IN THIS SECTION
Outdoor Action
Games & Activities
- Pairs Games
- Bass Dash Game
- Greenshank Migration Game
- Indoor Activities
- Dell Quay: High Tide
- Dell Quay: Low Tide
- Coastal Woodland
- Stream & Meadow
Fascinating facts
Games & Activities
Pairs Games - Useful Plants
Bindweed – String
Bindweed can be found growing in hedgerows in particular. It is a ‘climber’ and as it grows it wraps itself around other plants. Gardeners do not like Bindweed at all because it grows very quickly and is difficult to get rid of from the garden. The stem is long and flexible and can be used to tie things up just like string.
Lichen – Dye
Lichens grow on the surfaces of trees, rocks, roofs, walls and gravestones. They are flowerless plants. The organisms they are most similar to are fungi and algae. In some parts of the world they are a popular food for reindeer! It is possible to use lichens to make a dye. In the past the Scots used extracted colours from lichens to dye their tartans.
Oak Galls – Ink
Oak marble galls are made by the larvae of the wasp Andricus kollari. There are more than 30 species of gall wasps in Britain that can be found on the common oak tree. The galls contain up to 17% of a chemical called tannic acid and in the past the galls were collected and used to make ink.
Glasswort/Marsh Samphire – Glassmaking
Glasswort or Marsh Samphire is one of the first saltmarsh plants to colonise the mudflats. It is full of sodium (salt) and was once burnt so that the alkali ashes could be used to make glass. It is also a delicious plant to eat. It can either be boiled and dipped in butter or pickled in vinegar.
Nettles – Fibre
Nettles have many, many uses. One of them is to make cloth from the fibre cells that run along the length of the stem. One of the oldest nettle textile finds comes from Denmark during the Bronze Age. There is a lot of interest today in using nettle fibre to make cloth. Who knows, perhaps one day it will be a common replacement for cotton?
Reeds – Thatch
The Common Reed can be found growing in most damp places – rivers, ponds, reedbeds or on the shoreline. It is one of the finest materials for making thatched roofs. Samuel Pepys is said to have found another use for reeds. When he ran out of feather quills to make pens, he used a reed instead.
Fleabane – Insecticide
Fleabane likes to grow in rather damp places. The name gives us a clue as to what this plant was used for in the past. Years ago it was more common for animals and people to get fleas. Fleabane was burnt inside rooms to drive the fleas out. It was also used to treat dysentery.
Horsetail (Pewterwort or Scouring Rush) – Cleaning Saucepans
Horsetail is a very primitive plant. Fossils of this species can often be found in coal. The stem contains a large number of small silicon crystals. These act as a type of polish and the plant can be used to clean saucepans and other types of pots.