National Hedgehog Day is the 2nd February. I’ve always been incredibly fond of hedgehogs. As a child I saved up my pocket money to donate to The British Hedgehog Preservation Society and I wanted everything ‘hedgehog’. This post will talk about the importance of hedgehogs, how you can help, hedgehog activities and books for Hedgehog awareness day.
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National Hedgehog Day Blog Post Contents
The Importance of Hedgehogs
Hedgehogs are an important part of the UK’s ecosystem, helping to control insect populations by eating slugs, worms, and beetles. They are also a much-loved garden visitor, but sadly, their numbers have been declining rapidly.
Habitat loss, due to urban development and intensive farming, has reduced their natural shelters, while busy roads pose a significant danger. Just think about Max and the perils of roads in Hodgeheg by Dick King-Smith; we’ve got the book and the Yoto Card. The Yoto Card is great value with 8 hours of audio with several other stories as well as Hodgeheg.
Fences and barriers in gardens make it harder for hedgehogs to move around in search of food and mates. Pesticides also harm the insects they rely on for food.
How to Help Hedgehogs
Conservation efforts, such as creating hedgehog-friendly gardens with access holes in fences, leaving out fresh water, and avoiding harmful chemicals, can help protect these wonderful creatures and support their survival for future generations.
We’ve got a hedgehog highway in our garden, just a small cut out in either side of our fences and it’s certainly meant we’ve had hedgehogs about. We were also gifted a hibernaculum by a friend too.
Hedgehog Resources
You can find a range of child friendly resources about hedgehogs here.
Hedgehog Quiz 🦔
Here’s a little hedgehog quiz perfect for children, with multiple choices. You can download an audio version to add to your Tonie Creative Characters or Yoto Make Your Own Cards. Answers below the questions.
Audio Version of Hedgehog Quiz & Answers
Written Version of Hedgehog Quiz
1. What do hedgehogs have on their backs?
A) Feathers
B) Scales
C) Spines
2. When a hedgehog feels scared, what does it do?
A) Run away really fast
B) Curl up into a ball
C) Jump up and down
3. What do hedgehogs like to eat?
A) Worms and insects
B) Ice cream and chocolate
C) Leaves and grass
4. Where do hedgehogs sleep during the day?
A) In a nest made of leaves
B) In a tree
C) Underwater
5. When do hedgehogs come out to look for food?
A) In the morning
B) At night
C) In the middle of the afternoon
6. What season do hedgehogs hibernate in?
A) Summer
B) Winter
C) Spring
7. What sound might a hedgehog make?
A) A loud roar
B) A quiet snuffle
C) A quack like a duck
8. Where do wild hedgehogs live?
A) In the ocean
B) In gardens and woodlands
C) In the North Pole
9. How can we help hedgehogs in our gardens?
A) Leave out fresh water and create hedgehog-friendly spaces
B) Put out a bowl of milk
C) Keep all the leaves and logs tidy and clear
10. How many babies does a mother hedgehog usually have?
A) 1 or 2
B) 4 or 5
C) 10 or more
Answers
- C) Spines
- B) Curl up into a ball
- A) Worms and insects
- A) In a nest made of leaves
- B) At night
- B) Winter
- B) A quiet snuffle
- B) In gardens and woodlands
- A) Leave out fresh water and create hedgehog-friendly spaces
- B) 4 or 5
Audio & Written Versions: The Tale of Mrs Tiggy-Winkle – Beatrix Potter
On the BBC you can find an audio recording than you can play alongside a resource pack here. You can also find the story on Gutenberg. You can find an audio version to download of The Tale of Mrs Tiggy-Winkle along with a host of other Beatrix Potter classics here. My favourite version of the story being read is this one that’s free to download.
Love You Always by Frances Stickley & Migy Blanco
Love You Always by Frances Stickley & Migy Blanco is one of our favourite picture books. Frances has such a beautiful way with words and this is just the most tender story to leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy!
Early Fine Motor Skills Hedgehogs
These dough hedgehogs are the perfect early fine motor skills. This was an activity I did with my daughter when she was a toddler. We moulded the shape, used these scissors to make snips for the spines and use cloves for the eyes (makes a great sensory experience).
Hedgehog Crafts for You and Older Kids
This little cross stitch hedgehog kit is a sweet beginners project. The size of the stitches I’d recommend this for ten years +; a great gift for a creative teen. This kit is very similar. I really enjoy needle felting and for Christmas in 2024 by other half got me this kit that I plan to do soon. Generally, I always think that needle felting is an eight years plus activity.
Iris Folding Hedgehog Kit
Iris folding is one of my favourite papercrafts. You can find out all about this craft in my blog post here. When I started doing iris folding I purchased this lovely kit which included a hedgehog. The hedgehog is now available as part of a woodland pack and a Christmas woodland pack. There’s also a pdf/ svg pattern available and hedgehog card apertures here (includes pattern). I’d recommend iris folding for everyone from around six years of age.
As always, I would recommend adult supervision with activities and take care to ensure the items you are using are suitable for your child in both age and development. The views expressed are my own. If I have been sent a product for review then I will state this is the case; my review will be my honest opinion.
