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Hedgehog Awareness Week is the 5^th – 11^th of May 2024, designed to help highlight the problems hedgehogs face and educate people on how to help them. 

You can find out more HERE

Why not make your very own ‘living’ hedgehog to celebrate Hedgehog Awareness Week?

This fun and easy activity could engage your children in wanting to look after and learn more about real hedgehogs too.

What you will need:

• An old pair of tights/stockings
• Soil
• Grass seeds
• Scissors
• Permanent marker pen or googly eyes
• A bowl
• Water
• Small Plate
• Patience!

Step 1

Cut your tights or stocking into an open-ended tube, about 30cm long. Tie a knot in one end and trim off the excess material – the knot becomes the hedgehog’s nose.

Step 2

Mix your soil and grass seeds together and pop it all inside the tube, you may want to add more seeds on the side that will become the top of your hedgehog to make sure it is extra spikey!

Step 3

Tie off the open end tightly with another knot and mould it all into a hedgehog shape (like a big egg), giving it a little pointy snout at the end where your first knot is and tucking the second knot underneath.

Step 4

Using your marker pen, draw on some eyes for your hedgehog, or stick on your googly eyes if using them.

Step 5

Fill your bowl with water and submerge your hedgehog to make sure it is damp all the way to the centre, then place it on your plate near a window.

Remember to check daily to see if it needs any more water, and to keep an eye out for grass growing through. After a few weeks, you should have a fantastic grass hedgehog all of your own – you can give it a haircut and it will keep on growing too!

What about trying different types of seeds inside your hedgehog?

Maybe some wildflower seeds to give it a flowery coat and you can pop it outside for the bees and insects to visit or use cress seeds for funky spikes you can eat?!

Let us know how you get on by sharing your hedgehog updates with us!