On Saturday morning we met the very lovely Hattie Garlick and the team at Rainham Marshes RSPB to celebrate the launch of Hattie’s new book Born to be Wild in a very nature oriented, let’s get outside kind of way. It was great to get out in the fresh air and explore: pond dipping, nature spotting and creating an Easter tree. All things we had never done before as a family, it was great fun.
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Louise from the RSPB took the children on a tour through Rainham Marshes, identifying nature along the way and talking to them about what kind of animals are found there. It was great for the children that wanted to listen, Noah & Isla decided they wanted to burn off some steam though. It wasn’t until Louise told us about the prickly teasels that the children closed in. Did you know that teasels eat bugs? We surely didnt until Saturday, I was amazed.
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After we arrived at the education center at Rainham Marshes, we had a run around and inspected the area. The children really enjoyed being silly and having fun around the wonderful countryside. I love it when they are just being free, being children, they have the biggest smiles on their faces. One thing that this book will increase – that happy face! We split into three groups to carry out a spot of pond dipping and it was great fun, finding mini beasts. Noah found a water louse and Isla found a water beetle – they were fascinated. It has made me want to get a pond in the back garden, especially when it gets to tadpole season – I used to love watching the tadpoles change into frogs when I was younger.
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After the pond dipping session, we went indoors and got a little crafty with twigs and glitter, glue and yarn. It was brilliant. Isla and Noah thoroughly enjoyed it. We put our creative sides together to make our very own Easter tree, one of the activities from Hattie’s new book and it was so easy to make. I hadn’t thought about this kind of activity before. We were all very proud of our Easter tree:
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If you fancy doing the #Borntobewild challenge, which is getting Hattie’s book and completing all of the fabulously outdoors activities, then you will need a copy of her book, Born to be Wild which can be found on the Bloomsbury website for only £15.29. It will keep you going throughout the year and inspire you on those days when you have no agenda, a clear sky and some free time. The book looks brilliant, so many great ideas of things to do with the kiddies out and about, all free too, so no excuses. Who knew that a little pond dipping would be so much fun and pass an hour so quickly? Hattie is really lovely, it was great to meet her and one of her little ones. She has such a great outlook on life, it is quite inspiring to get out and get creative with nature. So thank you Hattie!
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After we made a huge mess in the education centre we went for a walk in the marshes, the kids were in discovery mode, they found a large rock which amused them for ages. They discovered all the spots for nature seeking enthusiasts and stopped to do their part too, of course. They loved it. Rainham Marshes surprised us, before you get to the drive way, it really doesnt feel like the area for such beauty and nature – it looked, well like London! It was amazing to see all the marshland and animals, oh and all the ant hills too!
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