News

Get the kids growing this spring!

With the warmer weather just around the corner, it’s the ideal time to dust of the kids wellies and head outside. Growing your own veggies is the perfect opportunity for them get their hands dirty and can be a fun way to encourage them to a healthier way of life.
If it seems a daunting prospect, [...]

Easter egg give-away with HOUSE magazine

NWFK will be giving out easter eggs for all little peeps that take part in HOUSE magazine’s competition, in their Easter edition available from 25th March 2011.
There will be pictures of easter eggs hidden throughout the magazine. All the kids need to do is spot, count up and write the number of eggs down that [...]

Drawing competition 2013 … win a digital camera!

For your chance to win a kids digital camera, why not enter our kids drawing competition? We are looking for some wonderful works of art for our 2014 NWFK calendar and our party invites. The top 12 will be entered into a free prize draw with a chance to be featured on the front cover [...]

Make a bird home this half term

Our feathered friends will be looking for nesting sites in the next month or two, so why not try making a bird home of your own? We have some instructions below for you. Or, if you’d like us to send you a leaflet just drop us a line via the website.
Adult supervision needed please!

Comic Relief 2013

We’ll be doing our best to raise some pennies for Comic Relief this year. With 25 years of fundraising under it’s belt, Comic Relief continues to do valuable work helping vulnerable people in the UK at home and overseas. From providing life-saving vaccines and fresh water to families in Africa to supporting young carers and children [...]

Make a button flower garland

YOU WILL NEED:

Plastic bottle caps
Scissors
Tissue paper, different colours
Flower wire, or similar – approx 10cm in length (per flower)
Two buttons, different sizes (per flower)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Ask an adult to pierce two holes in the plastic caps, 5mm apart, with the pointed end of the scissors.
2. Cut different sized circles out of the different colours of tissue paper, [...]

Make a flower picture holder

YOU WILL NEED:

Felt, two colours
Floral wire, or similar – approx 20cm long
Patterned buttons, two sizes
Terracotta / plastic plant pot
Air dry clay / play doh
Compost
Small craft peg
Pipe cleaner
Pen or pencil

DIRECTIONS:
1. Use the flower templates to draw around and cut two flower shapes out of the felt.
2. Thread the buttons onto floral through the two holes, the [...]

Make a daffodil magnet

YOU WILL NEED:

Yellow and orange polymer clay
Magnet
Strong glue

DIRECTIONS:
1. Shape the yellow clay into equal sized petals and press together to make the flower.
2. Make a cone out of the orange clay, press into the centre of the flower to make the trumpet. You can flute or shape the edges for extra details.
3. Bake the clay [...]

Make a strawberry waterfall

YOU WILL NEED:

Three plant pots of different sizes – larger pots provide more growing room
Multi-purpose compost, peat-free if possible
6 strawberry plants

DIRECTIONS:
1. Line the pots with crocks, pebbles or pieces of polystyrene.
2. Fill with compost and water.
3. With the largest pot on the base, stack the pots on top of each other.
4. Make holes for each [...]

Make a grass head

YOU WILL NEED:

Nylon tights – one leg per head
2-3 tsp of grass seed
Multi-purpose compost (peat-free if possible) or sawdust
2 stick-on goggly eyes
3 elastic bands
Pipe cleaners (optional)
Yoghurt pot
Sugar paper, card, patterned paper of your choice

DIRECTIONS:
1. Cut a 20cm piece of nylon tight from the toe end.
2. Pour the grass seed into the tight first, you can [...]

Tumbling tomatoes hanging basket

YOU WILL NEED:

A hanging basket and liner
Multi purpose compost, peat-free if possible
1 or 2 ‘Tumbling Tom’ plants
Perlite (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Line the hanging basket. Make sure there are a few holes in the liner to help with drainage (ask an adult to help).
2. Fill the basket with compost. Mixing in the perlite with the compost if you [...]

NWFK needs you!

With all things at Nature’s Way for Kids going full-steam ahead, we keen to find staff to help us with our parties and workshops throughout 2013. If you’re over 18, and happy to get your hands dirty and join in the fun, we would love to hear from you.
An interest in gardening, grow-your-own and the [...]

Make a bird feeder mobile

YOU WILL NEED:

Twine
2 large pine cones
2 small pine cones
Mealworms and bird seed (or porridge oats)
Berries eg pyracantha, rowan, hawthorn, rosehips
Lard at room temperature or peanut butter.

DIRECTIONS:

Tie a large pine cone at the centre to one end of the twine, leaving space at the top for hanging
With 10cm gaps, tie on a smaller pine cone, spray [...]

Make bird seed decorations

YOU WILL NEED:

200g bird seed / food
4 tbsp flour
4 tbsp water
Straws
Baking sheet and metal cookie cutters
Ribbon

DIRECTIONS
1.    Pre-heat over to 170degC. Place cookie cutters on sheets, spray with cooking oil.
2.    Cut straws into 5cm pieces.
3.    Mix the flour and water in a bowl, stir. Add the bird food, mix.
4.    Spoon the mix into the cutters, press [...]

Make an ice lantern

YOU WILL NEED:

Two containers / tubs of different sizes  (the smallest to hold a tealight)
Stones or marbles
Cold water
A freezer
Tealights

DIRECTIONS:
1.    Fill the bottom of the largest container with the water, 2cm deep should be fine. Place in the freezer until the water is frozen solid.
2.    Put the smaller container in the middle and put the marbles [...]

Make natural Christmas decorations

Cranberry and popcorn decoration
YOU WILL NEED:

Dried orange slices
Popcorn
Cranberries
Floral wire
Ribbon
Twine (or raffia / narrow ribbon) for hanging

Optional : Glitter, silver / gold spray paint
DIRECTIONS:
1.    Cut a piece of wire to 15cm.
2.    Alternately thread cranberries and popcorn onto the wire, leaving 2cm at each end.
3.    Shape the wire into a circle and twist the ends of the [...]

Make a twig Christmas tree

YOU WILL NEED:

Twigs or willow stems
Christmas foliage
String
Paint
Natural decorations eg.dried poppy seed heads, pine cones, dried orange slices.
Baubles
Plant pot filled with compost
Decoration for the top

DIRECTIONS:
1)    Cut the willow or twigs to size – uprights 75cm, triangles 50cm x3, 40cm x3, 30cm x3.
2)    Make the triangles binding each corner with string. Paint.
3)    Insert the uprights into the [...]

Make a winter suncatcher

YOU WILL NEED:

Berries, rosehips
Small pine branches, ivy
Orange slices
Foil tray / cake tin
Twine / ribbon

DIRECTIONS:
1.    Place the orange slices and foliage in the tray. Pour in water to cover.
2.    Sprinkle in the berries or rosehips and place the ends of the twine into the tray.
3.    Place in the freezer and remove from the tray when frozen. [...]

Make a horse chestnut hedgehog

YOU WILL NEED:

Horse chestnut shells
Air drying clay
Acrylic varnish
Gardening gloves

DIRECTIONS

Gather empty horse chestnut shells when you are out in the park or on a woodland walk.
Wearing your gardening gloves to protect your fingers from the prickles, form a ball with a small piece of clay and push into shell, leaving a little visible to form a [...]

Try some apple printing

YOU WILL NEED:

Plain canvas bag
One piece of paper
An apple
Fabric paint
A pencil with an eraser top
A triangular sponge
A crab apple (optional)
Foam letters (optional)
Paper plate

DIRECTIONS:
1)    Iron out any creases in the bag and place the paper inside (to stop the paint bleeding through).
2)    Cut the apple in half – remember when you’re cutting, that you want a [...]

Make a garden plaque

YOU WILL NEED:

Plaster of Paris
Foil pie tray
Items to decorate eg pebbles, shells, gems
Fallen leaves to imprint

DIRECTIONS:
1)    Cover the work surfaces and kids clothes to protect.
2)    Gather all your materials together in advance.
3)    Mix up the Plaster of Paris according to the instructions.
4)    Pour into the foil pie tray.
5)    Carefully lay the decorations on top, being [...]

Create a butterfly mobile

 YOU WILL NEED:

Scrap paper, such as brightly patterned wrapping paper or colourful magazine pages
Pipe cleaners
Two 30cm sticks from the garden
Garden wire
Sewing thread
Twine, string or ribbon to hang the mobile

DIRECTIONS:
1)    You need two colourful pieces of paper per butterfly. Cut one into a 13cm square, the other into a10cm square.
2)    Accordion-fold each square, each fold 1cm [...]

Decoupage a pot for herbs

YOU WILL NEED:

Plastic milk or juice cartons
Scraps of patterned paper, comics, wrapping paper etc
Felt
Scissors
Soil
White PVA glue
Water
Bowl
Paintbrush
Pots of herbs for planting

DIRECTIONS:
1)    Cut the top of the plastic carton off, just beneath the handle. We’ll be using the lower section.
2)    Turn the carton upside down and make 3 small draining holes in the bottom. Adult supervision needed [...]

Have a sunflower race

YOU WILL NEED:

Sunflower seeds – try …
‘Russian Giant’ or ‘Mammoth’ for height
‘Velvet Queen’ for colour
‘Teddy Bear’ or ‘Little Dorrit’ for containers
Multi-purpose compost
7cm plant pot
Watering can
Plant labels
Bamboo cane
String

WHEN: In pots from March to May or directly into the ground in June.
DIRECTIONS:
1)    Fill the plant pots to 1cm below the top with the multi-purpose compost. Firm gently.
2)   [...]

Make a rainbow of daisies

YOU WILL NEED:

Freshly picked daisies
Food colouring, different colours
Warm water

DIRECTIONS:
1)    Trim the stems of your flowers so they aren’t too long.
2)    Make a slanted cut at the base of the stem under water.
3)    Add food colouring to a glass, one glass per colour and then the warm water. 20-30 drops per half a cup of warm [...]

Make a flowering / veggie wigwam

YOU WILL NEED:

A sheltered, sunny spot of the garden (or a large container filled with compost)
5 Bamboo canes
Seeds – FOR FLOWERS try – Sweet Pea ‘Sugar n Spice’ or ‘Sweet Dreams’, Morning Glory ‘Lady Luxe’. FOR VEGGIES try – Pea ‘Hurst Greenshaft’, Pea ‘Rondo’, or a dwarf variety such as Pea ‘Feltham First’ for containers.
Garden twine [...]

Make a wildflower seedbomb

YOU WILL NEED:

Wildlflower seed mix (Field poppy, cornflower, corn marigold, ox-eye daisy)
Powdered clay
Water
Bucket

DIRECTIONS:

Mix one part wildflower seeds / compost with three parts of powdered clay in the bucket.
Add water until the mixture can be moulded to make golf-sized balls.
Allow to dry.
Find a bare patch of land that looks a little unloved and throw in the [...]

PRIZE DRAW : Win a Christmas hamper worth £50

With Christmas fast approaching, here is your chance to win a hamper worth £50, with plenty of goodies for children of all ages.
So if you would like to help out Santa and top up some Christmas stockings or a few extra pressies to hand out on the special day, why not enter our free prize [...]

Make a hedgehog home

WHY HELP HEDGEHOGS?
Numbers are declining rapidly, around 50% in the last 15 years due to loss of habitat and dangers in the garden.
They eat slugs and grubs so they will help protect your plants and veggies without needing to use chemicals.
Lots of hedgehogs die over winter, so providing them with food in autumn when they [...]

SPECIAL OFFER FOR PLANTING : AUTUMN 2012

As we head into autumn, the cooler weather is an ideal to add new plants into the borders. So if you have areas of the border that need brightening up or gaps to fill, why not take advantage of our special offers below.
£75 * SPECIAL OFFER * £75 * SPECIAL OFFER *
Our standard offer provides:
10 [...]

FREE GARDEN DESIGNS FOR SCHOOLS

NWFK are offering FREE GARDEN DESIGNS for schools, nurseries, after-school and community groups in the Dorset area who book a series of three NWFK workshops. So, if you have an area of outdoor space that it waiting to be transformed into a fun,interactive and inspiring wildlife, veggie or sensory garden, then why not take advantage?
If [...]

Veggie care

If you have had a party with NWFK or joined us for an activity, you might have received a seedling from us or sown some veggies. You can find out how to look after them following the tips below ….
COURGETTES

Plant the seedling outside in late May-June. Choose a sunny spot, the plant will need approx [...]

NWFK Calendar competition

NWFK is launching a new competition with your chance to win lots of goodies including a kids digital camera! We will be printing our NWFK 2013 calendar and would love you to send us pictures that can be included in it. The theme is wildlife, nature and gardening but the rest is up to you …

Pictures [...]

Drawing competition … we have our winners!

Thank you for all of your lovely drawing competition entries, we had a great response! It was a tough decision for us to make but after much deliberation we have chosen out winners.
Prizes will be on their way to you shortly!
LITTLE CRITTERS : Charlotte Gilmour, Age 7
BEES AND BUTTERFLIES : Olivia Hilton-Foster, Age 10
MUDDY FINGERS : Jack Bowers, Age 9

FREE PRIZE DRAW : Kids cookery camp!

Nature’s Way for Kids are teaming up with our neighbours to offer a FREE spot on the kids cookery camp with our neighbours White Pepper at Bere Farm, Lytchett Matravers. Age range 8-12yrs, on 3rd April 2012, worth £35.
It’s easy to enter the prize draw, just ‘LIKE’ Nature’s Way for Kids on Facebook by 15th [...]

NWFK has a new home!

NWFK has some exciting news to report … we have a great new venue for our parties and workshops at Bere Farm, Lytchett Matravers. We are working hard at the polytunnel (soon to be party-tunnel) to transform it into the perfect location for our events – there is even a tea room for parents to [...]

Special offer for March!!

 
To celebrate the arrival of spring, Nature’s Way for Kids will have a special offer on our party packages throughout March.
If you book a basic party package before March 30th, you have the opportunity to select one of the options from our premium party package for FREE!! We will only charge you the basic party [...]

Make a bee home this February half term …

There are almost 300 species of bees, falling into three main groups – solitary bees, bumblebees and honey bees.  As they are in decline, it would be beneficial to provide a food source for them. You can try ….
Early season : try bluebells, rosemary, flowering currant, winter flowering heathers, primrose and wood anemone.
Mid season : [...]

Calling all budding artists!!

 
If you are 11 years and under, enter our drawing competition for your chance to WIN ONE OF THREE I-POD SHUFFLES WORTH £40!!
Nature’s Way for Kids will be introducing themed parties and workshops during 2012 and we need some top-notch artwork for our invitations and posters. Can you help??
We need three winning pictures for each [...]

Christmas pressie idea!

If you need to buy a gift for a grandparent, why not treat them to a pot of paperwhite daffodils for Nature’s Way?
Tastefully presented in a biodegradable plant pot, the shoots will soon develop into beautiful scented paperwhite daffodils.
£6 a pot, with free delivery to the Poole and Bournemouth area. Call us on 01202 748930 [...]