Powerful nature

On grey days where the rain is monotonous, there is really only one thing for it: go to Derby Museum.

They currently have an exhibition on about Japanese woodcuts, so, following some column addition, we decided to learn a little bit about Japan.

I've realised that the best way to discover a new country with Ferdy (other than go to it) is to approach it via its animals and its folktales. So we learnt about Japanese macaques and flying squirrels, and read the story of the Monkey and the Crab and the Tale of the Nine Tailed Fox.

The museum is only about 1/8 of our new audiobook, Michel Morpurgo's Elephant in the Garden, away, and, as we seemed to be having an animal-ish day, we begun with some crafts (randomly making toilets for National Toilet Day) and studying more animals in the nature gallery.

Because the folktales part of the woodcuts exhibition was empty, both boys felt the need to run round and round shouting and playing chase, ignoring all pictures. Gradually though, as I (who had been ignoring my children) read out the prints' captions, they began to be interested. We read about enormous spiders, dancing goblins and ghostly warriors. We saw the spirits of giant frogs and one hundred night demons, and learnt the story the old woman of lone house who lured in travellers and murdered them in their sleep.

Looking at the giant frogs

After our immersion in the horrors of Japanese folk tales, it was off to the World Gallery for more stories and read a lovely book about a fragmented community who come together again through making stone soup.

Feeling hungry, we then went to the cafe for crisps and coffee and some unsuccessful origami. Sadly, I could not construct the desired Japanese macaque, in fact, I couldn't even make a simple origami bird. Ferdy didn't really mind though, I think he quite enjoys it when I'm a bit hopeless at something.

Our animal-ish day ended with writing some fun facts about animals, hot dogs (oh the irony) and a nature programme.