Welcome to the Midlands Moot 2021 30 April – 2 May

You may be taking part with Maybe you will attempt Outdoor fun your family and friends or something new or revisit an maybe, COVID willing, with old skill? for everyone! some of your Guiding friends. Maybe there is something All of your County Outdoor Wherever and whenever you that you used to enjoy doing Advisers, from across the take part, you will be part of at camp or in your unit Midlands Region, have the Virtual Midlands Moot meeting places, or something designed this pack so that guiding family when you do. you always wanted to do but everyone can enjoy The aim is for you to never had the chance? themselves outside in the challenge yourself. From So, get outside and have fresh air. Rainbows to Adults there is some fun in the fresh air. No matter what your plenty in this pack for all situation is, there are plenty ages. Bev Suffell of activities for you to try. Region Outdoor Activity Adviser Please share your photographs with Challenge Yourself Getting the most out of your leader so that she can share them via social media. We recommend that each person does your Virtual Moot! at least one challenge from each element in order to achieve the badge Be Safe but you know your own skills and Join In abilities; choose a selection that you Ask for help if you need it – things are The challenge is based around the 4 think challenges you. themes: “Earth, Air, , and often more fun with a friend and helper too. Try something new or work to develop Water” and we hope the activities a skill as you take part. will help you to get back to enjoying Take an adult with you on your the out-of-doors and having fun with outdoor adventures or, if you are You can do the challenges either at your guiding skills. Fresh air – here we older, make sure that someone knows home with your bubble or with your come! where you are going and when you unit (If COVID restrictions allow). A couple of challenges are focussed on will be back. Unit leaders – Check for links to the the Moot weekend but others can be Water, fire, knives etc are all safe and programme UMA. We have not done at any time to suit your useful as long as you remember they referenced them directly but there circumstances. can be dangerous and treat them are lots of opportunities to appropriately. incorporate this challenge into your All of the challenges can be adapted programme. for your location as well as for all ages, sections, abilities & resources. Be Respectful Be creative with the ideas - the most Check the website! Take care of the environment and the important thing is for everyone to join surroundings wherever you do your www.girlguiding-midlands.org.uk in! challenges; leave it better than you The Events Page is where you will find found it if you can. If in doubt, check the links to the Share Ideas out the Countryside Code here: • Badge Order Forms www.gov.uk/government/publication • The Moot Miles Survey We in the region team, as well as all s/the-countryside-code of the other Leaders across the • The Bird Watching Results region, would love to see what you Always ask permission before • The OS Symbols Answers. have been up to during Moot. borrowing or using any equipment or materials. 2 Any kind of tent! Pitch it Pitch outdoors if you can or Go Geocaching! A indoors if needed. There are lots of routes Can you spend the night to choose from in both Tent! in your tent too? rural and urban areas. If you are outdoors, make sure you are If this is something new to you, have a Earth warm and safe (what do you need to take look at the ‘getting started’ pages at with you? Torch, whistle etc) and if you are geocaching.co.uk Remember to Challenges indoors make sure your tent is uniquely respect your environment and other yours! (How will you decorate it? Lights or geocachers by leaving sites tidy and bunting etc). taking litter home with you.

How many times can we walk from Doing the whole journey might not be practical but if we all join in and walk a few miles each then we can get there and Land’s End to John O’Groats back lots of times! At some point over the Moot weekend, this weekend? go out for a safe and enjoyable walk and clock up some ‘Moot Miles’. Land’s End and John O’Groats are the extreme points on the island of Great Once you have done this, go to this link to Britain, in Cornwall, England in the record your achievement (there is a link on the Southwest and Caithness, Scotland in the Events page of the Midlands website too if you North East respectively. The traditionally would rather not type it in!) recognised road distance between them is https://forms.gle/LhrvAvnQZvjdGrXS6 874 miles or 1407km although walkers taking the scenic routes will walk much We will post the overall totals on the website and in the June further and the journey can take several e-Newsletter so make sure you enter your miles by Friday 28 months! May.

3 A compass is used to find direction and is based on a circle. The four cardinal points cut the circle into Track Stars 1. 1NE quarters. They are named North, East, South and West Lay a track for someone else to follow, 2. 3N and are represented by the letters N,E,S,W . Between the instructions below will help you. 3. 1NW these we find the four Primary Inter Cardinal points, which cut the circle into eighths. These are named Pebbles and twigs make great track signals 4. 2W North East, South East, South West and North West and but you could use pens or cutlery, buttons 5. 1NE are represented by the letters NE, SE, SW and NW. or coins to lay an indoor trail too! 6. 2NW 7. 3W 8. 2SW 9. 1SE Compass Challenge 10. 2W This is a challenge you can try indoors using graph paper and 11. 1SW pen and then take it outside and ‘go big’ once you are 12. 3S confident with your directions. 13. 1SE Indoors: 14. 1E • You will need a piece of graph paper, 15. 1NE 13 squares wide and 14 squares tall. 16. 2E • Start 2 squares in from the right hand 17. 3S side and 5 squares up from the 18. 2W bottom. 19. 1NW • Trace a line starting from this point, 20. 2W using the compass directions shown. 21. 2S Outdoors: 22. 1SE • You need a large open space, 32 tent pegs, a mallet and a 23. 9E long piece of string. If you don’t have an actual compass 24. 1NE you can use a landmark like a tree or a building as ‘north’. 25. 2N • Place your first tent peg in the ground and attach your 26. 2W string. 27. 1SW • Now follow the compass directions, using steps instead of 28. 2W squares and placing a new tent page and attaching the 29. 3N string after each step. 30. 2E • For a cardinal point direction (N, S E or W) use a standard 31. 1SE step to measure. For an Inter Cardinal direction (NE, SE, 32. 1E SW or NW) use a slightly longer, diagonal step. 4 Make A Bedding Roll

A warm and comfortable bed is an essential for a good nights sleep and a successful camp! Make sure that your ground Get Tree-ative! sheet is sturdy and How many different trees are your sleeping bag is in your garden or thick and warm. neighbourhood?

Identify as many as you can and then carefully make bark or leaf rubbings from them Are you feeling using wax crayons and paper. confident? Take your bedding How many creative ways can roll in the bath or you use your tree art? shower with you or Greetings cards, book marks, hose it down in the mobiles, jewellery? garden … Is it rainproof? Did your We’d love to see your great pyjamas stay dry? ideas so please post pictures on social media. 5 Build a Bivouac / Design a Den A bivouac is an improvised shelter made from whatever objects are at hand at the time. Build a bivouac (or a den) and sleep in it overnight. In the wild, bivouacs are used as emergency shelters and the pictures give you some design ideas. A tarpaulin and some rope are always worth carrying if you are out for an adventure but you could also use leaves and fallen branches. Remember to always leave your shelter spot as tidy as you find it. For an indoor den you could use furniture such as chairs and tables, broom sticks or umbrellas, blankets and towels. Outside, warmth and shelter are the key requirements but indoors you can be more creative with your designs!

Tree Dimensional To Calculate the Height of a Tree • Get to know the trees in your neighbourhood better by 1. Stand with your legs apart and calculating their age and height. your back to the tree. • You will need a tape measure and possibly a ball of string. 2. Keeping your legs straight, bend down and look at the tree between your legs. To Calculate the Age of a Tree 3. Move backwards or forwards so that you can just about see the top of the tree between your legs. 1. Measure up the trunk 150cm from the ground and wrap a 4. Measure the distance between your feet and the tree trunk. tape measure (or a piece of string) around, to find out the circumference, in centimetres. When you can see the top of the tree between your legs, the distance between your feet and the trunk is about the same 2. Divide this figure by the growth rate to discover an height as the tree. approximate age of the tree. 1.88 for 5. Think about how you will measure the 2.50 for hazel, ash and distance between your feet and the tree. If 2.75 for sycamore the height is longer than your tape measure, 3.13 for and you could ask a friend to count strides or If your tree is not one of these, use 2.50 count heel-to-toe steps between you and the tree trunk. 3. As an extra challenge, find out the major historical or newsworthy events the year your tree was ‘born’! 6 Design a Flag Create your own flag. Sounds of Silence Find a quiet, comfortable place You can use whatever materials outside to sit peacefully and listen you have around you; paper, for 30 minutes pens and stickers for an indoor  What can you hear? (birds, water, flag or fabric, paint and cars, music, voices, your heartbeat etc.) decorations for an outdoor flag.  Which sounds do you normally miss in Can you hoist your flag up the the hustle and bustle of activity? flagpole you have made?

Make a Flagpole Fairy Houses

Make the tallest flagpole you can; this can be either indoors using chopsticks or kebab sticks or outdoors using broom poles if you can. Either way, it’s a great opportunity to brush up your knotting skills!

Round lashing (also known as vertical lashing) is used to join two poles together to extend their length, perfect for a flagpole!

1. Start by tying a clove hitch round the poles. Find a suitable rock or two and decorate 2. Wrap the rope neatly around both poles several times. them with paint or chalk to make fairy 3. Finish the lashing with a clove hitch. houses for around your house and garden.

To make the lashing tighter and more secure, you can add two wedges Remember to keep checking between the poles, one above and one below the lashing. back for any new visitors. 7 Friendship Knots Learn how to tie a friendship knot in your Necker (or another suitable scarf or tie)

To help you understand these Fairy Friends instructions, the end Collect natural materials such as sticks, of the Necker in your leaves, flowers and seeds to make a RIGHT hand is garden fairy. coloured Red and the If you can find lots of bits and pieces, end of the Necker in perhaps you could make a whole fairy your LEFT hand is family mobile display? coloured bLue

Try different ways to tie the knot and see which one works best Get Dressed for you: • With and without a in the Dark! mirror Test your wardrobe choices, • With the Necker speed, balance and coordination around your neck skills by getting dressed in the • With the Necker dark – great practice for when we around a friend’s are back on camps and holidays! neck 8 Birdwatching Bonanza Lets make Saturday 30 April ‘Girlguiding Midlands Birdwatching Day’

During the day, find somewhere outside – a woodland, a garden or a park - to sit for 30 minutes and see which birds visit your chosen spot. Use the guide overleaf to record your sightings and then send in your results so we can log what’s happening in each County. Go to this link to record your results (there is a link on the Events page of the Midlands website too if you would rather not type it in!) https://forms.gle/p3TTR7RsXLBHNmfm9 Macrame Owls This idea is one for the evenings (or if perhaps the weather is not so good and being indoors is a good idea!) OS Map Challenge Macrame is a fun way to practice your knotting skills whilst making How many of these Ordnance Survey Map symbols can you correctly identify? intricate and beautiful items, for 1 2 3 4 5 6 yourself or to give as a gift. Make a macrame owl

(or another animal that reminds 7 8 9 10 11 12 you of your guiding journey). There are lots of helpful videos and patterns to download for free at: www.macrameuk.com Check the events pages of the Region website for the answers! 9 Jay Long Tailed Tit Blackbird Common/Garden Pigeon British Birds How many of these will you see?

Blue Tit Robin Collared Great Tit House Dove Sparrow

Carrion Goldfinch Wren Crow Coal Tit Goldcrest

Magpie Chaffinch Dunnock Starling Greenfinch 10 These simple wind powered toys can be made with paper, scissors and a Windmills Wind Sock few bits & bobs you may have at • This is a simple item to make and even home. How many can you make? simpler to use. Which one is your favourite? • You will need a band [A], a tail [B] and some string to hang it outside! • The design below is made from a sheet of paper (or thin card) but you could also adapt and upcycle to use a bottle or paper tube for the band and then ribbon Helicopters for the tail. • Once it is made, hang it outside somewhere visible from your window. • Check to see how fast the wind is (how high the wind sock is lifted from its hanging rest position) and from which direction it is coming (which way is the Once made, drop your helicopter from tail streaming). a height (stand on a chair, down the stairs, out of a window) – be safe and ask for help if you need it.

• Start with a square of paper. • Carefully cut in, diagonally, from each corner making sure to not go Staple or all the way to the middle hole. paper-clip to add • Use a pencil to make a small hole in weight. each ‘sail’ you have cut and the centre of the square. • Fold in the sails and fix with a paper fastener to a straw or kebab stick. 11 S’mores – yes please! Always ask for adult support when You will need:  a piece of chocolate making .  a stick  a marshmallow (or 2) Ensure you have a  2 plain biscuits clear path away from the fire and a Carefully place your marshmallow on the full bucket of water end of a twig (or kebab stick) and toast it nearby. gently over your camp fire (or tea light). Keep it turning gently until the marshmallow is golden brown all over. Build & Light a Fire Outdoors Place your chocolate on one of your biscuits. Collect tinder, kindling and fuel When the marshmallow is cooked, place it on top of the wood to safely build and light a fire chocolate and then place the second biscuit on top to make a outdoors. sandwich. Choose a suitable area and prepare Squeeze the biscuits gently to squish the marshmallow and your fire carefully. then carefully remove the kebab stick. • These images show a Tee-Pee and Log Cabin fire design; can you find Wait for a minute or two to allow the marshmallow to cool. out about other fire structures? Enjoy with a mug of hot chocolate! • Swedish Torch, Star, Platform, Lean-To? Which one is best for cooking? • Kebab sticks are sharp and s’mores can be very hot! Which is better in bad weather? • Ask an adult to help using matches or a lighter. Which uses less fuel? • Never leave a fire or a burning unattended.

12 2. Completely cover your cardboard closing the lid/door to keep the Make & Bake box and sheet of card in foil, heat in. leaving no area of card exposed – 8. Simple scones, biscuits, fairy exposed card will be a fire hazard. in a Camp Oven cakes and pizza all work really 3. Attach the sheet of card to your well. main box so that it opens and You will need: 9. Once your meal is ready – eat and closes easily (use the skewer to enjoy! • 1 x Disposable BBQ pierce holes and then use string or • 1 x Cardboard Box wire ties to make a hinge) 10.Extinguish your BBQ fire and leave it to cool fully before moving and (big enough to easily cover your 4. Push a tent peg or skewer through dismantling the oven! BBQ with space around the edges) the side of the box about 2cm • 1 x Sheet of Card from each corner, halfway up the 11.Be careful – it will be very hot for (to make a lid/door) box. Make sure they are the same a long time! • 1 x Pair of sharp scissors/knife height so the cooling rack will be (to cut card) level • Lots of cooking foil! (to wrap all the card) 5. Place your cooling rack on to the • 1 x Metal Cooling Rack pegs or skewer inside your box • 4 x Metal Tent Pegs/Metal Skewers (alternatively, if your box is big or 4 x clean & empty metal cans enough you can use empty cans to • String or Wire Ties support your cooling rack). • 1 x Pair of Oven Gloves 6. Light the BBQ and wait until any flames have died down and then How to make your oven: carefully close the oven.

1. Cut your cardboard box so that 7. Once hot, you can cook your one side is completely open – this chosen meal in your oven by will be the front of your oven. placing food onto the rack and

13 sure enough oxygen circulates Cook the pancakes Tin Can Pancakes around the candle. 1. Put the tea light on a plate (not Make your own mini stove and whip up a 6. Either use pliers/tin snips to cut a plastic) and put the tin can stove batch of delicious but tiny pancakes. flap at the bottom of the stove or, if over the tea light. You will need: you can’t do this, use the same 2. Use the matches to light the tea method to make holes in the bottom light. • Tin Can • Bowl of the stove. The flap will allow you 3. Add some cooking oil to the top of • Tin Opener • Jug to see and access the tea-light but the can and let it heat up. • Screwdriver • Spoon the holes will also allow sufficient 4. Remember, once you set the stove • Hammer & Nail • Knife oxygen to circulate. up it will be hot. Don’t touch it • Tea Lights • Pancake 7. Put the stove to one side. Don’t with your bare hands. • Matches Ingredients light the tea light until you’re ready 5. Test whether the oil’s hot enough by • Plate • Heat-proof gloves to cook. putting a dot of batter onto the tin Make a tin can stove can. 1. Make sure the tin can is empty, clean If the oil’s ready, the dot of batter and dry. Take off any labels and will sizzle and start to cook. check there’s no coating on the Remove it with a table knife. inside. 6. Pour about a teaspoon of batter onto 2. Watch out for sharp edges on the the top of the tin can stove. open end of the can (this is the 7. Once bubbles come to the surface, bottom of the stove). Make pancake batter work the table knife around the 3. Use the tin opener (or hammer and Ingredients edges of the pancake to loosen it so nail) to carefully punch some holes • 50g flour • 1 tbsp Sugar you can flip it over. in the side of the can near the top • 1 egg (optional) 8. If you need to hold the can steady, (the end that’s still covered). Punch • 150ml milk • One tbsp oil (& use a glove to protect your hand. these holes all the way around. • One tsp vanilla more for cooking) 9. Continue to flip the pancake over to 4. If you’re using a hammer and nail, extract (optional) • Toppings! make sure it cooks evenly on both make sure that the can stays still on sides. the ground or the bench and the nail 1. Mix the egg, milk, sugar, oil and 10.Once the pancake’s cooked, use the only goes into the tin (and not your vanilla extract in your jug. table knife to remove it. hand or knee) 2. Put the flour into your bowl and 11.Once you’ve cooked your pancakes, 5. Gently place the screwdriver into slowly add the wet ingredient mix, add your favourite topping and taste each hole and wiggle it to make the stirring continually until the batter is them. smooth. holes a bit bigger. This will make 14 No Cook Cooking DIY Ice Cream Ingredients Challenges! • 300ml semi-skimmed milk • 1 tablespoons caster sugar • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract • 1kg ice • 6 tablespoons rock salt Armpit Fudge (trust us!) • hundreds and thousands, to serve To make a single portion, you will need: • 50g icing sugar (half a cup) You will need • 1 tablespoon butter • 2 medium zip-seal freezer bags • 2 teaspoons cream cheese • 1 large zip-seal freezer bag • A dash of vanilla essence • sticky tape • 2 teaspoons cocoa Method What to do: 1. Place the milk, sugar and vanilla into the doubled- 1. Place all ingredients in a sandwich-size plastic up medium zip-seal bags. zipper bag, squeeze out all of the air and ensure it’s 2. Close and secure with sticky tape if the seal isn’t tightly sealed. strong. 2. Squish the bag in your hands to get the ingredients 3. Tip the ice and salt into the large bag, then place mixing and then place the bag in your armpit to the smaller bags inside the larger one, and seal heat the mixture and squish and jiggle some more! well. 3. Keep going until all the ingredients are really well 4. You will need to keep the bags moving for 10-15 mixed and it has a creamy consistency. mins to freeze the milk. Gently throw the bag 4. To make it extra tasty, you can add in some extra from hand to hand or take turns shaking it – it’s a flavours like raisins, peanut butter, nuts or some good idea to wear gloves to keep your hands M&Ms. warm! 5. The mixture should be ready to eat now, so grab a 5. Remove the ice-cream bag, open and scoop into spoon and enjoy! bowls. Sprinkle with hundreds & thousands. 15 Make a Traditional Guide Friendship Stick The Sky Each part of the stick is A friendship stick symbolises the symbolic: sense of belonging to a living at group across the barriers of language, race and culture.  The blue band represents the Night blue sky we all live under Sit outside after dark and look Traditionally they are made and together at the stars in the sky. given and gifts by Guides and The picture above is part of  The blue eye stands for life Girl Scouts as a sign of Ursa Major – can you see it? friendship and unity.  The black eye denotes death How many other constellations  The smiling face is the sign of can you find and identify? Find a finger width stick in your a friend garden or on a walk and carefully use a craft knife to  The slightly curved red lips whittle away any large lumps mean joy and remove the bark – ask an  The green band is for purity adult to help you do this safely. in deed, word and thought Bedtime You could also use a piece of dowelling or a lolly stick.  The yellow, red, brown, white and black bands are all Stories of an equal size as all people Colour in the different bands Wrap up warm and, either are created equal whatever with markers or paints. Drill a with your family or your unit, their race or colour hole through the yellow band take a hot drink outside and and thread a cord through it.  The red band signifies hope tell stories in the dark!  The brown band at the How many stories do you know Large friendship sticks can be bottom represents the earth well enough to share without hung on a wall and smaller ones on which we all stand having a book to read? can be worn as a necklace or Do you prefer adventures, attached to your hat or bag! funny tales or ghost stories? Which story is your favourite? 16 1. Remove the label and clean and dry the Make your milk bottle. 2. Carefully cut the base away from the bottle, as close to the bottom as you own mini can. Remember to ask for help if you need it! Water Butt 3. If you want to, use the paint, pens You will need: and/or decorations to decorate the outside of the bottle to suit where it • A large milk bottle and its lid (a 6-pinter will be hanging in the garden. is ideal) • Strong garden twine or cable ties You could choose colourful plant or flower • Sturdy and sharp scissors patterns or perhaps some water saving • Outdoor/waterproof paint (optional) messages – remember your bottle will be • Permanent markers (optional) hanging with the lid pointing downwards (so, sort of upside down). • Decorations and glue (optional)

4. Once your decorations are dry, refasten the lid and use the twine or cable ties to attach the Stay hydrated whilst you bottle to a fence (or other are enjoying all of these suitable structure) so the open activities and take the end is pointing up and the closed challenge further by not end is pointing down. using any single use 5. When it rains, your mini water drinks containers for a butt will collect the water and full week. you can unscrew the lid to release it into a watering can Carry your own reusable when you need to use it on your bottle with you and stay garden. refreshed all day!

17 6. Measure 20 centimetres below these knots Make a and tie a knot in the two pieces of wool now Raft-astic paired together. Do this for each paired Butterfly Feeder strand of wool (six knots in total). Attract beautiful butterflies to your outdoor 7. Check the width of your plate at its widest area with our easy-to-make fruit feeder. point, measure this length below the second knot and tie all strands together in one big The best way to help butterflies is to grow knot. butterfly-friendly plants that will provide 8. Place the plate in the wool hanger so that nectar to adults and food to caterpillars. the final big knot is below the middle of the plate and the strands are spaced out around You will need: the edge. Hang in a sunny spot out of the • a plate • a tape measure wind. • a key ring • wool (or string) 9. Add some overripe fruit - banana works Make your own raft using • scissors • overripe fruit well. Now watch and wait; you may need to materials you have to hand. be very patient! You could use lolly-sticks 1. Cut six lengths of wool, each 2.75 metres and glue for a smooth, long. Gather them and fold in half. Find out more at: www.nhm.ac.uk sleek vessel or twigs and 2. Push the folded end through the key ring lashing if you want to to create a loop and pull the loose ends practice your knots. through (a Larks Head Knot). Will it float? Will it carry cargo? 3. Separate into six strands (each strand will include two pieces of wool). 4. Measure 30 centimetres from the ring and tie a knot into each strand. 5. Below these knots, separate the wool into 12 strands, then bring together strands which are next to each other, leaving the outer strands until last.

18 Make a Paper Boats Worm Charming Once you have made your boat – or boats – Challenge yourself and your family or your guiding unit to find a safe place to float and race them, charm as many worms to the surface as possible in a given perhaps a big puddle or maybe even the bath! amount of space and within a set time. The winner is the person who collects the most worms!

Worm charming is a traditional village activity and experienced competitors will have their own peculiar tools to help charm the worms. These will usually involve things to bang and thump the ground. A popular method is to insert a garden fork and bang the shaft with a stick so the tines vibrate in the ground. You can also dance on the ground or pitter-patter it with your hands.

Worms are sensitive to sound vibrations and will come to the surface if their underground world is subjected to the right kind of noise. Rain or a watering can also helps to get them interested. No digging is allowed. When enough of the worm is showing above the surface they can be carefully pulled out.

All the worms must be treated carefully, placed in a collecting bucket or cup containing moist compost until counted and then returned to the ground safely.

It is possible to gather a surprisingly large number of worms from quite a small space. The record is over 500 from a 3m x 3m plot. Lots of different techniques techniques will work; half the fun will be to see what people come up with! 19 Up and Over, Down and Through! Marble River Make your own assault course or obstacle course in your outdoor Make your own marble run using upcycled food space. packaging, cardboard tubes, boxes, stationery and other bits & bobs you can safely find around  What equipment can you include in your course? your home?  How many challenges or obstacles can you include?  What’s the longest time you can keep a marble  How many different heights (above ground and down low) or moving? moves (jumps, steps, crawls) can you include?  How many different routes can you make on  Who can you challenge to a race or who can you ask to time your one board? runs? If you aren’t able to make your own course, is there a trim-trail, play park or outdoor gym in a local park that you could use instead? If you are inspired after this, can you super-size your ideas to make a crazy golf course or a tennis ball run too?

20  You might want to make something so that the egg falls Egg Drop Challenge more slowly (perhaps by making a parachute for it).  You might want to reduce the impact of the egg hitting You will need: the ground (maybe by making a cushioned container to • A hard-boiled egg put the egg in). • Scissors  You might want to put something on the ground to help • Sellotape and/or glue absorb the impact (like a cushion or an inflatable). • A variety of junk materials  You might want to orientate the egg so that it lands on • e.g. boxes, plastic bags, paper, the strongest part (how will you keep it in this string or wool, bubble wrap, orientation as it falls?). cotton wool, sponges, etc

Design something using only household materials that will Very Important! protect a hard-boiled egg from a high fall (for example - Read before dropping the egg from a first floor window if you have one, or just as high as • You will definitely need an adult to supervise the you or the tallest person in your bubble can reach if not). drop! • Do not lean out the window. You can come up with your own wild and wacky ideas or do some research about ideas that other people have tried – be • Make sure there is no one who might walk past the creative! window while you are dropping the egg. • Do not throw your egg! A key rule is that you are not allowed to stick anything to • If you don’t have an upstairs window you your egg and you must be able to remove your egg from can drop the egg from as high as you can your contraption after the fall. reach (or your supervising adult can reach if they are taller). What to do: 1. To make your Hard Boiled Egg (ask for help if you have • Make sure your materials are disassembled not done this before), place an egg in a pan of boiling and recycled after the challenge. water for 8-10 minutes and then let it cool. • Eat the egg if you can - no need to waste a 2. Now use your imagination! good egg! 21 Bee Watering Station How to make the bee watering station: 1. Fill the container with water so that only the tops of We all know that bees are incredibly important to a thriving your marbles or pebbles are exposed. This will provide a garden and healthy environment and so when temperatures safe landing spot for the bees when they come to drink. rise and rainfall decreases this summer, we can help the 2. Place the container in a cool, shady spot or near your bees by making them their own oasis in our gardens. flower beds with the most bee activity. Here’s how to make a bee watering station that will allow 3. As it’s a shallow dish, don’t forget to top it up regularly! them to hydrate without the risk of drowning, it could even attract butterflies too! How else can you help the bees? • If you spot a tired bee give it a drink of sugar water on a spoon, but don’t leave it out for them all the time. • Plant nectar-rich plants in your garden and hanging baskets. • DO NOT FEED BEES HONEY - they don’t eat it and it can spread disease which would be disastrous for a bee colony and likely many more hives in the vicinity.

What you need: • A shallow container – a pot base, an old platter, even the foil casing from a store-bought pie. • Pebbles, marbles or glass beads.

22