The adventures of East-beary
Hello there!
I’m East-Beary and Eastbury Play Area is my home.
I love listening to the birds, watching the bees and butterflies but most of all, I love to play games here.
I’ll be here when you come and play, as one of my bear friends says “Sometimes I sits and thinks, and sometimes I just sits”.
I can listen to you tell me all about your day, hear all your stories or try my best to play hide and seek!
I hope you like this play area too, it has lots of things to do. Have you heard what one of my bear friends says? He says "There's always something new to discover, even in the most familiar places".
Some of my bear friends have books and poems written about them. You can find out more about them at your library.
Autumn has arrived in Eastbury Play Area!
Now that the long hot days are behind us, I look forward to the cooler Autumn days. I’ve been watching the trees as their leaves change colour and they will soon start to fall to the ground. Trees that lose their leaves are called deciduous and this process of leaf dropping not only helps the tree to get ready for its new leaves in Spring but also provides food for worms and fungi and a place of shelter for insects and beetles. What colours have you seen on the leaves? Have you seen any falling from trees yet?
It’s the best time of year to collect conkers too! These come from horse chestnut trees and are the trees shiny brown seeds covered in a spiky fruit shell. They are poisonous to humans, dogs and horses but lots of mammals like to eat them like deer, mice and squirrels, although not too many!
Lots of insects also can lay eggs in the horse chestnut leaves which provides a handy snack for birds too. Some people think that because conkers have a natural oil in them, they can help deter spiders from getting into their houses and moths from eating their clothes. Where have you found conkers? Do you play the conkers game?
I’ve also been watching the birds flying overhead. Some of them are flocking together to fly away as part of their migration plans like the swallows who came for Summer and some are arriving from colder climates to spend Winter here like redwings and fieldfares. Have you seen any birds starting their migration journeys?
Lots of animals are starting to get ready for their Winter sleep or hibernation. You might see some squirrels busying themselves collecting acorns so that they can get ready for when the food is scarce. Some animals like, insects, beetles, reptiles and small mammals like bats are starting to think about where they will stay over the colder months and might start looking for a place to stay. Cosy homes for the reptiles, insects and amphibians to shelter over the colder seasons is called a Hibernaculum. You could make one in your garden from a pile of log or a small underground home. What animals do you think hibernate?
Some birds and mini beasts might find it a bit harder to find food this time of year. You could try making a homemade bird cake with all the lovely things they like to keep their energy up such as seeds, mealworms and oats. You might see some hedgehogs in the evenings, looking for all the worms and beetles that they can stock up for before they hibernate.
I love seeing all the colours of leaves changing, feeling the wind blowing around me and watching all the creatures getting ready for the colder months. I hope you are dressed up nice and warm to play in the play area and can hear all the sounds of Autumn around you with crunchy leaves, windy days and birds singing to each other to say where the best food is!
If you want to find out more about what you can see around you in the world this season, other places to visit and to read some good stories about wildlife, you could visit the following places.
https://www.hertswildlifetrust.org.uk/
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/
https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/services/libraries-and-archives/libraries-and-archives.aspx
