Photo by BEN ELLIOTT on Unsplash
What’s happening this month with THL?
Our May Half Term holiday workshops are now online and booking — we have lots of fun and adventure planned so if you have not yet registered please do head over to our website and do so right away. Here is what we are planning…
Tuesday the 26th and Wednesday the 27th — a 2 day workshop led by Sam
Thursday the 28th and Friday the 29th — a 2 day workshop led by Sylvie
If any of those dates work for you please do head over to the booking page of our website and register. We would love to see you in the woods.
What’s Next
Keep an eye on the booking page of our website for all of our summer holiday sessions, which will be added to the website in the next week. Our, ever popular, home ed sessions are still running and will be again next half term. Both of them have a space or two so if you have been curious but have not yet come along, now is a great time.
Tuesdays (10:30-2:30) in Crane Park with Amanda J
Wednesdays (10-3) in Ham Common Woods with Sam
What we are reading this month
Mad About Minibeasts by Giles Andreae and David Wojtowycs
Fun, rhythmic and full of energy—this one celebrates all the wriggly, wonderful creatures children love to discover outside.
Perfect for:
Bug hunts
Reducing fear of insects
Encouraging fascination over “ick!”
You can buy it here.
What we are foraging for this month
Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
Photo by Walter Sturn on Unsplash
Often overlooked, but full of magic—from bright yellow flowers to the iconic “clocks” and edible leaves that add bitter to your salads to roots that make medicinal tea. What is not to love about a dandelion?
Why we love it:
Teaches life cycles beautifully
Encourages breath play (blowing seeds)
Supports conversations about “weeds” vs “wild plants”
Wild Food UK have some interesting information about dandelions for you.
The Prairie Homestead have a whopping 16 dandelion recipes for you!
What we are making this month
Nature Paintbrushes
Photo from Lost River Cave
Using sticks as handles and whatever mother natures presents to you as bristles, it is very easy to create a nature paint brush. The children have been creating their own paintbrushes with leaves, grass, feathers and pine needles.
They’ve loved experimenting with:
Different textures and marks
How tightly or loosely to tie materials
Swapping and sharing their creations
No two brushes are ever the same—and that’s exactly the point.
Messy Little Monster have a great page all about making a nature paintbrushes as do The Scouts.
If you give this one a go we would love to see the results!
Can you spot me this month?
Elephant Hawk-moth (Deilephila elpenor)
Photo by Pete Leonard
The elephant hawk-moth is a pretty, gold-and-pink moth that can be seen at dusk in gardens, parks, woods and grassy habitats. We have these stunning moths in the Ham Common Woods although, due to the fact that they fly at dusk, we have yet to spot one in a session. However, we have spotted the caterpillars later in the year and they are equally as interesting to find!
The Wildlife Trusts have an interesting information page all about elephant hawk-moths.
If you manage to spot one or even get a photo we would love to know about it.