Make a home for an insect or small creature
Safe hideaways can be hard for wildlife to find in some gardens, and what better use for all your garden waste and odds and ends? Build your bug hotel (also known as a wildlife hotel or stack) well and it could shelter anything from hedgehogs to toads, solitary bees to bumblebees, and ladybirds to woodlice.
What you will need
You can choose any of the following: Old wooden pallets, strips of wood, straw, moss, dry leaves, woodchips, old terracotta pots, old roofing tiles, bricks, preferably those with holes through them, old logs, bark, pine cones, sand, soil, hollow bamboo canes, planks of wood and whatever else you can find - preferably natural materials
Choose a suitable site. It needs to be level and the ground firm. You’ll get different residents depending on where you place your hotel, as some like cool, damp conditions and others (such as solitary bees) prefer the sun.
Fill the gaps. The idea is to provide all sorts of different nooks and crannies, crevices, tunnels and cosy beds.
Add a 'roof'. When you think you've gone high enough, making sure the stack remains stable, put a roof on to keep it relatively dry.
Don't forget to take a photo and tell us all about it and what you find moving in!
Look up at the stars on a clear night
What to look for in the night sky
Spot a satellite? See any lights streaking across the sky? It would be amazing if it was a shooting star, but most likely it is a satellite. Hundreds of satellites can be seen with the naked eye from Earth if they pass above you, particularly away from bright city lights. Dusk is the best time to spot satellites, because they are still reflecting sunlight.
Wave to astronauts! The International Space Station can be seen from the ground when it is passing over your location. It is a big space craft with a team of astronauts living on board. It constantly travels around the Earth. To find out when you can see the International Space Station from where you are, visit NASA’s Spot The Station website.
Hello Moon That big rock in the sky known as the moon appears to be shining brightly because it is reflecting sunlight. Notice the shape of the moon tonight - is it a big circle full moon, a sliver of a new moon, or something in between? The moon changes shape because of the angle of sunlight that is reaching it. Children love to hear stories about how man landed on the moon! Can you believe it happened almost 50 years ago? The computers that took man to the moon were much slower and simpler than your smartphone or tablet. Do you want to go to the moon? While there are no plans to send humans back to the moon, the US are considering sending robots to collect moon rocks – perhaps you can control one of these robots from Earth in the future?
Star light, star bright Those dazzling stars you can see are basically massive balls of gases that are shaped like, well, balls. Star patterns (constellations) in the night sky have many interesting names and stories. Ever seen Dorado the Goldfish or Cetus the Whale? Yep, they’re up there. What shapes do the kids think they can see in the stars? An easy star formation to spot is the Milky Way, especially if you are not too close to city lights. It looks like a long milky patch. It is made up of billions (yes, billions) of stars.
Don't forget to tell us all about it in school.
Perform in front of your class
A song
A poem
Some music
Read a story that you know well
Show us a trick or talent
If it helps...record yourself at home and we can play it to your class in school.
We can't wait to see you!
