Week 31 – Autumn Activities

Hello and welcome to this week’s Giving Tuesday! Do you know, it’s only four more weeks until the campaign finishes!?

We can’t quite believe we’ve given you 30 weeks of exciting activities and ideas already and we really hope you’ve enjoyed our suggestions!

Anyway, here we are facing another lockdown, so we thought we’d give you some autumn activities to try out – little ways to bring a ray of sunshine to the shorter days.

Save the Hedgehogs!

Hedgehogs are one of our most iconic native species, and they are increasingly rare: research indicates ‘hog numbers have dropped by 50% in the last twenty years. The extensive use of pesticides on farms and in gardens and the loss of habitat to new developments are two of the key issues that threaten the hedgehog population. Check out the British Hedgehog Society for more info.

If you can, make sure your garden is a “hedgehog highway”, by providing small gaps in your fences to allow the ‘hogs to travel through your garden.

If you see hedgehogs out in the day time where they might not be in a safe place, contact your local rescue place to let them know.

Build a hedgehog house

The DIY-savvy amongst you could create a beautiful house as designed by the RSPB.

But if you’re a bit less handy with a saw and nails, why not try out this marvellous brick house instead (no bricklaying skills needed here!). Don’t forget to take a picture to share with us and let us know how you get on!

And, if you’re having a bonfire on 5th November, please remember to check under the wood for sleeping ‘hogs: they love a woodpile for hibernating, and no one wants a toasted hedgehog!

Make an Autumn Mobile!

Next time you go for a walk, pick up a few sticks, some pine cones, conkers, acorns or anything else ‘Autumny’ you can find. Then pop along to the RedTedArt website and learn how to turn your findings into a beautiful decoration for your home.

This is a great activity for the children to get involved in!

Press some Autumn leaves!

There’s something truly magical about tromping through piles of brightly coloured Autumn leaves… the crunching sound they make is fantastic!

Why not take a few home with you and press them? Make sure they’re dry, then lay the leaves out carefully, in a single layer, on a sheet of kitchen roll. Place another sheet on the top, and then find the biggest, heaviest book in the house. Open the book to the middle page and place the sheet in the book. Close the book again, and pop it back on the shelf. By Easter, your leaves will be pressed, dried and ready to use in crafting activities.

Tidy up the garden!

Now is a great time to tidy the garden for Winter. Pick up those fallen leaves and scatter them around the edges of the garden, or on your flowerbeds: they’ll provide a home for wildlife over the coming months, plus they’ll provide excellent nutrients for your plants in the Spring.

You could also clear out your compost bins and give your garden equipment the once over before storing in your shed or outbuildings for the Winter months.

There are plenty of other tasks you can undertake to keep your garden looking tip-top over the colder months. Here’s a helpful video to give your some ideas: