Get Outdoors

Maiden Erlegh Nature Reserve,

Lakeside, Earley, Reading, RG6 7PH

Ditch the screens and get outdoors! We have some beautiful natural spaces in this area, and going for a walk with the family is a great way to spend time together. I discovered this hidden gem during the first lockdown. It includes a gentle – and manageable for small legs –stroll around a lake, where there are plenty of ducks and other birds to be seen, or you might like to veer off and run around in the open space of the adjoining Laurel Park.

The park is some twelve hectares in extent and is classified as a local nature reserve. It is managed on the town council’s behalf by its Park Ranger Service with the help of volunteer groups. The park is in several “parcels”, which are described on the various interpretation boards around the site. The lake area, between Instow Road and Lakeside, is managed under the Reservoirs Act and is

inspected by a Consultant Engineer once or twice each year.

The Park Rangers in conjunction with the Earley Volunteer Group have made a tern nesting platform which was launched and put into place behind the island on 28th January 2016.

Earley-tc.gov.uk/maiden-erleghnature-reserve

Please get in touch if you know of a local family-friendly walk: editor@familiestvw.co.uk. We’d love to share it in the magazine!

How to make a Pinecone Owl...

Little Muddy Boots run outdoor nature and gardening classes for toddlers and pre-schoolers throughout Berkshire, they also sell a series of seasonal activity cards packed full of craft and activity ideas for your little ones. Here Little Muddy Boots share instructions of how to make a pinecone owl for you to make at home.

What you need

• One pinecone • Cotton wool • Two leaves • Yellow or Orange Cardboard • Two googly eyes • PVA Glue

Instructions

1. Get your pinecone and push the cotton wool into the pinecone 2. Now push the two leaves into the pinecone, one on each side to make the wings. 3. Cut a triangle out of the card and glue it on to the front of the pinecone to make the owls beak.

4. Now glue on the two googly eyes above the beak. 5. Let it dry and fly your owl around!

*Supervise activity at all times.

Also...

As an additional activity why not take a trip to your local library to find some books on owls. Little Muddy Boots recommend Owl Babies by Martin Waddell Your local woodland is a great place to find pinecones on the ground during the winter months. Swinley Forest in Bracknell, Simon’s Wood in Finchampstead and Lily Hill Park in Bracknell are all great places to find pinecones! Find out more about Little Muddy Boots by visiting their website www.littlemuddyboots.co.uk.

The Big Garden Birdwatch 2022

Get your family involved in the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch and help monitor bird life in the UK.

Simply count the birds you see in your garden, from your balcony or in your local park for one hour between 28 and 30 January.

Challenge your children to see who can spot the most birds. Take a bike ride to a local park or make a day trip out of it and spot birds in a new place.

You can also watch Big Garden Birdwatch Live! on Youtube and Facebook to see what birds are being spotted across the UK with live commentary, interviews and chats with special guests and wildlife experts and the chance to ask them questions. Register and get your FREE guide at www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch