Avon Wildlife Safari Day 42 - Visit the Jungle

Storytelling in the At Bristol Jungle

At Bristol is well known for it's interactive science displays but from the 22nd August to 1 September, if you are 8 or under, you can visit the 'jungle' for some great storytelling. Listen to the tales of Ursa and Leo's trip to the woods and take part in some simple science experiments. There are events going on throughout the summer holidays at this well-established science museum with Gromit model -making workshops available for £3 per person which you can book in advance online. These are recommended for people over 5 years old and you will get the chance to work with a model maker from Aardman and create your very own Gromit. In fact, there's a bit of a Gromit theme going on - you can meet Wallace and Gromit, play the giant hide and seek 'Where's Gromit?' game and create your own animation adventure with Animate It! Every day at 1pm throughout August there will also be showings of A Close Shave, The Wrong Trousers and A Grand Day Out on the Big Screen. Of course there's also the Gromit Unleashed trail to keep you busy if you've not been around Bristol to hunt for the giant dogs yet.

Avon Wildlife Safari Day 41 - Go wild at the farm

pigs on the farm

Today's recommendation is a trip to Lawrence Weston City farm to create something wonderful using natural materials. The farm has been running all sorts of activities throughout the holidays to provide opportunities for young people to engage with the natural environment. The 'Wild Art' sessions will include experimenting with charcoal, dyes and paints, making things out of clay dug from the ground, casting in resin and building models. The finals session on August 29th is from 2pm - 4pm. A nature trail will be developed around the farm with the artwork created during the free Wild Art sessions. On Friday August 30th there will be a celebration of all the creative activities that have been going on at the farm during the holidays. Pizzas will be cooked in the clay oven and everyone is invited from 2pm - 4pm.

While you're there take a look around the farm, there are plenty of animals to visit and even a 'Water vole' woodland trail. With an outdoor play area, picnic area, secret garden and a small apiary where the bees are busy making honey, there's loads to look at and discover.

Water vole

The farm is surrounded by rhynes or water ditches, which extend out to Lawrence Weston Moor, one of Avon Wildlife Trust's nature reserves. These rhynes are an extremely important habitat for water voles, which are Britain's fasted declining wild mammal and have disappeared from many parts of the country where they were once common.

Lawrence Weston Moor is also open to the public, although the fields are often very wet and there are no formal paths. It is a fantastic refuge for wildlife, with reeds and rushes providing great habitats fro birds such as reed bunting and snipe. Old pollarded willows provide roosts for little owls and kestrals, while the rhynes provide homes for amphibians such as frogs and invertebrates like dragonflies.

Lawrence Weston Moor