Jumble House Animals, Learning through Play, nature

Learning about Snails for Young Children 

Gardeners don’t like Snails for obvious reasons but kids are fascinated by them AND they are incredibly interesting creatures AND very gymnastic AND make very good pets!

CLICK HERE FOR THE VIDEO ON SNAILS

Looking at them through the eyes of a child they are quite incredible creatures with their slippery silver trails and waving tentacles.  What other creature carries its house on its back!  It’s the stuff of fairy tales.

In the video Lizzie finds a snail eating  her plants and decides to find out how she can stop this happening without hurting the snail. There is also an investigation for parents or teachers to carry out with their children.

This is the first of two programmes. In the second programme Lizzie will be looking inside the snail shell and exploring spiral shapes in nature and buildings.   Click on the link below for a programme on spirals.

SPIRALS IN ART AND NATURE

Jumble House Animals, Children, Creativity, Science for kids, Uncategorized, wildlife

Learning about Lizard

Today we saw a lizard in our little garden. She was very active and very healthy. But, a year ago we found one in our cantina. She wasn’t very well at all. We christened her ‘Little LIZZIE Lizard’.

Read on to find out what happened.

Yesterday we found this little lizard in our cantina and it wasn’t very well. We called it Little Lizzie Lizard!

She looked so thin and lifeless and so dull that we were really afraid she would  die but we were determined to do our best and try to help her.  First we needed to find out some facts about lizards.  We have shared them and the story of Little Lizzie Lizard below.


Some Lizard Facts!

Lizards belong to an animal class called REPTILES.
Reptiles (with a few exceptions) are cold-blooded animals which lay eggs. They have a backbone, four legs and are covered in scales.   Lizards can be found all over the world except at the North and South Poles.

 Can you guess why? 

There are over 3,000 different types of lizards and they come in all sorts of shapes, colours and sizes! The smallest measures a tiny 7cms whereas the largest, the Komodo Dragon can reach lengths of 3 metres.
Lizards have four legs each with five little toes and they are very fast runners and very good at climbing. They also have a very long tail part of which can detach itself if a predator grabs hold! The lizard then grows another one!

They are insectivores which means that they eat only insects but some of the larger ones are carnivores and eat small animals,
Most lizards live in trees or under rocks and are more active at night. During the day they like to sunbathe!

 Why?? .
Well, it has something to do with the fact they aren’t found at the North or South Poles !!
Do you know what the climate is like at the poles?
Yes! Ice and snow and VERY cold.
You and I and all mammals like dogs and cats and rabbits and mice and horses are warm bloodied which means we are able to control our body temperature. To keep it the same even when the temperature outside changes. But reptiles and that includes lizards, are cold bloodied which means that they can’t control their body temperature. So they need to sunbathe to warm up!

This is why our little lizard was so poorly when we found her.   She had been locked in a cold underground room with no sun and was very, very cold.  She was also very dehydrated which means her  body was lacking in water and dehydration is very serious.  We couid tell she was poorly because she was so happy to be handled and that is NOT normal.   The poor thing hadn’t the energy to run away!


So!  The Jumbles came to the rescue!!

We had to warm her up and re-hydrate her which means we had to make sure she drank some water.  We held her near a bowl of water and were really pleased because she started to lap it up !

Then we found a nice big bowl and popped her in with a shallow bowl of water and then we put it in a nice warm spot outside but not in direct sunlight because it is VERY hot here at the moment.  We also gave her a little box just in case she wanted to hide!


Then we left her in peace but kept checking every hour.

After about four hours Lizzie Lizard was looking very different. More alert and a much better colour !  So we put a few ants and maggots into the bowl to tempt her to eat.  The DOG BISCUIT was not for Lizzie Lizard! It was just a quick way to catch some insects and transport to the bowl !


By the following morning Lizzie Lizard  was anxious to get out and, instead if wanting to be handled she ran off when we tried to touch her !

That was a good sign Lizzie was feeling normal again.

It was time to let her out !


And that’s what we did!

It was such a great feeling to have helped an animal back to health and to return it to the wild.

Video of Little Lizzie Lizard’s recovery!

Jumble House Animals, crafts, Creativity, Halloween

Make a Spider Toy

Unfortunately. Not many people love spiders which is a pity because they work very hard keeping down the pesky insect population. Try looking at them differently and begin with making a fun one for Halloween. It will only take about ten minutes and the kids can help.

Click on this link to make your own Jumble Spider

Above: A ‘Cup and Saucer’ web

Jumble House Animals, Children, Conservation, Creativity, Environment, Outdoors

 We’re all off on a snail hunt! 

 

We’re all off on a Snail Hunt ….. try putting it to the music of  ‘We’re all off to the zoo tomorrow, zoo tomorrow, zoo tomorrow ….. ‘ 

It goes quite well!!! 

But, of course a snail hunt is no fun if you are not likely to find snails! 

The idea of this blog is that you choose to hunt something that you KNOW you are likely to find plus you rule out animals (and plants) that are likely to cause actual harm. That will rule out lions, tigers, rattlesnakes, poisonous jellyfish, cacti and unfriendly dogs.  Involve your children in the initial search as this will make them much more enthusiastic. Look up habitats and methods of collection just in case you do decide to take a creature home but I hope you won’t. 

So what are we left with? 

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This depends on where you are and the time of the year so, yes you will need to do a little research 

In Europe in the spring we could be looking at :

Well yes..definitely bees and they are very interesting to observe … NOT collect obviously! Children will ask lots of questions. Try to resist spoonfeeding them the answer. Instead say, ‘What do you think? Why is that?’ Then if necessary give hints … why are they visiting the flowers? What can you see on their legs? Why are they buzzing? Why are they so brightly striped? 

In addition to bees there may be Caterpillars, butterflies, frogspawn, spring flowers, sprouting buds, blossom, lizards, birds nests, badgers, young animals like lambs and calves and ducklings.   Hedgehogs, Rabbits, Badgers, Deer. 

It doesn’t have to be something you can collect but yes, I  know children love to collect.!  But they can always take home something to remind them of an animal. Something to make a model animal from. 


Obviously from the conservation aspect there are definitely some things you must not collect or interfere with like birds nests or eggs.  If you do capture a live animal, like a Caterpillar or lizard or spider then it is very important that you only do this for a minimum observation time and return it to its habitat. If you take magnifying giasses and a sketch pad, tablet or camera then there should be no need to remove the animal at all as an observation can be done on the spot. 

So,what should you be looking at?  

Obviously features that make it an insect, reptile, amphibian, bird or mammal etc.

It’s colour . It’s shape. 

How does it move? What does it eat? How does it catch its prey? Get kids to guess what enemies it may have and how it manages to avoid these enemies. 

Is it camouflaged?  Does it have a shell, or prickles? Why? 

 Where does it live? Why does it live there? Is it more active during the night of day? How do you know? 

It will make a pleasant change for you to be asking the questions! 


So now the things you can take home: 

Budding twigs are good to collect …just one is necessary from each tree or bush.  If you take them home and place them in water it is possible to observe the changes from day to day. How the bud opens to reveal a flower or a leaf.

​Sprigs of blossom or a single flower can be taken home and used as inspiration for a model or painting. Flowers can also be pressed as can Leaves. It’s fun to make a collection of leaves mounted on cards. 

Leaves are good to take rubbings of.  They can also be  pressed into clay or plasticine to make a mould. If plaster of Paris is then used to fill the cavity you end up with some lovely leaf casts which can then be painted. 


Even spotting different colours of plants can be fun. Or, for older children, different shades of the same colour.. collecting lots of different colours of green for example. Once home you could try mixing paint to create these different shades. 

We tend not to notice the barks of trees and yet there are so many different patterns. Take chunky crayons and plain white paper with you and see how many different ones you can collect as bark rubbings. 


Fungi spotting is interesting but needs to be done with care as many are very poisonous. The rule is don’t touch, just draw or take a photograph. 

If you are near the sea then there are no end of opportunities. Shells, fish, pebbles, seaweed. Footprints of birds and animals in the wet sand. 

 Pebble collections are fun and larger ones can be painted to make great paper weights.  

Again please be sensitive to conservation and to the animal’s  needs. Collect empty shells and, although sea urchins are beautiful it is cruel to remove live ones as they will die plus they will stink the place out by the time you get home which serves you right but doesn’t help the poor creature. 

So, have fun in the great outdoors! 

Jumble House Animals, Children, Creativity, wildlife

Meet one of the oldest animals to inhabit the earth 

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Yes! It’s the European House Centipede. Fossils have been found dating back more than 400 million year so it can definitely claim to be one of the oldest animals on earth!  Lizzie found it wandering around Jumble House and thought you would like to see it before we set it free again. 

What kind of an animal is it? Well it’s not an insect because it has more than six legs and it’s even got more than a spider!  A centipede belongs to a group of animals called Arthropoda. Crabs and lobsters also belong to this group. 

It’s also one of the fastest running like grease lightening at a speed of 40 miles an hour so it would be breaking the speed limit in all the built up areas of the U.K. or Europe!

100 legs? No!  Although the name suggests that they have 100 legs they just look like they have.  Most European centipedes have about fifteen pairs of legs. The legs are very thin and nearly as long as it’s body.  Centipedes can live for several years and they can regrow their legs which often get chopped off when a bird tries to catch them! They live in dark damp places like under rocks and wood and prefer to hunt at night. 

Are they dangerous?  No.  Just scarey because they are so wiggly and move so quickly.   They have poisonous front claws but these are too small to bite through our skin.  In the desert there are giant centipedes which can bite humans and this is a bit like being stung by a bee.  They use their claws to catch food for their dinner. They are carnivores (meat eaters) and eat insects and other bugs like worms and they may even eat their friends!  The larger ones can eat frogs and birds! 

But, despite their choice of food, Centipedes can be good mothers and some carry their eggs around until they hatch. 

For more on centipedes and to have a closer look at the one Lizzie Witch found at Jumble House, click on the link below: 

The European House Centipede

Jumble House Animals, Creativity, English, wildlife

Praying Mantis

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An interview with our breakfast guest.

Q. What kind of animal are you ?

A. I am a Praying Mantis!

Q. Why are you called a PRAYING mantis?


A. Because I hold my front legs up in front of my body which makes me look as if I am praying !

Q. Are you an insect?

A. Yes I am. I have six legs and wings and my body has three parts. A head. A thorax and an abdomen.

Q. Why did you fly into Jumble House this morning ?
A. Well, I was looking for something to eat in that tree across the road but it suddenly got very windy and I came here for shelter.

Q. What do you eat ?

A. I eat insects . Flies and beetles and that kind of thing.

Q. How do you catch them?

A. Well, I lie in wait and keep very still and quiet. When I see something that looks good to eat I leap out and grab it with my front legs. They are covered in spines so my dinner can’t escape!  Then I bite it neck to paralyse it before tucking in!

Q.How old are you?

A. Let me see. I hatched out of my egg in the Spring. I think it was March. Now it’s the end of August so I must be about five months old. That’s pretty old for a Mantis. We only live for a year.  Soon I will lay eggs and then my life cycle will be complete. Next spring all my little children will hatch out of the eggs as nymphs. They will look just like me but smaller and they won’t have any wings. But they will eat and eat and get bigger and bigger and have to shed their skin lots of times before they become an adult.

Q.Where do you live?

A. Anywhere I can find yummy dinners and that usually means in fields and in old buildings and in trees. But I don’t like the cold so you will only find me in warm climates.

Q. I like the way you turn your head. It’s cute!

A. Thank you!  I am the only insect that can turn its head 180 degrees. Kind of cool isn’t it! It makes it much easier to look for my dinner.


Q  Why are you that very bright green colour ?

A. That’s because I usually live in green places like fields and trees.  Because I’m the same colour as my surroundings it’s easy to hide from my prey.  It’s called camouflage.

Q. But you are not very camouflaged here in Jumble House.  I can see you very easily!

A. Yes. I know.  Now the storm is over I will be going soon. But I know you are very kind and won’t hurt me.

Q. No. We won’t hurt you . Thank you for coming to see us.  Can you fly?

A. Yes I can fly very well.

Good bye and thank you for sheltering me.

 

Jumble House Animals, Kids, Science, Uncategorized, wildlife

Wow! He’s BIG! 

Remember our Little Lizzie Lizard?  (See previous blog post). 

She looks a bit small compared with this one doesn’t she?  But then Lizzie is a typical European lizard and they don’t grow very big. These lizards are found in much hotter places like Africa and Asia. We filmed this one in Singapore. 

It is a Monitor Lizard and they DO grow very big!  (Although a few are very tiny) 

They do, however share some of the same characteristics as Lizzie Lizard. They are cold bloodied, have a scaley body, a partly detachable tail which will regrow and they lay eggs. 

Unlike Lizzie, however, they are carnivorous and eat fish and insects and birds and small mammals. 

Most are completely harmless but the Komodo Dragon (the largest Monitor lizard) has a weak venom (poison). 

They are also very good swimmers!  (Click on the link below). 

https://youtu.be/joVk-w5P26s
There is an old story (a legend) about monitor lizards which says that they are a sign that crocodiles are near by!  

We didn’t see any in Singapore!  This story probably came about because these lizards stand on their hind legs to check if any predators are near. 

Here’s a short clip of a monitor lizard: 

https://youtu.be/UlKzpfwY3gs

.

Jumble House Animals, Children, entertainment, Holidays, Singapore, Travel

Jumble Fun visits the Chinese Gardens


The Jumbles really like the Chinese and Japanese Gardens in Singapore. Beautifully designed and  maintained with luscious green foliage they present a green oasis in the middle of towering apartment and office blocks. They offer wonderful opportunities for photographers and artists but are also great for families.


The paths are wide making it easy work with a pram and there are lots of open spaces to play and picnic. 

Unfortunately the cafe has been closed for a long time now which is a real shame but snacks like crisps and ice creams and chilled cans and bottled drinks can be purchased at the main entrance and from the Turtle Museum.   There are adequate toilet facilities and plenty of seats to rest on.  The gardens I believe are currently being developed into the Jurong Lake Gardens so I expect a cafe and restaurant will be included in this plan. 


The pagodas offer great views and are fun to climb and if you are a turtle and terrapin fan then you will enjoy the Turtle Museum and garden. The Turtle garden and Museum are self funded and there  is a small entrance fee ($3 for seniors and children under six and €5 for everyone else). This goes towards the maintenance and support of the rescued turtles in the museum. 

The ‘Bridge of Double Beauty’ connects the Chinese Gardens to the Japanese Gardens but, as the entrance is free to both there is no pressure to ‘see’ everything on the same day and today we were happy to enjoy just the Chinese Gardens. 

The last time we visited it was the Chinese New Year when the gardens were beautifully decorated with lanterns. There is also a Mid-Autumn Festival (September/October) when the gardens resemble a fairyland and there are evening cultural performances. 

This short video is a snapshot of our trip today but, for a more detailed one designed as a pre-visit ‘taster’ for children, see the link at the end of this post.     ​​Today’s Visit.          (20.2.17)



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Georgie visits the Chinese Gardens and Turtle Museum. (2016)

I hope you enjoy the video: 

 For children. The Jumbles visit the Chinese Gardens