Animals and Creatures

Sunderland by the Sea

This pack supports National Marine Week with the Wildlife Trusts. Families can make a seagull kite, an ocean drum and a saltdough starfish then explore the coast to discover rockpool wildlife and seabirds using spotter guides.

Download templates here: Creative Challenge Koi Carp Pool

Once you’ve made your koi carp fish, why not add some string and hang them up in a window for everyone to enjoy?

It may not be summer but we adore butterflies all year round!

The Museum has many different butterflies in its natural history collections, including Birdwing butterflies, one of the largest butterfly species in the world. Butterflies belong to the order of insects called Lepitoptera which means ‘scaly winged’ in Greek. A person who studies butterflies is known as a Lepidopterist!

This activity celebrates the summer season and the many different colours of butterflies that visit flowers in our parks and gardens.

Suitable for age 4+ with adult support

Download the full activity here: Paper Butterflies

Let’s go on a minibeast hunt in your garden or local park. Good places to spot minibeasts are the undersides of leaves, on flowers, on the bark of trees and hiding under small logs and rocks (always replace these after you have lifted them up for a look).

To find out more about minibeasts, why they are important, and to take part in a mini-beast hunt with your very own minibeast spotter guide, download the activity: Minibeast Hunt

Inspired by Kathy Prendergast, Land, Emma’s video shows how to do an at-home marble printing technique to make hanging birds.

This a brilliant opportunity to get out and about and explore our local beaches and coastline by making a Herring Gull Kite with Infinite Arts and then taking it to the beach to fly.