We have written some activities for you to use on world ocean day.We hope you enjoy them. There are some for the classroom, so that can be completed in the classroom or at home and some to do on the beach. Please do email us at hello@timeandtidebell.org with any pictures you are happy to share, […]
Its very very cold and very very snowy here in lockdown 3, Essex! So we thought we might set a new activity up, given that the weather forecast says its cold everywhere else too! Ice sun catchers! You will need: a container or plate, a jug to pour water, some leaves/berries/twigs/winter flowers from the garden […]
Essex wildlife trust have some amazing activities that are just fab for the end of the holidays. If you have been to the beach at all, we really recommend that you visit their page and have a look. One of our favourites is this bottle basking shark but you can also go rock pooling, head […]
The Wildlife Trusts have a fantastic spotter chart available to use for marine month. You can see which birds are in your local costal area... a lovely way to pass some time but if you want it to be really useful, you can log your spots on iNaturalist for some local cities science and/or sea […]
Lots more beach focus today for those who live near our bells/on the beach/are on beach holidays.... Maths is important, and revisiting each day for 10 minutes is really helpful for children. But it doesn't have to be a dreary textbook.... physical maths is vital for young and old children to remember simple and more […]
Good morning. As lots of people are heading to beaches around the UK, we thought a Shell Identification chart was on the cards. So here it is - written by the Marine Biological Association in Plymouth, its relevant for all UK beaches (and mudflats) and its great fun finding the names for all the shells […]
This was a great little activity - there was some working through frustration, but we all worked as a team and learned a lot in the process. Depending on your nature collection, knot tying and finances, you may want to vary the materials... You will need: plenty of string, a longish straights stick, somewhere to […]
This is great fun! Building on our sweetie structures yesterday, we are going to build a marshmallow catapult! It gets the brain moving and is great for small and big kids! You will need: Jumbo Marshmallows (around 4), Mini Marshmallows (these will be your launchers), Wooden Skewers or cocktail sticks (7), Lightweight spoon (we used […]
You will need: sweets (marshmallows or gumdrops/fruit pastels work well), cocktail sticks (garden sticks would do if the ends are pointy enough to work). We set a timer and made as many 2d shapes as we could. Then, we put some 3D shapes into the table and tried to make those. Finally, we made anything […]
Inspired by Patrick a Arkham’s book, ‘Wild Child’ there is a free family activity pack for you to download here. A great holiday resource, enjoy!
This is a great little experiment! You'll see the sound making the grains of rice move and jump so much! You will need: A big bowl, cling film, uncooked grains of rice (or rainbow sprinkles), a metal pan and a metal spoon. Pull the cling film tightly over the bowl. (One piece, as tight as […]
You will need: 5 glass jars (or glasses/cups) that are the same shape and size, some water for pouring, a spoon/fork, a ruler. It is sometimes helpful to add a little food colouring too, but this is not essential. Line the jars up and gently tap each one with the metal spoon/fork. They should make […]
Hello! We hope you had a lovely Easter weekend! Now the 'holiday' is over we are back to the regular lockdown routine. So back to our daily posts! We are receiving some lovely photographs of everyone taking part in our activities, thank you! We have posted some here. Please do continue to send them in!Now […]
This week we are going to do a bit of a sound focus. For today, that means making panpipes. You will need: 7 drinking straws (as wide as possible), scissors, a ruler, some tape. Take 7 straws. Leave the first straw full length. Use the ruler to measure 2 cm on the next straw and […]
Very simple but rather fun for a friday. Through out the holidays, every friday we will post up a mini science activity for your children to enjoy! You will need: some cups (you can use empty food tins if you want but be careful of sharp edges!), a sharp pencil or pen (or something to […]
A lovely little activity for a walk. You can do this anywhere - on the beach on the sand using seaweed, stones and shells, in a forest on the floor using flowers, twigs and leaves, on a salt marsh using flowers, plants and shells... as well as somewhere near thistles! Its a lot of fun! […]
You will need: some beach treasure (pretty/special stones, sea glass, shells) and a glass jar or some bendy wire (we used some from an old plug wire that had broken, but you can buy some too - soldering wire works well - or you can buy some pre bent wire for stone necklace pendants) - […]
You will need: a jar, some boiling water, string, a spoon, salt, patience! Stir salt into boiling hot water until no more salt will dissolve (crystals start to appear at the bottom of the container). Be sure the water is as close to boiling as possible. Carefully pour the solution into your jar. (putting a […]
Good morning! Today is the big butterfly count! It's a great little activity and you and your child(ren) will be taking part in a wonderful citizen science project. You need to download the spotting chart or get the free app and then sit somewhere for 15 minutes and record all the butterflies you see. If […]
The Bumblebee Conservation Trust have been working on a way to help you identify bumble bees. Its a nice activity in a woodland or in your garden... we were really surprised at how many different types you can spot!You can work through the online quiz to identify a bumblebee here. You can use the spotter […]
