It’s conker time again! Have you found any big ones? Did you know that horse Chestnuts are more often called ‘Conkers’ except in the USA where they are called ‘Buckeyes’? The “horse” connection is twofold: (1) Horse Chestnuts were fed to horses in the East as a stimulant and to make their coat shine. (2) The leaf-scars on the twigs have the shape of a horseshoe, including the nail holes. Check it out next time you get the chance!

Click here if you want to know more about conkers including some handy tips for playing conkers.

If you’re around and about in Ashton, Northamptonshire this Sunday 8 October - don’t forget to pop down to the World Conker Championships 2006 which starts at 10.30am.  You could be crowned Conker King (or Queen)!

Are you always being nagged at for playing on your computer games?  Well good news. Research has found that as well as being fun, games can teach you stuff and help you learn. The study found that games could help change the way you think and talk. It also discovered they can help you learn how to solve problems. Pupils who tried learning using games were found to improve their skills a lot more than those who didn't. A recent survey found six out of 10 pupils said they'd like to use games in class and nearly the same amount of teachers said they would support it. But what if your teacher likes it so much he won’t let you have a turn?

Have you heard about Timmy the cat? He’s grown so big he has to sleep in a kennel at night! He truly is a massive moggy, a colossal cat, a phenomenal feline! The black and white pussy only eats a can of cat food a day but still weighs a whopping 10kg (22lb) - which is about the same as a two-year-old child. It's thought Timmy, who was adopted from an animal shelter, has always been large and is simply "big-boned". Well we can’t all use that excuse unfortunately so switch off your computer game and go for a game of footie!

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Wildwalk-At-Bristol  is a living rainforest in the heart of the city.

From butterflies and insects to beautiful birds and tropical fish, Wildwalk is home to over 150 animal species!  Wind your way through steamy botanical houses, surround yourself with colourful fish in the walk-through coral reef tank and come face-to-face with some fascinating rainforest creatures.  Combined with Explore-At-Bristol, an interactive science centre, and IMAX Theatre-At-Bristol, showing 2D and 3D films on the giant screen, At-Bristol brings science and nature to life!

We have two Wildwalk-At-Bristol family tickets to give away if you can answer the following question:

How many legs does a spider have?

a)    None – they travel round on roller-skates!
b)    Eight
c)    Five hundred and fifty three and a half.

All you have to do is send us the answer in an email with your name, age and address to: Hay-wire.Clubhouse@nesta.org.uk with ‘WILDWALK’ as the subject. The winner will be picked at random at 5pm, on Thursday 19th October.

For more information about Wildwalk-At-Bristol, please go to www.at-bristol.org.uk

Good luck!

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