I have always been fascinated by Terrariums (Plants in Bottles and Jars).
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David Latimer was in the press in 2013 for his terrarium which had been unopened and untouched for the best part of 53 years. I found this amazing, I know I probably shouldn't but for me it was a 'isn't nature brilliant' moments.

Full Story and Image credit: Daily Mail

As the weather has been unseasonably mild recently as well as ridiculously wet, spring plants are appearing all over the place! I have friends with daffodils in their gardens already.

Take advantage of this phenomenon and create your own mini garden inside, in a jar or large glass bottle.

Here is my quick "How to.." for making your our terrarium. I am sure there will be a more scientific person then me tell me something isn't quite right, but it works.

Perhaps yours could last 50 years (50 days?) - Try it and see!

1. Simply take a large jar and add a layer (1 - 1 1/2cm) of fine gravel.

2. Add a thicker layer of soil. I personally wouldn't use compost, I would use garden soil, there might be other interesting things in that soil, seeds, insects, fungi... you might be surprised! If you'd rather have specialist soil, potting mix and charcoal makes a good base.

3. You might add a few larger stones or smooth pebbles make it look interesting too, if there is room in your jar!

4. Choose your plant carefully. Ferns are quite hardy and work well, as do Starfish plants and Spider plants. There are some great suggestions here (image credits below):
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Examiner.com: 10 Good Plants for Terrariums
The BHG.com: Top plants for Terrariums ​

5. Water it and seal it up - the jar should then contain the ecosystem and require no further support, until the plant outgrows the jar! Best kept out of direct sunlight, but in a warm place.
6. Set the children a challenge:
- How long will their terrarium last?
- Will your plant survive?
- Does anything else grow?
- What do you notice about the inside of the jar?
- Make careful notes/photographs/drawing of any changes
- Can you see any root growth? or Flowers?
- Did anything get into your terrarium with the soil?


There are many possibilities for learning.

Feel free to add any in comments.

(Thanks to Steven Connor (@StevenConnor7) for reminding me how useful Water Canisters are for making these).

I was talking to a colleague of mine a short while ago and we were talking about things that schools had banned, because they 'weren't safe'... Good grief!
I won't list all them, but here's a list I can remember:

Triangular Flapjacks - because children had a fight. Square ones are still allowed, despite having more corners!

Swimming Goggles - Many UK authorities, have banned children from wearing goggles when in swimming lessons because they could be “snapped and pulled against a child’s face” and cause them to “bump into each other”. 

Running in the Playground - Yes, you heard me right. A school banned it as dangerous. Seriously. I am writing blogs about getting children to climb up piles of pallets and tyres and schools are banning running!

Loom Bands - Apparently, one school decided that loom bands were a tripping hazard. What precisely is the sense here? Unless of course they were creating some sort of escape rope. Perhaps this ingenuity should be commended!

Conkers - 1/6 schools have banned conkers, although it may not through fear of injury, but through fear of allergies. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents claim that increasing numbers of children are allergic to conkers because less children are playing outdoors, doing stuff like, well, playing conkers.

And this (tenuously) is where I get to the point... OK, so I like the outdoor learning thing, but unless we let children take risks, how will they learn what is and isn't safe. As teachers we can monitor risk, but I honestly think that we should not be responsible for removing it from children's lives. (There are enough overprotective parents doing that already and despite these words, I fear that sometimes I might be one of them!)

I won't go down the "when we were children we..." line because that path is well trodden. Children do need to know that nettles sting but not forever, that a grazed knee or elbow gets sore but is OK and that getting a splinter, while quite unpleasant, is not the End of Days! We care for our children and for the children in our care, but do we overprotect them? 

In my school, the school council are very active in terms of promoting pupil safety, but I haven't yet heard them request a ban, just that people be considerate, respectful and careful towards each other. 

Children are children and they need to get a bit dirty and jump off high things... we want children to be risk takers, mover and shakers as adults, but we want them to sit quietly and be careful as youngsters. I am not promoting dangerous activity, but children need to learn to be safe, by occasionally not being!

How about this?

In New Zealand, "The School With No Rules..."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1Y0cuufVGI

(Oh, and his shoes are very risky!)