Today’s nature count

2: Go to the window together. Is it light or dark? Point at the sky, then at the floor where the light lands. Count the bright patches: one, two.

4: The sun is up for about 12 hours today. Hold up ten fingers, then start again — 12 needs both hands and 2 more fingers. Now count how many hours until bedtime.

6: 12 hours of light means 12 hours of dark. Which is longer, and by how many hours? Tomorrow will be about 3 minutes shorter — so by this day next week, how many minutes shorter will it be?

2: Frost is what makes the grass crunch. Go and touch something cold, then something warm. That is two things. Say cold, say warm.

4: 44 sleeps until the first frost usually comes. Count 20 stones into a jar — take one out each evening and count what is left.

6: 44 days to the first frost. That is 6 weeks and 2 days. Make a paper chain with 44 links and break one off each morning — and when the frost actually comes, count how many links are left over. Was the average early or late this year?

2: Go outside tonight and point at the moon. Is it a circle, or a slice? Say which. Then find something else in the sky and point at that.

4: 4 more sleeps until the moon is a full circle. Draw the moon tonight on a piece of paper, and again tomorrow night. Are the two drawings the same?

6: The moon is 84% lit and 11 days past new. It takes about 29 days to go all the way round. 4 nights to full: so how many days ago was it new, and does that match the 11 we just said?

2: Find one leaf. Only one. Bring it back and put it on the table. Now find one more. How many is that?

4: 400 different kinds have been found near here this month by grown-ups with cameras. Go and find five different leaves, and lay them out smallest to biggest.

6: 400 kinds recorded within 40 km this month. Take one walk and tally everything different you see — four marks and a line across for five. How close did you get to a hundred? How many walks would it take to reach 400?

2: Find a mushroom with your eyes. Point at it with one finger. Hands stay behind your back — we look at mushrooms, we never pick them up.

4: Count the mushrooms you can see without moving your feet. Then take three steps and count again. Hands stay in pockets the whole time.

6: 196 kinds of mushroom have been recorded near here this month. Find one log and count the caps on it. Then get right down low and count the gills underneath one cap — most have more than you can count in one go, so count in fives. Looking only, the whole way.

2: Put both arms around a tree. Now find another tree and do it again. That is two trees. Can you find a third?

4: There are about 8 kinds of tree around here. Count the trees between the door and the road. Then count them again on the way back — do you get the same number?

6: Pick a tree and count your steps all the way around it. Now find a fatter one and do the same. How many more steps did the big one take? Measure three trees and put them in order.

2: Go outside and say whether it is warm or cold. Then put one hand on the window and say it again. Warm, or cold?

4: 16 degrees at the warmest, 8 at the coldest. Which number is bigger? Count up from 8 to 16 out loud.

6: From 16° down to 8° is a fall of 8 degrees. What is half of that? If tonight fell another 8 degrees below 8, where would it land — and would that be a frost?

2: Find a puddle. Jump in it. Count the jumps: one, two, three. Now find a dry patch and stand on that instead.

4: About 9 millimetres of rain is coming this week. Stand a straight-sided jar outside where nothing overhangs it, and look at it every morning for seven days.

6: 9 mm forecast over 7 days. If it fell evenly, how much would fall each day? Put a jar out, mark the level each morning with a pen, and on Sunday count the marks and see how far off the forecast was.

2: Find some water — a puddle, a pond, a stream. Point at it. Is it moving, or is it still?

4: There are 12 named lakes and rivers within a short drive. The closest is Martin Lake. Throw 10 small stones in, one at a time, counting each one out loud.

6: 12 named waters within 20 km; Martin Lake is the nearest at 4.9 km. If you walked there at 5 km an hour, how long would it take? Count the stones you skip — and count the skips on the best one.