this sweet little one looks like he has literally been “through a hedge, backwards”. Hope his creator doesn’t want to be a hairdresser.
The door hangers were very simple, and again popular with the younger visitors. They were actually reversible, the two cards stuck together with “day” one side and “night” the other, and suitable woodland creatures in fluffy fabric added.
For older children we had clay hedgehogs and dormouse nest. Much concentrated effort involved!
Colouring mice
this little girl likes pink- see his little nose.
Then winding nests for them- ranging from minimal, neat and ‘sartorially enhanced’ to ‘everything on’!
Some quite natural looking.
some less so!
and some very well housed indeed , LOL!
The nests were shredded paper and odd bits of wool etc, glued on, wound around, and in, plastic globes. These were mainly Activia yogurt containers, and some laundry soap measure balls. Not that it mattered because you couldn’t tell what was inside once they had been enhanced!
However they all turned out to be really cute.
As did the twiggy clay hedgehogs.
some of whom had a very piratical air!!
this one is actually called Sidney Black Eye!
At the end of the day we were very pleased to hear that is was a good way to educate children about hibernation.
Result! Thank you that daddy 🙂
WonkyGiraffe 