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Looking for a group or individual I might go walking with. My daughter is a budding naturalist, I wish to learn so that I may teach her. I would ideally like to go for a stroll with Richard Dawkins but seems unlikely in Rossendale. Anything would help. (I did send her on some trips with the country ranger but he said she was secondary school level and did not need to know much more, so unsure where else to try. I cannot learn very well from books, I have to see things in real life for it to sink in!) Thanks
In reply to Climbyclaudie:
Join local walking clubs/groups and a climbing club?
I belong to a climbing club and several walking groups. Within their ranks there are some very interesting people of all ages including geomorphologists, people with a keen interest in wild flowers and plants, bird watchers and lots of people with an observant interest in the outdoors. The fact that we all share these interests means that I am constantly learning from fellow walkers and climbers.
Observing nature is a life long passion and what better way than to get out there and do it, question and listen to your friends and make and share your own observations?
Join local walking clubs/groups and a climbing club?
I belong to a climbing club and several walking groups. Within their ranks there are some very interesting people of all ages including geomorphologists, people with a keen interest in wild flowers and plants, bird watchers and lots of people with an observant interest in the outdoors. The fact that we all share these interests means that I am constantly learning from fellow walkers and climbers.
Observing nature is a life long passion and what better way than to get out there and do it, question and listen to your friends and make and share your own observations?
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In reply to Climbyclaudie:
Get some decent field guides, give them to your daughter, and she will teach you... Children are incredible lewrning machines...
Get some decent field guides, give them to your daughter, and she will teach you... Children are incredible lewrning machines...
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In reply to Climbyclaudie:
Yes, thankyou. May have a look which groups are around Lancashire. She reads field guides (and comic books) by torchlight when she is supposed to be sleeping! She is reading The Blind Watchmaker at the moment, I have not read it, guess it is about evolution, not sure how much she is understanding from it , but she seems to like it. I will try again with the wildlife groups. She was not allowed to a badger watch etc. as she is just 7, but maybe when she is 8.
Yes, thankyou. May have a look which groups are around Lancashire. She reads field guides (and comic books) by torchlight when she is supposed to be sleeping! She is reading The Blind Watchmaker at the moment, I have not read it, guess it is about evolution, not sure how much she is understanding from it , but she seems to like it. I will try again with the wildlife groups. She was not allowed to a badger watch etc. as she is just 7, but maybe when she is 8.
In reply to Climbyclaudie:
Thankyou to the ranger for offer of walks, hopefully next time I am around Yorkshire.
Thankyou to the ranger for offer of walks, hopefully next time I am around Yorkshire.
In reply to Climbyclaudie:
There are some online botany courses trying looking on countryside jobs services website, they have a list of courses available, also FSc (field studies council) they do excellent basic guides and also run courses. Royal botanic gardens also run short courses sometimes one day type things.
There are some online botany courses trying looking on countryside jobs services website, they have a list of courses available, also FSc (field studies council) they do excellent basic guides and also run courses. Royal botanic gardens also run short courses sometimes one day type things.
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In reply to Climbyclaudie:
If ever you happened to be in mid Wales my wife would take her out, my wife is a mine of knowledge and brought up in the 50s. Her dad was a naturalist and later one of the first ever nature wardens - in Sussex - so wife was badger watching from a young age.
Certainly do everything you can to encourage her and learning outside in the country is the best way, she will learn to look and observe.
If ever you happened to be in mid Wales my wife would take her out, my wife is a mine of knowledge and brought up in the 50s. Her dad was a naturalist and later one of the first ever nature wardens - in Sussex - so wife was badger watching from a young age.
Certainly do everything you can to encourage her and learning outside in the country is the best way, she will learn to look and observe.
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In reply to Climbyclaudie:
Try your local RSPB and Wildlife trust. Both run good activity days in our area (Staffs) for kids. By 7 there is loads they can do. At 8 she can join the cub scouts and if you find a good group they spend a lot of time outdoors.
PS We joke that we're bringing our son up as a naturalist due to the large number of nature books in the house and the fact he can name a lot of british birds. At the county show the lady with a barn owl asked him if he like the birdie and he replied "it's a barn owl". Kids are great.
Try your local RSPB and Wildlife trust. Both run good activity days in our area (Staffs) for kids. By 7 there is loads they can do. At 8 she can join the cub scouts and if you find a good group they spend a lot of time outdoors.
PS We joke that we're bringing our son up as a naturalist due to the large number of nature books in the house and the fact he can name a lot of british birds. At the county show the lady with a barn owl asked him if he like the birdie and he replied "it's a barn owl". Kids are great.
Post edited at 12:35
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In reply to Philip:
The Lancashire wildlife trust covers Rossendale I believe, though there may be others. They organise walks and acitivties - here's a list of what's going on at the moment.
http://www.lancswt.org.uk/whats/local-wildlife-watch-groups
RSPB and other groups will have similar things organised. It might be worth joining something like this - you will get a regular magazine with details of events.
The BBC also have links to various wildlife events, so it might be worth browsing their info
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/22370883
There are also local groups like these, who usually do meets...
http://www.rochdalefieldnaturalistssociety.co.uk/
http://wildrossendale.co.uk/Rossendale-Ornithologists-Club.html
The Lancashire wildlife trust covers Rossendale I believe, though there may be others. They organise walks and acitivties - here's a list of what's going on at the moment.
http://www.lancswt.org.uk/whats/local-wildlife-watch-groups
RSPB and other groups will have similar things organised. It might be worth joining something like this - you will get a regular magazine with details of events.
The BBC also have links to various wildlife events, so it might be worth browsing their info
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/22370883
There are also local groups like these, who usually do meets...
http://www.rochdalefieldnaturalistssociety.co.uk/
http://wildrossendale.co.uk/Rossendale-Ornithologists-Club.html
1
In reply to Climbyclaudie:
Dawkins?..how about car maintenance classes with stephen hawking?
Dawkins?..how about car maintenance classes with stephen hawking?
Post edited at 14:02
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In reply to Climbyclaudie:
You're right - you need to see things in real life! But you could do both: take an identification book with you when you're out on a walk.
Join in with a Lancashire Wildlife Trust activity http://www.lancswt.org.uk or if you fancy a longer day out, try Cumbria Wildlife Trust http://www.cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk
How about a trip to a rocky seashore? St Bees on the Cumbrian coast is a favourite. I bet your daughter would enjoy turning over stones to find the creatures underneath.
Or try an RSPB Bird Reserve like Leighton Moss?
You're right - you need to see things in real life! But you could do both: take an identification book with you when you're out on a walk.
Join in with a Lancashire Wildlife Trust activity http://www.lancswt.org.uk or if you fancy a longer day out, try Cumbria Wildlife Trust http://www.cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk
How about a trip to a rocky seashore? St Bees on the Cumbrian coast is a favourite. I bet your daughter would enjoy turning over stones to find the creatures underneath.
Or try an RSPB Bird Reserve like Leighton Moss?
In reply to malk:
I think most people ignored the Dawkins comment. Actually 15 years ago he gave very interesting lectures, but he has become increasingly obsessed with the anti-religion arguments. If I had to pick, I'd take David Attenborough on a walk, or Chris Packham.
> Dawkins?..how about car maintenance classes with stephen hawking?
I think most people ignored the Dawkins comment. Actually 15 years ago he gave very interesting lectures, but he has become increasingly obsessed with the anti-religion arguments. If I had to pick, I'd take David Attenborough on a walk, or Chris Packham.
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In reply to Climbyclaudie:
Since you already have field guide books and your daughter has an interest and better understanding, doing a transect is quite an easy practical to do for you both to incorporate into a walk or to do from the top to the bottom of a hill but it can tell a great deal about how the kinds of insects and other invertebrates vary and how they relate to the land and the plants around them. It requires a small bit of kit but as you say you learn by seeing things yourself this may help you too. Seeing as your daughter has a fair bit of knowledge this may be good to get her to begin putting that knowledge to use and get her to make observations and draw conclusions from those herself. I'd do a short walk as you can end up with loads as one university field trip showed when I did this; a whole day spent at a dissecting microscope left me seeing bugs before my eyes!
Basically pick a walk where you have access to vegetation and there is a gradual change in the kinds of vegetation for example from a sandy beach, onto the dunes where plants are becoming more common and if it leads to wooded land then all the better. A hill is good as you will see that the vegetation and exposure is very different at the top of a hill to the bottom of the hill. The kit you need is a sweeper net, you could probably make one yourself, loads of small bottles or containers with lids and some labels to mark them up with, a pooter again another thing you can make quite easily and a notebook and possibly a plant guide book. To examine the insects a good magnifying glass and a craft lamp will do and some tweezers or something to sort the insects out with will help. You need to do this when it is dry and the grass and vegetation is dry as you end up with loads of just bits of insects!
You go along your walk and at chosen points from the start to the end of the walk you sweep the net around whatever is around you at each point, so if you have bracken, sweep the net through that for a little while, a minute would be the maximum and then collect the insects in the net using the pooter into the little containers. Close the containers up and mark them up and put a note into the notebook about where you collected the sample; where it was, the sort of vegetation around, the exposure etc. I think 4 or five points would be a reasonable number to start with as you will end up with lots of insects to sort but just be selective about where to sweep; you won't see much in the way of different results if you sweep twice in very similar spots. Once you've done your walk then you get to examining your finds.
With examining the contents of the insect bottles start with one from the start of the walk and using the notes, a guide book to insects, the magnifying glass, something to do the sorting on, craft lamp and tweezers you just sort the insects into similar types, if you can you could do species if you can easily identify them and make notes on what is found, how many and what each insect does and their characteristics; so for example you have bugs which have sucking mouthparts so they will feed upon certain things compared to flies, bees, wasps and other insects. You do this for each point you collected insects and in the end you can compare the vegetation at each point, the insects found at each point, how many different kinds of insect found at each point to see how the diversity varies and quite a lot of other things. It can take a bit of time so it is worth storing the insects in some alcohol to preserve them if you can't get to this on the same day as the walk.
Phew, it is easier than all that text makes out and the internet might give a better summary of that.
Since you already have field guide books and your daughter has an interest and better understanding, doing a transect is quite an easy practical to do for you both to incorporate into a walk or to do from the top to the bottom of a hill but it can tell a great deal about how the kinds of insects and other invertebrates vary and how they relate to the land and the plants around them. It requires a small bit of kit but as you say you learn by seeing things yourself this may help you too. Seeing as your daughter has a fair bit of knowledge this may be good to get her to begin putting that knowledge to use and get her to make observations and draw conclusions from those herself. I'd do a short walk as you can end up with loads as one university field trip showed when I did this; a whole day spent at a dissecting microscope left me seeing bugs before my eyes!
Basically pick a walk where you have access to vegetation and there is a gradual change in the kinds of vegetation for example from a sandy beach, onto the dunes where plants are becoming more common and if it leads to wooded land then all the better. A hill is good as you will see that the vegetation and exposure is very different at the top of a hill to the bottom of the hill. The kit you need is a sweeper net, you could probably make one yourself, loads of small bottles or containers with lids and some labels to mark them up with, a pooter again another thing you can make quite easily and a notebook and possibly a plant guide book. To examine the insects a good magnifying glass and a craft lamp will do and some tweezers or something to sort the insects out with will help. You need to do this when it is dry and the grass and vegetation is dry as you end up with loads of just bits of insects!
You go along your walk and at chosen points from the start to the end of the walk you sweep the net around whatever is around you at each point, so if you have bracken, sweep the net through that for a little while, a minute would be the maximum and then collect the insects in the net using the pooter into the little containers. Close the containers up and mark them up and put a note into the notebook about where you collected the sample; where it was, the sort of vegetation around, the exposure etc. I think 4 or five points would be a reasonable number to start with as you will end up with lots of insects to sort but just be selective about where to sweep; you won't see much in the way of different results if you sweep twice in very similar spots. Once you've done your walk then you get to examining your finds.
With examining the contents of the insect bottles start with one from the start of the walk and using the notes, a guide book to insects, the magnifying glass, something to do the sorting on, craft lamp and tweezers you just sort the insects into similar types, if you can you could do species if you can easily identify them and make notes on what is found, how many and what each insect does and their characteristics; so for example you have bugs which have sucking mouthparts so they will feed upon certain things compared to flies, bees, wasps and other insects. You do this for each point you collected insects and in the end you can compare the vegetation at each point, the insects found at each point, how many different kinds of insect found at each point to see how the diversity varies and quite a lot of other things. It can take a bit of time so it is worth storing the insects in some alcohol to preserve them if you can't get to this on the same day as the walk.
Phew, it is easier than all that text makes out and the internet might give a better summary of that.
2
In reply to robin mueller:
Thanks, this is helpful, will look again. I have tried the children's groups at reserves but she is past what they are offering. The last one brought plastic toy tadpoles and frogs...good, but more pre school level.
Thanks, this is helpful, will look again. I have tried the children's groups at reserves but she is past what they are offering. The last one brought plastic toy tadpoles and frogs...good, but more pre school level.
In reply to Climbyclaudie:
Timing belt.
....actually that might not be such a good idea as Hawkings might put your camshaft and your crankshaft into different time-space continuums and then the engine will never run.
Timing belt.
....actually that might not be such a good idea as Hawkings might put your camshaft and your crankshaft into different time-space continuums and then the engine will never run.
1
In reply to Philip:
Yes, his lectures and children's books are good. He seems to have issues with the fact that some Intelligent design (ists) are excluding the teaching of evolution, rather than an anti religious thing as such. Children raised into a strongly religious (world within a world) such as, I don't know, Mormon, will struggle to accept anything else as possible unless they are forced out of the Mormon community by an external force, eg breaking a rule and being excluded. Children trust the views of the people who socialise them, Dawkins feels free thinking is being blocked in some cases, I think. He memes are good too. Einstein believed in intelligent design, yet also did a bit of science. I agree Attenborough would be rather awesome on a walk...that voice too, enchanting
Yes, his lectures and children's books are good. He seems to have issues with the fact that some Intelligent design (ists) are excluding the teaching of evolution, rather than an anti religious thing as such. Children raised into a strongly religious (world within a world) such as, I don't know, Mormon, will struggle to accept anything else as possible unless they are forced out of the Mormon community by an external force, eg breaking a rule and being excluded. Children trust the views of the people who socialise them, Dawkins feels free thinking is being blocked in some cases, I think. He memes are good too. Einstein believed in intelligent design, yet also did a bit of science. I agree Attenborough would be rather awesome on a walk...that voice too, enchanting
In reply to Climbyclaudie:
Mis-reading the title meant that for a few sentences this was the strangest post I'd ever read on UKC
Toby
Mis-reading the title meant that for a few sentences this was the strangest post I'd ever read on UKC
Toby
In reply to PamPam:
This is very useful, thankyou for taking the time to write it! I won't dissect but it is very helpful to know how to do a proper study like this. She does not get access to science in school, so this is wonderful!
This is very useful, thankyou for taking the time to write it! I won't dissect but it is very helpful to know how to do a proper study like this. She does not get access to science in school, so this is wonderful!
In reply to Toby
Yes Toby, this post has an excess of views ,to replies ratio wise, some views may have been misguided.I am not too bothered whether anyone is wearing clothes or not, so long as I get to walk around some hills with field guides.
Yes Toby, this post has an excess of views ,to replies ratio wise, some views may have been misguided.I am not too bothered whether anyone is wearing clothes or not, so long as I get to walk around some hills with field guides.
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In reply to Rigid Raider:
My Fiat goes from 0-186,000 miles per second in a minute, sure they shall become reunited at light speed, shall be fine
> Timing belt.
> ....actually that might not be such a good idea as Hawkings might put your camshaft and your crankshaft into different time-space continuums and then the engine will never run.
My Fiat goes from 0-186,000 miles per second in a minute, sure they shall become reunited at light speed, shall be fine
In reply to Rigid Raider:
Can't comment on quantum mechanic level seriously...I am a geek, I will be here hours if i do. I try to restrain my geekness by wearing nail varnish, and watching The Only Way is Essex, but it does not always work.
Can't comment on quantum mechanic level seriously...I am a geek, I will be here hours if i do. I try to restrain my geekness by wearing nail varnish, and watching The Only Way is Essex, but it does not always work.
In reply to Climbyclaudie:
Hello - Being from Rossendale myself I am struggling to think of anything really local. It might be worth a chat with United Utilities, as they own most of the land around the area, and the ranger is often up at Calf Hey res.
The other place that I thought of was http://www.brockholes.org/ I have taken my two children there and they seem to offer all sorts of activities from guided walks to pond dipping etc. With a mixture of lakes, ponds, rivers and meadow there is a fair bit of variety there.
Gavin
Hello - Being from Rossendale myself I am struggling to think of anything really local. It might be worth a chat with United Utilities, as they own most of the land around the area, and the ranger is often up at Calf Hey res.
The other place that I thought of was http://www.brockholes.org/ I have taken my two children there and they seem to offer all sorts of activities from guided walks to pond dipping etc. With a mixture of lakes, ponds, rivers and meadow there is a fair bit of variety there.
Gavin
In reply to Gavin:
Gavin, Thanks, yes...we used to live nr Calf Hey a long time ago, we still go there sometimes in the early ours to look for reptiles warming themselves in the early sun, not seen any adders as yet, hopefully!
Gavin, Thanks, yes...we used to live nr Calf Hey a long time ago, we still go there sometimes in the early ours to look for reptiles warming themselves in the early sun, not seen any adders as yet, hopefully!
In reply to Moley:
Thankyou!!!! How kind and perfect! I often visit my friend in Powys so maybe on the way one day. Will pm you, thanks again. x
Thankyou!!!! How kind and perfect! I often visit my friend in Powys so maybe on the way one day. Will pm you, thanks again. x
In reply to Philip:
Yes, my child does that! She is 7 and very smart, but looks much younger so people do say pre schooly things to her. The most funny one recently was "The sun earth is rotating around the sun...the sun is certainly not popping up to say Hello, silly dude." She has clock which does bird song each hour. She hides it under my bed to unnerve my during the night. Maybe when she is 8 she will be allowed to join something. She tried Rainbows but they never went outside,maybe Scouts.
Yes, my child does that! She is 7 and very smart, but looks much younger so people do say pre schooly things to her. The most funny one recently was "The sun earth is rotating around the sun...the sun is certainly not popping up to say Hello, silly dude." She has clock which does bird song each hour. She hides it under my bed to unnerve my during the night. Maybe when she is 8 she will be allowed to join something. She tried Rainbows but they never went outside,maybe Scouts.
In reply to Climbyclaudie:
Feel free to get in touch anytime. We are near Llandoverys if that is any good to you both sometime.
Feel free to get in touch anytime. We are near Llandoverys if that is any good to you both sometime.
1
In reply to Climbyclaudie:
It's no bother at all. I did zoology at uni after a childhood of poking around in the garden or any bit of wild land I had access to and being around animals of all kinds but I don't use the knowledge I gained much as my career got diverted (long story) but it's worth sharing what I do remember as science as I understand it now in schools is so much more diluted due to risk assessments being a tad overzealous especially for field work which is a shame but then it still is the case where people in power and a lot of the general populace don't realise how valuable science is outside of the usual technology and medical applications. I loved studying invertebrates at uni because they are so overlooked largely because they are ugly/scary/small but make up so much of what is living in the world, have a number of major roles in every ecosystem and if you look at them close enough they could almost be alien! I must be one of the few people who finds hermit crabs cute!
It's no bother at all. I did zoology at uni after a childhood of poking around in the garden or any bit of wild land I had access to and being around animals of all kinds but I don't use the knowledge I gained much as my career got diverted (long story) but it's worth sharing what I do remember as science as I understand it now in schools is so much more diluted due to risk assessments being a tad overzealous especially for field work which is a shame but then it still is the case where people in power and a lot of the general populace don't realise how valuable science is outside of the usual technology and medical applications. I loved studying invertebrates at uni because they are so overlooked largely because they are ugly/scary/small but make up so much of what is living in the world, have a number of major roles in every ecosystem and if you look at them close enough they could almost be alien! I must be one of the few people who finds hermit crabs cute!
In reply to PamPam:
Wow, why ever did you not do Zoology as a job?Sounds amazing. I like invertebrates, even the ugly ones, giant hissing cockroaches feel warm and soft which was unexpected when I picked one up last week. Science is essential learning but sadly schools don't do real experiments any more. I prefer children to learn things they are enthused about in their own time. Their interests include nature, which is a relief. Otherwise they may have grown up not knowing the evolutionary biological reason a crocoduck never existed, or being unaware they are made of stardust. Science is so much more than medicine and creation of new iphones. Thanks again for your help x
Wow, why ever did you not do Zoology as a job?Sounds amazing. I like invertebrates, even the ugly ones, giant hissing cockroaches feel warm and soft which was unexpected when I picked one up last week. Science is essential learning but sadly schools don't do real experiments any more. I prefer children to learn things they are enthused about in their own time. Their interests include nature, which is a relief. Otherwise they may have grown up not knowing the evolutionary biological reason a crocoduck never existed, or being unaware they are made of stardust. Science is so much more than medicine and creation of new iphones. Thanks again for your help x
In reply to Climbyclaudie:
has anyone recomened the natural navigator? http://naturalnavigator.com/books-and-library
all these books are gold. if you like walks these books give you the sort of knollage you can only get by going out and exploring for your self. i think your daughter would like them.
i learnt how to navigate by stars with his book.
good luck
has anyone recomened the natural navigator? http://naturalnavigator.com/books-and-library
all these books are gold. if you like walks these books give you the sort of knollage you can only get by going out and exploring for your self. i think your daughter would like them.
i learnt how to navigate by stars with his book.
good luck
In reply to Climbyclaudie:
Just seen the Countryfile team reporting from Leighton Moss Nature Reserve, which isn't far from Rossendale.
Just seen the Countryfile team reporting from Leighton Moss Nature Reserve, which isn't far from Rossendale.
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