Children's Events

Kids’ Fun in Nature Social Day 2024

Wednesday 30th October 2024

On Wednesday 30 October, Erika, of The Greensand Trust, set up tent in the usual spot in Redwood Glade with the assistance of GST volunteer Hilary and ranger Dave. The weather was crisp and the autumnal colours fiery, a perfect day for an energizing fact walk and spooky crafting. Did you know a bat can eat up to 3000 insects in one night? There were lots of bat facts along the woodland trail and every face that emerged from the trees after, looked filled with fascination and enjoyment. It’s great to share some nature knowledge in a fun and active way. We were really pleased to welcome hordes of half termers and little siblings, thank you to all the grown-ups for bringing you along.

Kids’ Fun in Nature Social Day 2023

Wednesday 11th October 2023

12 children attended the event and after a cold start the sun shone for the children to enjoy a bug hunt in the Wood, searching in felled tree trunks and under leaves and bracken guided by Members of the FOKW Committee and staff from the Greensand Trust. The whiteboard shows the variety of little creatures they found including a millepede! They then returned to the tent for nature picture colouring, jigsaws of common birds including robins and blue tits and making owl and bird faces using prepared slices of wood, feathers, buttons for the eyes, felt for the beaks and permanent markers. The button box was particularly interesting for an inquisitive snail who tried his best to join the buttons - perhaps he thought they were relatives!

Kids' Fun in Nature Social Day 2022

Sunday 9th October 2022

It is a passionate objective of this group to encourage the next generation to learn about woodlands and how important they are for our environment and your own health, so this year we were thrilled to be visited by a whole bunch of children from all over the town. They were treated to an enchanting crafty opportunity lead by Greensand Trust ranger Jane and set about creating a woodland floor of their own, complete with colourful fungi.

Thanks goes to Jane who supplied all the materials needed, including beautiful hand-picked and dried leaves! The children then trotted off with their parent, into the wood, following the ghostly history trail which shared fascinating facts about the beginnings of Knolls Wood and the elements of woodland life. Did you know that mushrooms (fungi) make a web that creeps beneath your feet in a secret network to help the trees? You can spot lots of different fungi in our small patch and they have the funniest names - cauliflower, jelly ear and stinkhorn to mention just a few!

Kids' Fun in Nature Social Day 2021

Saturday 9th October 2021

Around a dozen children turned up for the ‘wildlife’ activity, something the Friends and the Greensand Trust put on each year in half-term week. This year it was a ‘bug hunt’ so the youngsters set off equipped with nets, jars and pictures of the creatures they might expect to find in the wood. They looked under piles of leaves, rolled logs over and laid out pieces of white sheet under branches, which they shook to dislodge any insects. They returned with plenty of snails, woodlice and beetles – perhaps the most spectacular find was a hornet. This was later released at a safe distance.

Afterwards the children made dragonflies and grasshoppers from the colourful materials supplied by the Greensand Trust and took them home. Following the cancellation of last year’s event, it was great to see our local children enjoying themselves and learning about nature too.

Kid's Fun in Nature Social Day 2019

Wednesday 23rd October 2019

Our annual event for local children was as popular as ever with a dozen youngsters coming to do a nature quiz and craft session. Their ages ranged from 2 to 11 years old. They started by playing leaf bingo – they were given a sheet with several leaf shapes displayed and they then followed a marked trail in Knolls Wood to look for leaves from the right trees, which they stuck on to the sheet. The only tricky one was the rowan, or mountain ash, as there aren’t many in the wood.

The children came back with their sheets for drinks and biscuits and then set about making shield bugs. The distinctive body shapes were already cut out for them, so the task was to add coloured patterns, using sticky paper, and then eyes and pipe cleaner legs. There were pictures of the different types of shield bugs, which come in many different colours, for the children to look at, and the resulting bugs were impressive.

All the materials and instructions were provided by John Creasey from the Greensand Trust, and the parents helped with the trickier tasks. As the weather was kind to us, everyone spent a happy, productive couple of hours.

Kids' Fun in Nature Social Day 2018

Wednesday 24th October 2018

Our children’s activity morning was held during the half-term holiday week. That, and the warm sunshine, ensured a good turnout, and 21 youngsters and their parents took part in the Knolls Wood Tree Trail created by the Greensand Trust team.

Following numbered signs along the paths, the children had to identify the various trees and enter their names on a grid. Once they had found all ten, they could use the tree names to work out the puzzle at the end. They also enjoyed making ‘bird kebabs’, threading bread, cheese, apple and raisins on to wire to hang in Knolls Wood or their own gardens. There were leaf pictures to be coloured in as well.

Ages ranged from three to ten years old, so it was important to have something for everyone. Thanks go to all involved, especially to the mums and dads who joined in all the activities and helped to make it a really enjoyable morning.

Kids' Fun in Nature Social Day 2017

Monday 25th September 2017

We were lucky with the weather for this year’s children’s event – it was dry, sunny and very warm. That may be partly the reason for the high turnout, with 21 youngsters, from five to twelve years old, coming along to learn a bit about nature in Knolls Wood.

There were three activities: they were given a map of the wood, showing the trail to follow, plus a sheet with pictures of eight different leaves and the names of the trees they came from. The aim was to find those leaves in the wood and stick them on the pictures. Afterwards there were leaf pictures to colour in and take home. The second trail was marked with photos of birds that are commonly found in Knolls Wood. The children had to find them and identify the birds. Not as easy as it sounds because only a part was shown, not the whole bird. Of course, there were prizes for all, plus refreshments.

Afterwards they made ‘bug hotels’ – ordinary food tins packed tightly with bamboo twigs, which are hollow and so make ideal habitats for insects. The children took these home to hang in their gardens and they will check from time to time to see what has taken up residence.

The Friends organise this event every year, usually in the autumn half-term week, and it’s always gratifying to see how much the children enjoy it.

Kids' Fun in Nature Social Day 2016

Thursday 27th October 2016

It was lovely to see lots of children attend our Activity day on Thursday. Lots of Bug Hotels were built and hung around the woods, along with Stickmen. The children also enjoyed Leaf Bingo. The weather was good and both adults and children enjoyed themselves.

Build-a-Bug and Bug Trail 2015

Thursday 22nd October 2015

This year the children’s event was held in the school half-term week. The day started wet but luckily brightened up as the youngsters arrived, ready to build their own bugs. Using coloured pipe cleaners, fluffy balls and even clothes pegs, they made an assortment of caterpillars and wasps, adding wings, antennae and eyes as the finishing touch (see the photo).

Then the children went on a bug trail in Knolls Wood, looking for photos pinned on the tree trunks and trying to identify which insect was shown in the picture. As the photos were close-ups of just a small part of the insects, it wasn’t that easy. The morning ended with refreshments for all.

Thanks go to Gary (Greensand Trust), who organised the activities, brought along the materials and, most important, gave the Friends a quick training session on bug making.

Building Birdboxes 2014

Thursday 23rd October 2014

This year’s activity for children, organised by the Greensand Trust and the Friends, was to make bird boxes for Knolls Wood. Despite a rainy morning, around 20 youngsters turned up with their parents to construct the boxes, which were supplied as flat packs with all necessary nails and screws. Under the shelter of gazebos the young people hammered away enthusiastically, taking about 15 minutes to complete each box. The last thing was to write their name on the underside so they will be able to recognise their own box once it is put up on a tree in the wood.

Gary Peach of the Trust supplied the boxes, plus gloves, hammers and screwdrivers, and the Friends provided workbenches and refreshments for the workers. Once their boxes were finished, the children went on a woodland bird trail to identify the birds shown in pictures pinned up on the trees. Nineteen boxes were built, so it was a very productive session, enjoyed by children and adults alike.

Children's Event 2013

Sunday 22nd September 2013

Photo's from Sunday's Children event...

Volunteer Morning & Children's Event 2012

Sunday 21st October 2012

The main purpose of the day was to "Hunt the Monkey Puzzle Tree" and remove some of the sycamore saplings and undergrowth that are threatening to crowd them out. The adults worked hard to make a start on this in the morning lead by Bob Holland of the Greensand Trust, and then in the afternoon Alexe Rose of the Trust helped educate us all about the conservation of the Monkey Puzzles. Meanwhile, Purdy gave us a fine impression of a monkey.

Children's Event 2011

Sunday 11th September 2011

On 11 September the Friends and the Greensand Trust held a workshop for young people to make bat boxes for Knolls Wood. Kits consisting of pre-cut panels, nails and screws were supplied by the GST and a dozen or so youngsters wielded hammers and screwdrivers to assemble 15 boxes with the help of committee members (at some risk to their fingers!). Everyone was pleased with the results and each child wrote their name on the box they had made so they can locate them once the boxes are fixed to trees. They look like bird boxes, but without the entry hole – the bats will squeeze through a small gap between the sides, just large enough for them but too small for bluetits etc.

Afterwards the children made black bat finger puppets to take home.