What to do today
We will post a new activity every day.
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Check out our
What To This Weekend Page
For More Things to Make and Do
Click here to register and book online for our Winter Programme
Activity 50: French Skipping
French skipping, Chinese skipping, Elastics, or Jumpsies
This game is played all over the world with a long elastic loop.
You can make an elastic loop with elastic bands, or long piece of elastic.
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It is played by jumping over the elastic loop in patterns. They can be made up of moves in any combination or order you want. The basic moves include:
• In: The jumper’s feet land inside the rope.
• Out: The jumper’s feet land on one side of the rope.
• Right: The jumper’s right foot lands inside the rope.
• Left: The jumper’s left foot lands inside the rope.
• On: The jumper’s feet land on the rope.
• Turn: The jumper spins in mid-air to face the opposite direction.
• Straddle: The jumper’s feet land on either side of the rope.
It is usually played with 3 or more people but you can play by yourself with two chairs.
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Activity 49: Put on a Fashion Show
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Get out the dressing up gear,
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Find your best outfits,
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Mix and match clothes to look like your favourite movie or book character,
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Dress up to look like someone else in your family,
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Set a dress up challenge for your siblings (you have 20 seconds to become a shark)
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Dress up someone else.
There are lots of ways of doing this but the most important rule is that you walk the runway!
Map out your runway walk to one end, pose, turn walk to the back and pose again!
Activity 48: Food Quiz
Can you Name all 20 foods?
Activity 47: Making a UFO
Activity 46: Make a Cheese Toastie
Activity 45: Learn to skip
with enough practice maybe you could be as good as the video above
But lets start with learning the basics first:
1. Find a skipping rope (or any rope).
2. Size your rope:
stand on the middle of your rope. The handles should come up to your armpit. If your rope is two long wrap it round your hands.
3. Find a good spot:
We recommend doing this outside in a park 2 meters away from others, but if you have a clear space with high ceilings you could do it indoors too.
4. Practice a toe catch. Place the rope behind you and turn the jump rope over your head. Catch the jump rope under your toes and lift up your heels and let it out from underneath your feet.
5. Pretend jump. Jumping rope is all about timing the turn of the rope with your jump. Try taking an imaginary jump rope and pretending to turn it over your head and jump rope with it.
6. Practice timing. Another great way to practice correct timing is to place both handles of the rope in one hand and turn the rope at your side and jump.
7. Try the real thing. Now it’s time to try with a real jump rope. Be patient with yourself and go slow. Challenge yourself to do one jump. Then two jumps. Then three,
8. Remember:
-Turn the rope with your wrist not your arms
-Keep you back straight
-Don’t jump too high.
Here is a video of some basic tricks you can learn:
Activity 44: Make a Bird Box
Activity 43: Rainbow Film Quiz
Can you name all 14 films with rainbows and rainbow colours?
Thank you NHS
Activity 42: Making Bugs
for printable templates click here
Activity 41: Making Cheese and Apple Soda Bread
You will need:
• 450g plain or wholemeal flour (or a mix)
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 350ml/12fl oz buttermilk- I use natural yogurt
• 1 eating apple chopped up
• 2 handfuls of grated cheddar cheese
Step one:
tie back your hair and wash your hands for 20 seconds
Preheat the oven to 180-200C
Step two:
Put all the dry ingredients in a bowl including the chopped apple.
Step three:
Add the buttermilk/yogurt
Mix into a dough. Work quite quickly as the soda begins to work
Form it into a large round loaf shape (or two small ones).
Step four:
With a sharp knife cut a deep cross on the top
Stuff the gap with cheese
Step five:
Put on a baking tray and bake for 45-60 mins if large or 25-35 mins if two small ones
When you take it out tap the bottom to see if its cooked. It should sound hollow.
Step six:
Serve warm with butter
Activity 40: Making an Obstacles Course
You will need:
Different toys and objects you can find around your house.
A stop watch or phone for timing.
Step one:
Map out your route in your house, will it all be in one room or across room?
Step two:
Decide your start and end point. It’s good to start and end with making a noise or doing a pose so that the person your playing with knows when to start and end the timer.
Step three:
decided on your course. Here are some different ideas you can add into it, you can also come up with your own.
1. Crawl under or over a row of chairs.
2. Crawl under a string stretched between two chair legs.
3. Jump into and out of a Hula-Hoop five times or make a hoop with some clothes in a ring.
4. Walk on a balance board or make a masking tape line to follow.
5. Throw a beanbag (or soft toy) into a laundry basket.
6. Walk while balancing a beanbag (or soft toy) on your head.
7. Hit a Ping Pong ball into a cup on its side using a scrunched-up piece of newspaper
8. Skip in place while reciting a jump rope rhyme or poem.
9. Do ten star jumps.
10. Make pillow stepping stones
11. Do an impression of an animal
12. Walk while balancing a small ball on a spoon
13. Hop on one leg
14. Limbo under a rope
Step four:
Get someone to time you completing your course. See who can do it faster or try and beat your own time.
Activity 39: Making Robots
for printable templates click here
Activity 38: Quiz
1. What is Supermans Kryptonian name?
A. Kon-El
B. Kal-El
C. Jor-El
2. Wonder Woman carries a lasso, what power does it wield?
A. Freezes you
B. Makes you tell the truth
C. It's unbreakable
3. What infinity stone did Doctor Strange use?
A. Time stone
B. Soul stone
C. Mind stone
D. Power stone
4. What type of radiation caused Bruce Banner to become The Hulk?
A. X rays
B. Microwaves
C. Gamma rays
5. At least six actors have portrayed Batman in live Action films and TV. Can you name one of the actors?
6. In which country are the Ancient Pyramids Located?
7. What are the Wright brothers famous for inventing?
A. Fridges
B. Automobiles
C. Airplanes
8. Who wrote the play Hamlet?
9. Complete the song title from the 2014 Lego movie "everything is............?
10. Which country was the first to use paper money?
A. China
B. Great Britain
C. Italy
11. What are the small little men in Charlie and the chocolate factory known as?
A. Oompa Foompas
B. Oompa Loompas
C. Oompa Doompas
12. What is the name of the Space Ranger from toy story?
A. Buzz Lighting
B. Buzz Lightyear
C. Buzz Aldrin
13. Which of the following films is about an orphan?
A. Annie
B. Frozen
C. Tangled
14. Which Transformer can't speak?
A. Optimus prime
B. Soundwave
C. Megatron
D. Bumblebee
15. All birds have beaks true or false?
16. How many toes on a crocodile’s front foot?
A. 3
B. 5
17. What's the most popular pet in the world?
Cat or dog
18. What is a gecko?
A. lizard
B. Snake
C. Turtle
19. What country is the tallest tree in?
A. Congo
B. Brazil
C. China
D. America
Activity 37: Making A Fish tank
Activity 36: Making Cupcakes
Activity 35: Play Hunt The Thimble
It's get moving Wednesday and today we're playing Hunt the Thimble. Run round and get moving!
1. Find out what a thimble is for- not many people have one.
2. If you don’t have a thimble find something small, a lego piece, or a small toy figure,
3. 1 person hides the thimble, the others can’t look while it is being hidden.
4. When it is hidden all the others go to find it.
5. The first person to find it wins and hides the thimble for the next go.
Activity 34: Shadow Puppets part two; Dinosaurs
for printable templates click here
Activity 33: Animal Quiz
Can you name all the animals that have been spotted about since the lockdown started (extra points if you can name the breed)
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Activity 32: Making Playdough
You will need:
- Flour
- Water
- Oil
- Salt
- Cream of Tartar
- Food Colouring
- A Microwaveable Container
- A cup measure/ measuring jug/ standard sized mug
- A teaspoon
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STEP 1
Measure out a cup of flour and add to your container. If you do not have a cup measure 1 cup is equal to 250ml on a measuring jug or a full standard mug.
STEP 2
Add half a cup of salt, a heaped teaspoon of cream of tartar, two teaspoons of oil, a cup of water and a small amount of food colouring.
STEP 3
Stir well, try and remove all lumps.
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STEP 4
Microwave for a minute and a half.
STEP 5
Stir well.
STEP 6
Microwave for another minute.
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STEP 7
Stir until cool enough to touch and then remove from the container and kneed until it feels soft and smooth like playdough.
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STEP 8
See what you can make!
We liked making silly faces
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Activity 31: Making Muffins
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Activity 30: Tin Foil Figures
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Tin Foil Figures
All you need is a rectangle of foil
• Any foil will do – a sweet wrapper, or a piece of cooking foil
• And it doesn’t matter what size it is - the bigger the piece the bigger your figure will be
Follow the attached instructions to make the basic figure
More things you can do with this make …
Bend the figure into different shapes
You can use this figure to make a simple animation by moving it slightly for each frame
You can use this figure as a frame to build up with papier mâché or mod roc or clay and then paint it
![Foil Figure Basic Instructions[8515].jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/811b13_a7fc6e6349b44a0f8ca25dfb595fe16b~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_600,h_849,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/Foil%20Figure%20Basic%20Instructions%5B8515%5D.jpg)
Activity 29: MAKE YOUR OWN BOARDGAME!
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YOU WILL NEED
• Four sheets of paper
• Sellotape
• Felt tips
• Pencil and Rubber/eraser
• Dice or dice app
• Playing pieces(counters, figures etc.)
Number 1
Decide on the theme of your game, for example pirates, space adventure, jungle exploration. We are using pirates as our theme.
Number 2
Tape four sheets of paper together
Number 3
Draw a winding line to make a start and a finish point
Number 4
Draw a second line next the first line to create a path
Number 5
Draw lines across the path to make box
Number 6
Draw a picture of your end goal, we are drawing a treasure island to finish our game.
Number 7
Choose 6 random squares to colour in red and six squares to colour in blue. Red squares are hazard squares and blue are good luck. You can add other colours with powers too.
Number 8
Write out 2 numbered lists as follows
Hazards:
1. No wind, miss a turn
2. Shark infested water, move back
3. Dangerous whirlpool, move back two
4. Crew mutinies, miss a turn
5. Storm blows you off course, throw a 6 to continue
6. Man overboard, go back 2 spaces to get him
Good-lucks:
1. A fair wind, move ahead 2 places
2. Dolphins swim alongside you, take an extra turn
3. Land seen, move three spaces ahead
4. Huge wave sweeps you along, move ahead 4 places
5. Crew work very hard, move on 2 places
6. Capture big fish for dinner, take an extra turn
You can make up your own hazards and good squares.
Number 9
Decorate your game! Draw and colour on your game according to your chosen theme.
HOW TO PLAY!
1. Each player chooses a playing piece
2. First player rolls the dice and moves forward
3. If you land on a red square, you roll the dice again and whatever number you get is the hazard number from your list. For example, if you roll a 4 your crew would mutiny, and you would miss a turn.
4. The dice passes to the next player
5. If they land on a blue square, they do the same as they would on a red square, roll again to determine their goodluck from the list
6. Continue until someone reaches the end first. To collect the treasure, roll a 6!
Activity 28: Cryptogram
A cryptogram is a quote by someone put into a code.
The code is a letter substitution code. One letter is swopped for another.
For example:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Z Y X W V U T S R Q P O N M L K J I H G F E D C B A
“Hello everyone.” Would be “ Svool veviblmv”
But the code could be all jumbled up.
This is the 1st quote.
It begins with the name of the person or character, and then what they say. The first one will be easy as it uses the code above.
1. Drmmrv gsv Klls-
“ Blf’iv yizevi gszm blf yvorvev zmw hgilmtvi zmw hnzgvi
gszm blf gsrmp”
2nd cryptogram. This uses a different substitution code.
Hint: It’s from Star Wars. K= X
2. Bov Jna Xrabov
“Brzrzore, gur Sbeqr jvyy or jvgu lbh nyjnlf.”
Activity 27: Papier Mache bowl
Recipe for wallpaper paste
1 tbs of flour (please ask before using)
Mix in a bowl with a little cold water to make a thick paste with no lumps.
Add boiling water, a little at a time, stirring to thicken.
Cool and then use.
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Activity 26: Making Pancakes
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Activity 25: Dance with Yasmin
Yasmin from Acton has made this video for us all to dance along with, copy her or make up some of your own moves, just have fun. There is also another dancing video below we love and will hopefully inspire you to get moving.
Thank you Yasmin
Activity 24: Window Animation
Create a picture window. Add or change just one thing each day
Start with a rainbow (to show support for the NHS) add a sun, a tree, a frog whatever you like.
When your picture is dry, cut it out.
Use ordinary stuff you have in your house (you can painted the rainbow, the sun and the cloud on cardboard packing from a cereal box )
If you can, take a photo each day from the same spot and when they are all put together at the end it will be an animation.
You can use thread to hang pieces so it is like a mobile, or you could stick things to the window with sellotape or blue tack.
This is nice for passers-by to see but if you live in a flat then you can just do it for yourself and your family to see.
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Activity 23: What's in your house quiz
How well do you know your home?
There are no right or wrong answers to this quiz.
Sit in one place and try and remember all the answers.
If you can‘t remember then you can go and look.
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How many pairs of shoes do you have?
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What colour/s is your toothbrush?
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How many windows in your house?
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How many mirrors are in your house (small and large)?
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How many animals in your house? (real ones, picture of animals, books about animals, animal toys, animal ornaments?)
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How many forks in your house? (have a guess)
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What is your favourite item of clothing?
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What is your father/ brother/ or carer’s favourite item of clothing?
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What is your mother/sister/carer’s favourite item of clothing?
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What is your most favourite possession?
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How many plants in your house? (you may have lots or none)
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What colour is your front door?
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What can you see from your bedroom window?
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How many devises in your house (phones, tablets, computers, game consoles)?
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How many cuddly toys are in your house (teddy bears, fluffy toys, unicorns – you may have none or too many to count)
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How many red objects are in your house? (cups, tee-shirts, cushions)
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What colour are the walls in your house? (they may be all the same or different in each room)
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Can you see a tree from your house? if so how many?
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Do you have any of these in your house –
Teapot - knitting needles – a screwdriver – a bucket – binoculars – skipping rope – empty jam jar – paintbrush – thimble – photo of you
20.Have you done something kind today?
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Activity 22: The Fishing Game
Playing the Fishing Game
(The more fish you have the better the game)
GAME 1
One player fishes for a set time- 30 seconds/1 minute
After the set time the rod passes to the next player- even if no fish have been caught
The rod passes to the next player until all the fish are caught
The player with the most fish wins
GAME 2
Each player has a rod
Everyone fishes together until all the fish are caught
The person with the most fish wins
GAME 3
Write a number on each fish.
Play game 1 or game 2
The player with the highest score wins
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Activity 21: Sam's Super Simple Easy Chilli.
Remember to always have an adult with you when you cook and to get them to help when using the hob and knifes
Activity 20: Skateboarding Tricks
For all of you out there missing the Acton skatepark here are a few tricks you can learn on the spot outside. Remember to wear a helmet and pads.
There is also a part 2 & 3 for you to watch.
We did also find this video we thought was very funny but we don't recommend you try at home!
Activity 19: Shadow Puppets
To create the shadow, shine a light onto a blank wall. Put your puppet in front of the light.
Click links bellow for Templates
All Printable Template
Baby Deer Printable Template
Bird Printable Template
Chicks Printable Template
Fox and Hare Printable Template
Jumping Hare Black and White Printable Template
Two Birds Printable Template
Activity 18: Easter Egg Hunt
We've hidden 30 Easter Eggs inside these books.
Get a point for every egg found and a bonus point for every book you can name.
Activity 17: Dragon Lanterns
Download a printable template here
Activity 16: Easter Chocolate Nests
Activity 15: Learn to line dance to Uptown Fun
Activity 14: Can you learn the Element Song
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There's antimony, arsenic, aluminum, selenium,
And hydrogen and oxygen and nitrogen and rhenium,
And nickel, neodymium, neptunium, germanium,
And iron, americium, ruthenium, uranium,
Europium, zirconium, lutetium, vanadium,
And lanthanum and osmium and astatine and radium,
And gold, protactinium and indium and gallium,
And iodine and thorium and thulium and thallium.
There's yttrium, ytterbium, actinium, rubidium,
And boron, gadolinium, niobium, iridium,
There's strontium and silicon and silver and samarium,
And bismuth, bromine, lithium, beryllium, and barium.
There's holmium and helium and hafnium and erbium,
And phosphorus and francium and fluorine and terbium,
And manganese and mercury, molybdenum, magnesium,
Dysprosium and scandium and cerium and cesium.
And lead, praseodymium and platinum, plutonium,
Palladium, promethium, potassium, polonium,
And tantalum, technetium, titanium, tellurium,
And cadmium and calcium and chromium and curium.
There's sulfur, californium and fermium, berkelium,
And also mendelevium, einsteinium, nobelium,
And argon, krypton, neon, radon, xenon, zinc and rhodium,
And chlorine, carbon, cobalt, copper, tungsten, tin and sodium.
These are the only ones of which the news has come to Harvard,
And there may be many others but they haven't been discovered.
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Activity 13: Video Quiz
Can you name all 47 films?
Don't worry if you can't get the full titles and some films are there more then once. Team up with you're family and message us if you think you've got them all. Answers posted tomorrow.
Activity 12: Treasure Maps
Activity 11: Pitta Pizza
The best thing about these is you can choose your own toppings. Send us in photos of your pizza creations.
INGREDIENTS:
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Jarred Tomato Pasta Sauce
or you can make your own
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/tomato-basil-sauce -
Pitta Breads
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Grated Mozzarella
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Toppings of your choic
examples; Ham, Pepperoni, Tuna, Sweetcorn, Mushroom, Sliced Peppers, Onion, Sausage, Pineapple.
METHOD:
Ask an adult to preheat the grill to its hottest setting.
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Place the pitta breads onto baking trays and spread some of the tomato sauce over each. Sprinkle over the grated mozzarella and your chosen toppings.
(At this point, the pizzas can be frozen on baking trays, then packed into freezer bags, ready for another day.)
Ask an adult to grill the pizzas for 2-3 minutes, or until the bread is piping hot and the cheese has melted and turned golden-brown.
Take photos to send in and enjoy!
Activity 10: Do you think you can learn this dance from the film Way Out West staring Laurel and Hardy?
Anyone who can perform this at A.P.P.L.E when we reopen will receive a prize!
Activity 9: Making Boxes
You can also make something to go in you box, remember to send us the photos of what you make.
Activity 8: Quiz Day, can you tell what these close up objects are?
![6 images[7910].jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/811b13_aca2e4e4877f4577b3481ade0005daed~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_597,h_844,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/6%20images%5B7910%5D.jpg)
![2nd page[7911].jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/811b13_811f2b79ea4647fd92ac18b3204e168c~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_564,h_585,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/2nd%20page%5B7911%5D.jpg)
Activity 7: Today we are making paper planes,
below you can find the plans to make the basic shape but we would love to see you decorate them and send us some photos.
Activity 6: Making Cookies
Activity 5: Can you learn Beyoncé - Move Your Body - Dance?
Here is the how to,
No need to wave the American flag, it can be which ever flag you like,
you could even make your own.
Activity 4: make a butterfly
Activity 3: Quiz Day
Today is Quiz Day!
1. Name the largest mammal in the world?
2. A group of lions is known as?
3. Caterpillar grows and develops into a?
4. In which continent are bees not found?
5. Name 3 Greek gods?
6. What is the planet closest planet to earth?
7. What’s the biggest mountain in the world?
8. What’s the most common eye colour?
9. Finish the sentence. Great wall of…….?
10. What is the smallest dog breed in the world?
11. Name a volcano?
12. What country is shaped like a boot?
13. What was Dwayne johnson formally known as?
14. What is the most poisonous animal?
15. How many train stations are there in acton?
16. What is a female deer called?
17. What is a female fox called?
18. What is the grinchs problem?
19. Where does santa claus live?
20. What is the only bird that can hover in the air and also fly backwards?
Activity 2: make a kite
Activity 1: make an ecobrick
A.P.P.L.E.'s Ecobrick project is up and running.
The children and young people have been stuffing bottles with non recyclable plastic to make ecobricks to build ecobrick walls to make planters with.
The planters will be used to grow butterfly, bee and insect friendly plants.
We have finished the first planter. In the February half term the children and young people have put the first planter into the park, filled it with soil and planted with it foxgloves, buddleia and lavender.
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Please bring your filled bottles to the ARTBLOCK when we are open.
