Volunteer Natasha says: This quick and easy little crochet shell is a brilliant way to use up those leftover scraps of yarn and would look great as a decorative addition to any crafty project, like on a cosy blanket or hanging on a mobile! You can use any fibre/material yarn of your choice but be aware that thicker yarns will produce larger shells and the … Continue reading Crochet a Nautilus: beginners guide
Today (April 27) is World Tapir Day, a day to celebrate these wonderous animals and learn a little about why we should be protecting them. What is a tapir? Tapir’s are large, herbivorous mammals that live in rainforests, grasslands, swamps and cloud forests. There are four modern species of tapir. The mountain tapir, Brazilian tapir and Baird’s tapir of South America, and the Malayan tapir … Continue reading World Tapir Day: ‘Pin the Nose’ game
Ever wonder what to do with all of the lovely cards that you get for birthday’s or holidays? The good news is that most are recyclable, minus those covered in glitter of course! But let’s go that little bit further for our planet and give these cards and underrated bits of mini-artwork a new lease of life! Gift tags for next year Find cards with … Continue reading Give Cards a New Life
Throughout this week we have been sharing some amazing winter wildlife with you, and today we have joined this all up as our 12 Days of Critters. Why not download the song sheet and sing along with your new festive favourite: Find out about the 12 critters, and scroll down to learn how to make your own origami starling murmuration to decorate your home. Winter … Continue reading 12 Days of Winter Wildlife: 12 Days of Critters
It’s day three of our 12 Days of Winter Wildlife and we are exploring insects that are active in the cold weather, and in particular, winter moths. These are amazing animals, but how do we study moths? Join moth expert Annette Shelford as she shows us why moths are important and how to monitor them with this film from our Zoology Live festival that took … Continue reading 12 Days of Winter Wildlife: Active Insects
At this time of year, people across the world will be celebrating Diwali or Deepawali, also known as the Indian festival of lights. Create a lantern bug light holder to celebrate the festival together. What is a lantern bug? Lantern bugs, Fulgora and Pyrops, (also known as lanternflies) are found across south and south east Asia, and the Americas; mostly in tropical regions. They are part of … Continue reading Lantern bugs for a Festival of Lights
Follow our top tips on how to use and dispose of your pumpkin in a sustainable way; looking after you and the planet. Plus, we’ve got four awesome autumnal animal stencils and a step-by-step guide for carving your own pumpkin lantern. Sustainable pumpkins There’s plenty of things to do with the leftover seeds and fibres after pumpkin carving. Here’s some top tips on where to … Continue reading Proud Pumpkins: making sustainable choices
Build a mini-habitat using a cardboard box and recyclable materials from around your home. The guide below will give you some ideas to get you started, but the rest is up to you! You will need: Cardboard box Old magazines, greetings cards, scrap paper. Pens or pencils Scissors Glue Once you have gathered all of your materials, watch the video below for museum learning assistant, … Continue reading Habitat in-a-box
Did you join us for Zoology Live last week? We had a wonderful week talking to experts about local wildlife, and finding out how we might watch the nature on our doorsteps. In this Nature Classroom we will be taking a look back at some of the things we learnt last week, from interviews with wildlife experts to insect surveys and more. These activities support … Continue reading Zoology Live! Nature Classroom
Welcome back to the final day of our online Zoology Live festival. We hope you have enjoyed our week of wildlife. Today we have a series of short YouTube Live events, where we will be sharing this week’s wildlife findings and more with you. 11am: Moth Trap results! Museum Research Assistant Matt Hayes will be showing us the results of his moth trap, and will … Continue reading Zoology Live Day 6: A Week of Wildlife
Let’s be creative with materials at home For #ZoologyLive we challenge you to use the materials around you to create a creature! There are many materials, containers and items that we put into the recycle bin. While recycling is one way to look after our planet, they can also make excellent crafting materials. The natural world also provides us with some excellent crafting ingredients. Discover … Continue reading Recycled Make Challenge
Welcome back to our online Zoology Live festival. Continuing our celebration of all things insects and invertebrate, today we will be exploring insects on the wing. Join us TODAY at 4pm when we will have new films and LIVE interviews with Museum Research Assistant Matthew Hayes, who will he sharing butterfly-spotting tips with us, and dragonfly expert Duncan Mackay, here to answer you questions about … Continue reading Zoology Live Day 2: Minibeasts part 2
The Museum may be closed, but there is amazing wildlife on your doorstep waiting to be explored. As we can’t celebrate our annual Zoology Live festival at the Museum this year, we are bringing it to you online instead with a week of films, interviews and activities. Every day at 4pm, join us on YouTube Live for wildlife films and live interviews with experts, and … Continue reading Zoology Live! 22-27 June
How can people live in harmony with nature? See the ideas and solutions from participants in an artist-led workshop that took place earlier this year, and have a go at creating your own world of tomorrow at home today. Continue reading World of Tomorrow
Museum of Zoology Blog 