Friday Fledglings

Friday Fledglings is back at The Museum of English Rural Life (The MERL) on Fridays from 10:00 to 11:30, running during term time with the next session on Friday 13 November. It's the museum's weekly outdoor learning session for children under five, held in the garden at 6 Redlands Road, RG1 5EX.

Charlotte Allchin leads the sessions — she's a local teacher and a qualified Level 3 Forest Leader. Around fifty families take part, and the activities draw on the museum's collections, including the library's copy of Vita Sackville-West's In Your Garden. The children also plant flowers and bulbs in their own raised bed, so they've something they can actually watch grow over the term.

Each morning mixes nature exploration — there's a mud kitchen, water play and a sand-pit — with storytelling, a craft, singing and a snack. Every session closes with a story and a singsong featuring the character 'Little Mouse'. The programme was revived and cherished after the pandemic, and it's become a regular part of the museum's term-time calendar.

It's an outdoor session, so suitable outdoor clothing, wellies and wet-weather gear are recommended. It costs £5 per child, and accompanying adults and non-participating babies go free. The next one is Friday 13 November, 10:00 to 11:30, at The MERL in Reading.