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Staffhurst Woods

30 Days Wild Day 13: Going on a woodland minibeast hunt
EnvironmentNatureWoodland

30 Days Wild Day 13: Going on a woodland minibeast hunt

B and I headed back to Staffhurst Woods to look for bugs and beetles on a minibeast hunt. He had been given a minibeast hunt set for his birthday, so we took that with us. The set had a magnifying glass, pot with airholes and a magnifying glass lid and helpful book in it, but I also printed out some of these spotting sheets from the Wildlife Trust too:-

Nut detective spotting sheet

Minibeast detective spotting sheet

Beetle detective spotting sheet

Summer woodland wildlife spotting sheet

Woodland butterfly spotting sheet

There are tons of different sheet available on the website for all different seasons and places to visit.

We first looked for fallen logs and branches, as the obvious place to find minibeasts. Under one log we found a huge beetle. Going by the beetle detective spotting sheet, this might be a bloody-nosed beetle, though I’m not sure.

We found many woodlice under leaves and branches, some tiny, flying insects and something which looked like a mini butterfly with long tentacles plus a big slug, which B wanted to take home to show his brother! 🙂 B also found some half eaten nuts. I think they were beech nut shells and also old acorns.

Unfortunately we were beaten by the rain again so headed home before we really wanted to. We’ll take the pot and spotting sheets to another place soon in June, hopefully when the weather is better, to see what else we can find.

Minibeast hunt, beetle in a minibeast pot

The beetle we found under a log

Minibeast hunt

B finds some tiny insects

Minibeast hunt

June 16, 2019 0 comment
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30 Days Wild day 10: Going on a eggbox scavenger hunt
EnvironmentNatureUncategorizedWoodland

30 Days Wild day 10: Going on a eggbox scavenger hunt

We wrapped up as warmly as we could and headed out to Staffhurst Woods, one of Surrey Wildlife Trust’s loveliest reserves, for an eggbox scavenger hunt. If you come earlier in April and May, you’ll witness a carpet of bluebells. We try to come every year as it’s a truly beautiful place in Spring for a picnic. It’s also lovely any time of year, even this damp and gloomy day in June!

Where’s summery June gone? We’re struggling a bit in this damp weather. That said, I’m in the middle of reading Simon Barnes’ brilliant book ‘Rewild Yourself’  and one of the chapters talks about ‘magic trousers’. Basically, if you arm yourself with a pair of waterproof trousers as well as a rain jacket, you’re set to get out there into the UK’s predictable weather. Such a simple tip but so true. My kids have got waterproof trousers, but I haven’t so I’ve ordered a pair in case this downpour continues on throughout June.

B painted an eggbox before we came (outdoors!). We let it dry before sticking on some ideas for what to look for on our eggbox scavenger hunt. There are tons of ideas out there for scavenger hunts depending on the time of year and environment you are in, but today we went for a woodland-inspired scavenger hunt collection from The Woodland Trust. 

Then we hunted around for bits and pieces in Staffhurst Woods, before having a quick snack on our picnic rug. We looked for:-

Something yellow (couldn’t find much but found a yellowy/green leaf)

A nibbled leaf (bramble leaf)

Something bendy (leftove of a bluebell stalk)

Something weighless (fern leaf)

Something rough (bark, complete with woodlice)

Something delicate (moss)

B enjoyed poking around close to the ground but also just clambering over fallen logs and jumping about being silly. Must be something about the fresh woodland air! The heavens opened before lunch so we admitted defeat and headed home and back to buy those waterproof trousers.

Eggbox scavenger hunt, toddler on fallen log in woods

Enjoying the woods’ natural playground

Eggbox scavenger hunt, toddler in woods

B looks for items to go in his eggbox

Eggbox scavenger hunt

June 13, 2019 0 comment
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for families who like to explore

The Smaller Explorer is a blog for adventurous families. I search out the best of what's out there that's fun for kids AND adults (and maybe a bit of a break from the norm), plus provide lots of achievable ideas for exploring and having adventures in the UK and overseas.

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the smaller explorer is an online magazine for adventurous parents. We search out the best of what's out there that's fun for kids AND adults, plus provide lots of achievable ideas for exploring and having adventures in the UK and overseas.

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