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My challenge for you is to undertake an angle investigation.

Watch my video to see how.

To investigate angles in natural and manmade environments.  

Complete the angle survey worksheet using tallies for the two environments.

What you will need:
Your hand
Angle investigation results table.
Ruler
Protractor

How to do it:
Find a tree.
Use your hand with finger and thumb sticking out. This is your angle finder.
Measure the height up the tree until you get to a branch with your ruler.
Write that height down in the first column of the results table in meters.
Next using your angle finder see if the angle between the trunk and the branch is acute, less than 90o, right angle, 90o, or obtuse, greater than 90o. Then tally in the results table other column for that angle type.
If you want to actually measure the angles instead of just categorising them into the type then you can do that. You can try to use a protractor, or estimate using your 90o angle finder. Then write that angle down in the second column.
Next measure to the next branch, make sure you measure from the base of the tree to the next branch. Then measure the angle or tally the type of angle.
Continue this for as many branches as you like. If you can’t reach the branch then you may have to estimate the height – look at my video on measuring height to help.

Once you have all your results you can graph your results to see is there is a relationship between the height of the tree and the angle.

If you have measured the angle then use the first graph outline on the worksheets. If you have tallied the type of angle then use the second graph outline.

For both graphs the height of the tree is along the bottom, the X axis, as this is the variable we are choosing to change.
For the types of angle, plot the results for one type of angle in one colour and then plot a different set of plots in a different colour.
Draw a line with a ruler going through the middle of your plots trying to get half the dots on one side of the line.

To answer the question -What is the relationship between the height up a tree and the angle of the branches to the trunk?
Look at the shape of the graph.
Compare to the picture below.
Do any of these graphs look like your graph? It may not be exactly the same.

I would love to see your results and what your conclusions are so please share ant graphs or pictures on twitter #Naturedays @DawnNaturedays

With Kirsty William’s announcement today that all students will be going back to school in Wales in September and that school trips will also be encouraged, we are ready to take bookings!

Nature Days has been working hard over this difficult time, providing online resources for schools to access for home learning and outdoor learning during lockdown.

Now we can reconvene with our location of expertise THE OUTDOORS!

We have Risk assessments ready for Covid secure field trips and systems in place to ensure your students are as safe as possible on their field trip.

To book a bespoke field trip contact Dawn now.

FAQ
What are you doing to ensure you are Covid secure?
Nature Days is following all government guidelines and adjusting locations and activities so that social distancing can be maintained. Locations will be thoroughly risk assessed and additional facilities for hand washing implemented.
As the virus is more difficult to transmit outdoors all our field trips will be undertaken outdoors with maximum distance from any members of the public.
Risk assessments are in place for Covid and Nature Days will follow any additional systems individual schools are enforcing to ensure continuity.
Transport options will be discussed with schools so that this does not become a barrier.

What about hand washing outdoors?
On most sites an outdoor hand washing station will be set up so that hand washing can be undertaken effectively. Also any onsite toilet facilities will be used. The use of antibacterial gel will also be used when hand washing is not feasible.

What about sharing equipment?
Nature Days has a large amount of equipment to share out. When necessary individuals will be responsible for pieces of equipment and will not be able to share. If necessary the equipment will be cleaned thoroughly between users in soapy water or if electrical with antibacterial wipes.

We can’t use our normal transport, how are we going to get to the site?
Nature Days aims to use the same procedures as the booking schools for getting children to the site. Most are using parent’s cars and this will be the case on trip day just to a different site. Parents will then pick up from the site. If this is not possible then sites will be chosen to allow children to walk to the site from school or another drop off point.

Do you have a Covid Risk assessment?
Yes we do which we can share if staff require it. As Covid is less lightly to be transmitted outdoors measures put in place after undertaking the risk assessment are generally;
– Provision of hand washing or hand sanitiser.
– Social distancing – ensuring large areas are used for lunch and congregating.
– Disinfecting shared equipment.
– All groups will be self contained and not mix with other groups – one class/bubble only on a trip/site.

Nature days will be updating the measures in place following any change to the guidance and observing the OEAP guidance on Corona virus. Available here 

Systems:

• Regularly washing/sanitising hands including when going outside, before and after touching shared objects such as activity equipment, before eating, after using the toilet, when getting on or off transport such as a minibus, when returning inside;
  • Avoiding touching objects shared by the public – for example, a member of staff could hold a gate open to avoid everyone touching it;
  • Avoiding activities which involve touching each other (e.g. holding hands);
  • Sanitising equipment before it is used.

Is there a financial risk in booking with you?
No.
All trips can be postponed or cancelled if issues arise.
No deposit is taken so no loss can occur to the school.

My Challenge for you today is to look at how your garden or school grounds have changed since the beginning of lockdown.

Watch my video to find out how.

What you will need:
A camera or phone.

How to do it:
If you took photos at the beginning of lockdown of your garden or school grounds find them. Maybe you did some of the earlier Nature days challenges such as the mini beast hunt and pollinator survey.
Next look around your garden to see what has changed since then.
I bet nature hasn’t been in lockdown!
Count how many difference you can find between March and July.
Things to look for:
Flowers
Berries and fruits
New plants and weeds
Larger plants
Changes in the amount of plants and flowers.
Changes in the amount and type of mini beasts. You could redo your mini beast hunt and see if the results are different compared to in March.

If you are back at school after a long while, take a walk around the grounds. What has got bigger? What is in flower or fruit now?
What are the main changes and would you have noticed if you hadn’t been away?

If you have any before and after photos I would love to see them so please share on Twitter #Naturedays and tag me in @DawnNaturedays or on the Nature addy facebook page.

My Challenge for you today is to dissect a flower.

Watch my video to see how.

What you will need:
A flower
Parts of the flower sheet below
A camera or a piece of paper and pencil

How to do it:
Look around you garden and with permission pick a flower.
Look at the shape of the flower and try to understand why it is shaped that way.
Look at the location of the pollen on the anther, does the shape of the flower force pollinators past the pollen? Does the location of the nectar persuade the pollinators to push past the anther or the stigma?

Find the pollen bearing anther. Do they stick out beyond the stigma on a filament? Are they ripe now? Can you get pollen on your finger?
Find the sticky stigma. Is it sticky on your finger? Can you place some pollen from the anther on to the sticky stigma? If you can you have now made a baby plant!
Follow the style from the sigma down to the flower stalk. Can you find the ovary? A bulge below the flower.
Cut the ovary open and see if you can find the unfertilised ovum which will turn into the seeds. How many ovum does the flower have?
Can you find the next stage after pollination and fertilisation?
Can you find a seed developing behind a flower?
You could collect this seed to complete the life cycle by placing it in soil and get the seed to germinate into a new plants.

Use the parts of the flower worksheet to label your own flower. You could draw the flower or take a photo and label using an app like skitch.

I would love to see your labelled pictures so please tweet #Naturedays @DawnNaturedays or on the Nature Days facebook page.

Our first “real” outdoor event for a while! This will be a socially distanced photo treasure hunt along with a video about Oxwich to accompany it. Watch the video on the Nature Days you Tube channel.

You will need:

A print out of the treasure map – Download below

A print out of the photos clues- Download below.

A camera or phone

How to do it:

• Print the Treasure map and photo clues below.
• Try to go to all the locations identified on the map where the photos have been taken.
• When you are at the location take a selfie of yourself and anyone you are with to prove you have found it.
• Upload your photos to Twitter @GowerSociety @DawnNaturedays #OurGower #Naturedays
• I will send certificates to all those who upload photos.
• You might want to enter The Gower Society photo competition with your photos or others you have. Details here, with the chance to win £25 Amazon voucher.

Tips and hints:

Drive or walk to Oxwich Nature Reserve, there is a car parking charge. Look at the map and orientate where you are.

You can access the reserve via the footpath at the entrance to the car park for the beach or at the very front on the east end of the car park, past the toilets.

You can go to each location in any order you like.

Take care to stick to paths, but if you do get lost you can just head for the sea and walk back along the beach.

Dogs are welcome on the reserve but please clean up after them, and take care as there are adders on the dunes.

If you are worried about adders then sing your way around, or bring a stick to tap the ground as you go. Snakes don’t like people so if they hear you coming they will get out of the way.

Why not make your walk even more meaningful by bringing a rubbish bag and doing a litter pick as you go.

Please ensure you stick to social distancing guidelines and government guidance.

Have fun and I look forward to your entries.

My challenge for you is to create your own Geographical Information system -GIS, like Google maps.

Watch the video to find out more.

You will need:

A phone – with a lux meter app.

A map of your garden or school grounds – watch my video to see how to make one.

Paper

Scissors

Glue

How to do it:

Take your light meter app around your garden stopping in lots of different locations.

Whenever you stop, take a light meter reading and write it on the map at the location where you took the reading. Or write it on a piece of paper or results table with the location described next to it.

You can use the results table below.

Once you have gathered your data you can use it to create a bar graph on J2Launch. Next print out the graph and cut out the bars. Stick the right bar on your map in the right location. You have now created your first layer on your GIS.

You can repeat this by taking readings for temperature, or windspeed or rainfall.

To make your map a truly interactive GIS like Google maps then use a digital application. ARCGIS is available for schools free so get your teacher to apply for it here.

Then download Survey123 app and make a survey for microclimate. Or you can use mine here. Go around your garden or school grounds filling in the survey at different locations to create a data set for all the data you collect.

Once uploaded onto Survey 123 you can access the data on your ArcGIS account and display the data using different sized proportional symbols for the different measurements. You can even change the symbols so they are representative of your readings.

Or if you don’t have access to survey 123 you can use your phone to get the exact GPS location for you sites and add that to your results table. Place in an Excel document using the template below and save as a .csv file.

My challenge for you to day is to use those beautiful summer flowers to make natural paint and a natural paint brush.

Watch my video to see how.

You will need:
A stick – for a paint brush handle
Elastic bands
Flowers
Leaves
Pestle and mortal
Paper

How to do it:
Take your stick and collect leaves to form the bristles of the paint brush. Experiment with different textures and shaped leaves.
Then wrap them around the stick and fasten tight with the elastic band.
Make a range of paint brushes with different materials to get different effects.

To make the natural paint:
Collect different coloured flowers, don’t forget to ask the garden owners permission first.
Place the flowers in the mortar and crush with the pestle.
Add a little water until you make a paste.
You could us one colour or mix them together to try some colour mixing.

Which colours worked best?
Which colours do not work as paint or is it a type of flower or leaf?

Use the paint brush with the paint to paint a picture.

I would love to see your creations so tweet any photos of your paint brushes or pictures #Naturedays @DawnNatureDays or on the Nature Days Facebook page.

In need of a break?

My challenge for you today is to do a mindfulness activity – Forest Bathing.

Watch my video for instructions.

You will need:
A forest or area of trees
A phone or mirror

How to do it:
When you arrive at your woodland just take a moment to connect with the trees around you and the ground beneath your feet.
Listen to the wind in the trees and feel it on your face.
Then find a tree and sit underneath it with your back against the trunk.
Look up at the leaves in the canopy.
Then follow the trunk down, really exploring the cracks in the bark.
Look at the base of the tree at the roots.
Can you give the tree a hug? Smell the tree.
Next go for a canopy walk. Place your mirror or camera underneath your face on your tummy and walk through the woods looking at the forest canopy above you in the picture.
Connect with the first floor. Maybe take your shoes and socks off and go for a barefoot walk.
Lastly just be still in the woods thinking about the strength of the trees and draw some strength from them into your life.
Leave the woods feeling energised, relaxed and at peace.

My challenge for you today is to preserve some of the beautiful summer flowers that are out now.

Watch my video to see how.

You will need:
A flower press or some big heavy books
Printer paper or tissue paper, or filter paper, or cardboard
Flowers
Patience!

What to do:
Go around your garden and pick your favourite flowers that you would like to keep. Make sure you ask permission from the garden owner first.
Try not to pick ones which are too thick as you may have to cut them to make them thinner.
Open your flower press or heavy book.
Place a piece of paper inside.
Carefully place the flower on top of the paper or tissue.
Cover with another piece of paper.
Carefully place the other piece of the flower press on top. Or close the book.
Screw down the top of the flower press. Or pile more books on top of the book.
Leave to dry out. Replace the paper every few days.
It will take a few weeks to be completely dry and pressed.
Then carefully remove the top paper and slide the flower off the bottom sheet.

These flowers can be used to make cards, pictures or used in an identification guide.

I would love to see your flower pressing set ups and your pressed flowers so please Tweet photos #Naturedays @DawnNaturedays.