I—SPY EXPLORERS CLUB

I—SPY RANGERS May 2008

Hi all , volcanoes have been in the news just lately --- one blew which had not erupted for 9000 years! The other blew after 450 years . What is a volcano and what makes it erupt?

Well , the most familiar ones are usually graceful and coned shaped mountains but a volcano is a hole where magma reaches the earth's surface .

They can also be broad and flat mountains or long cracks .The most famous one in the UK is Arthur's seat in Edinburgh but it has not blown for 325 million years! What a sight if it decided to blow now after all this time !

Famous volcanoes are Mount St Helen's, Vesuvius, Krakatoa, and Pinatubo. Vesuvius destroyed Pompei in Rome . Some eruptions can cause mudflows, tidal waves and landslides . There are more than1500 volcanoes on earth with some under the sea.

The earth's outer shell is made of tectonic plates which fit together and move about 10mm a year . Many volcanoes can be found on the boundaries of these plates. HOW DO VOLCANOES ERUPT?

Sometimes lave comes out and spreads from the vent or crater and other times erupt with violent fantastic explosions. Every volcano has its own character determined by the nature of underlying magma. Scientists who study and monitor volcanoes are called volcanologists and they can tell when a volcano will erupt by measuring changes in temperature and shape of the volcano. They take samples of gases and record ground tremors to try and see what will happen next .

All lava has dissolved gases and we know that the most violent and destructive volcanic eruptions happen when lava has a lot of gas. When magma reaches the earth's surface , the gas in the magma is no longer under and bursts out by expanding quickly .Lava is frothed up into pumice and the explosion clouds can rise up to 30km into the air !Hot ashy clouds rush down the slopes at 200km an hour and communities can be destroyed in minutes . This can be the case with pyroclastic flow--really terrifying! Lava without a lot of gas flows slowly so people and animals can get to safety. However lava flows can cover land making it infertile for many ,many years to come . When it cools down it can make good building material. Volcanoes , tornadoes , earthquakes are interesting to study and exciting to watch on TV.

COMPETITION .

What is the name of the extinct volcano in Edinburgh in Scotland ? Send your answer to me by May 27th ;

I-SPY Rangers 38 Avion Close Highgate Road Walsall West Midlands WS1 3JF .

I would love to hear what you have seen ,discovered, or found out about . I-SPY is great fun and I always get a thrill when I see anything exciting , unusual etc . I saw 2 burnt out cars at RSPB but they were gone when I left to go home . I had a great couple of hours there and saw swans with 7 cygnets, and plenty of other birds , some butterflies and flowers. Inside the visitor centre there is a television where people can see inside the nestbox and everything is live .One can see the Great tit on the nest with about 6 eggs in it and being fed by the male . It was funny when the male bird appeared with the biggest grub I'd ever seen to feed the female and she wasn't there so he ate it himself! Well, that's my I-SPY news so how about you? Go on , go for it ! Sue Head Ranger .

Hi all , did you have a good Easter? Did you go away or out on day trips ? If so , write in and share where you went , what you saw ,anything you discovered etc. Small prize for any reports I get . Unfortunately ,I was in hospital just before Easter so wasn’t able to get out and explore but as soon as I`m fit enough I`ll be off again ! Recovery from my type of operation will take quite a long time . I did get the Palm Sunday service at the hospital chapel and the chaplain was really nice . She told me something really interesting ---the corridors in city hospital are the longest in the UK—a quarter of a mile long! Part of the hospital used to be a Victorian workhouse too. I looked out of the window by my bed and it reminded me of the infamous German prisoner of war camp called Colditz Castle!

Well , I hope you enjoyed last month`s I-SPY about looking at things below your feet and hope you found some interesting things . This month we`ll do the opposite ---look at things above our heads!. Sometimes we are in such a hurry as we go to school , college, uni or work that we a lot of really interesting things above our heads .Next time you go out get armed with a notebook and pen and look upwards . You may be surprised at what you see. As you come to St Matthews Church through the arch . Look up and you will see the Coat of Arms of Walsall . There is an animal on the arms –what is it? That’s this month`s competition so have a look and send your answer in to me .

When you are out you may see a hot air balloon ,aircraft , birds, and more. Look at tops of trees , houses, stairs outside of buildings –what are they for? Find out .

TAKE GREAT CARE WHEN LOOKING UP—WE DON’T WANT TO BUMP INTO LAMPOSTS ,PEOPLE ,DOORS ETC OR STRAY OFF THE FOOTPATH INTO THE ROAD. STAY OUT OF RESTRICTED AREAS TOO LIKE BUILDING SITES AND IF YOU GET PERMISSION TO ENTER WEAR THE RIGHT SAFETY GEAR!

Lets start by looking at chimneys .Tudor chimneys are quite tall and also found on Victorian buildings . Until about 30 years ago most households were heated either by coal burning stoves or boiler. Mainly only one room was heated but in some homes a fire was in every room so to conduct the smoke away and make a draught to help fires burn a vertical chimney was needed with flues or pipes to take the smoke away. Have a look at the chimneys near you .

Industry needed chimneys too and during the 18^th and 19^th centuries a lot of Britain `s industries were powered by coal burning boilers and a lot of poisonous fumes and gases from chemical plants were released into the air. Very tall chimneys were built to try and carry the smoke and gas high into the air ----maybe the start of global warming? Have a look at the huge chimneys of a power station next time you are out for a ride.

Look up in to the air and see what you can spot –a plane , helicopter , tall crane at work , vapor trail, birds, kite, microlight ,etc. Note down all you see in a month.

Clocks are sometimes high up on walls of buildings –have a look at clocks in Walsall or if you visit another place. Clocks were the only way people could tell the time before watches were invented. Some clocks commemorate events such as one that celebrates the Queen`s Silver Jublillee in 1977 or another event . or opening of a new building .

All Saints church , West Bromwich , has a sundial on its tower. Some clocks celebrate trades such as a farrier or blacksmith. There's even a castle that has a clock in one of its turrets!

Lighting is interesting too , the different types of lighting. See if you can find a Victorian gas street light and these are still used in some places to give an “old world” feel or simply empty and used as decoration. Look for modern electric lights in all shapes and sizes . In some villages where the streets are so narrow the lights are put on houses. Security lights on offices and public buildings are often fitted with halogen floodlights which are very powerful. Have a look for a number on the lamppost . This means a fault can be quickly located so the highways authority has numbered every lamppost .Make a note of the numbers you find. Beacons were used in olden days for guiding , warning and loads were lit for the Queen`s silver jubilee. The first lighthouse in the world was built over 2000 years ago by the Egyptians . Now most of today`s lighthouses are automatic but were manned originally by 2 or 3 persons .Have you ever been up a lighthouse—I have been up the one on Plymouth sound and a few others including the one one at Dungeness , Kent , (the old one as a new one was built to replace it when the nuclear power station was build because ships could not see the original one .)

There's lots to see above your head so get looking -----bird`s nests ,nest boxes, ,numbers on trees, holes in tree trunks or branches—woodpecker at work?. And more .

Church towers are always interesting. Anyone seen the twisted spire of All Saints , Chesterfield ? I have and its quite a sight to see. Lincoln cathedral has 3 towers. So has Lichfield . One was destroyed in the civil war .A detached bell tower is called a campanile .

Signs of the times can still be seen on old buildings-----old painted adverts etc.

Windows--- Georgian style, Regency , Victorian . Have you ever seen a blocked up window on an old building and wondered why ? Well , years ago people had to pay window tax and many could not afford it so they took the windows out and blocked them up

Coats of Arms----could be the Arms of a town or city or even a person. Could have a Latin inscription, dates, commemorating a special event ,etc. A n unusual one an heraldic device is carved in wood. Southwold has a crest celebrating the year the town received its charter----1494---1989.

Well , I have given you a lot to get out and look for . There's such a lot waiting for you to find .Don't forget the competition ---what is the animal on Walsall`s Coat of Arms?

Answer to me at I-SPY Rangers 38 Avion Close ,Highgate Road ,Walsall West Midlands WS1 3JF. Closing date; April 23^rd. Send in your discoveries –small prize .

HI guys! Hey, have you ever wondered what is under your feet when you are walking in the street etc? There's a lot going on under your feet so here's some things for you to look out for. What happens to rain water that drains on to roads and footpaths? And what goes on under the iron plates you can see on the footpath and road? As you walk around have a look at the various iron plates and see if you can make out what they are for and look around you as there's a world of fascinating objects, natural and artificial that we can I—SPY and learn about , see what you can find and let me know.

When you are I-SPYing under your feet, you will have to keep your eyes open and your gaze downwards most of the time. However you must take extra care and never stray into the road just to spot something of interest, always look where you are walking. A good I-SPYer never takes risks and is always careful and sensible when out I—SPYing.

Let's look at services under our feet. The Scots inventor, Alexander Graham Bell, first made a working telephone in 1876. Now telephone cables and satellite links carry conversations all over the world and the network of cables often runs under city streets where access is given by inspection covers. See if you can find one with the Telecom logo on it. You may see another one with the letters GPO on it ----what do the letters mean? British Telecom has no logo on it but the rival business Mercury does!

Electricity has a square cover and gas has a small one has “gas” on it . Look on buildings for a plaque that says sprinkler Valve Inside. Some buildings have automatic sprinklers which have to be turned on or off. Look for a smoke outlet from a basement.

Look for a WATER plate and should be one outside your house. Water used for drinking and other uses is carried in pipes called mains. The flow of water is controlled by valves and stopcocks. Underneath this plate is a stopcock. I f there is a burst pipe somewhere the mains water can be turned off to repair it.

Have a look for a coal hole---in the old days buildings were heated by coal fires and boilers and in some houses coal was stored in cellars or coalholes.

Streets are made from all kinds of stuff. , tarmac, artificial materials, natural stones, concrete, cobble stones and more. If you look you can see cobble stones by St. Matthews Church .Have a look at what you can see. –brick–like blocks , tiles facings can be used in various patterns to make special walkways ,roads and parking. There's a lot to spy if you go out and discover it! I-SPY can be a lot of fun if you give it a go .You wont know unless you get out and try it ! I know there's not many I-SPY books about at the moment as they have no publisher at present at Michelin but you can get out and explore with a notebook and pen. I-SPY is a lot of fun, full of adventure and discovery! I know because I get out and explore and it’s a great way to learn and have fun! Get on the I-SPY Trail and see for yourself. Write in with your discoveries etc.

I will be in hospital for a few days so wont be able to explore much for a while but see what you can do over the Easter hols whether at home or on holiday . It would be great to come home and find some I-SPY letters waiting for me! HAVE A HAPPY EASTER BUT REMEMBER JESUS DIED FOR YOU ON THE CROSS THEN ROSE AGAIN ON EASTER DAY . HE LOVED US SO MUCH THAT HE DIED FOR US.

Hi guys . Did you enjoy my friend`s article about the 60^th Anniversary of I-SPY? It certainly has a lot of history and it would be great if our club could carry on the tradition. I know it is sad at the moment as theres no books to use as Michelin seem to be dragging their feet over a new publisher. I do wish they would hurry up and get a new publisher and have some new books . I will be contacting them to see whats happening. In the meantime we shall have to do what we can to keep our club alive and kicking and we can still be active I-SPYers with or without any I-SPY books. I know I have all my books and can take them out with me and some of you have no books but you can always make your own . Why not make an I-SPY book about something you are interested in ? Are you interested in football—you could make an I-SPY Book about about football or your fave team . Whatever your interests are and whatever you like doing you could make an I-SPY Book about it . Why not write in to the club about the things you enjoy doing ? I enjoy wildlife , birdwatching , singing, collecting things , visiting places of interest , archaeology, rugby , football and more! Guess I could make at least one I-SPY Book!

It is such a shame that no-one seems interested in the club as I never get any letters about what you have seen , found out about , places you have been too ,etc or any competition entries . It does take time and effort to think about what to write about and to do it and its sad not to have anyone write in with something exciting to share . I know I haven`t much to write about this month as I have been unwell and in hospital but I`m getting better now and soon be out and about again soon .

Do remember that our club `s future depends on us , the members, and its up to us to make our club as exciting and interesting as we can! Now that Spring is around the corner this means that there will be lots to see as snowdrops come up, crocuses are coming out. Plants are coming up etc. I have already seen snowdrops , crocuses out and daffodils coming up , leaves starting to come out on the trees so why not see what you can see and let me know ? I-SPY is great fun if you give it a chance ! You will never be bored if you are out exploring as there is always something to discover ! Next time you are in Walsall see if you can find any blue plaques on the walls of buildings , write them down and send them in . I will do it too ! See who can find the most interesting one! There are a few in the town so go and have a look ---theres one in Lichfield Street to get you going! See if you can spot it ! Closing date 28^th February . Send your spottings to I-SPY Rangers, 38 Avion Close Highgate Road Walsall West Midlands WS1 3JF .

2008 is the sixtieth anniversary of the I-SPY books which have sold thousands of copies and brought much pleasure to children and adults alike.

Back in 1948, the I-SPY books were the brainchild of Charles Warrell, a former headmaster who wanted to make education and learning fun for children. His basic idea has remained the same over the years. Each I-SPY booklet would deal with a particular subject: aircraft, birds, cars, churches, farm animals, history, wild flowers, and so on. Children and their parents would be sent out looking for various objects, and would score points when they had managed to see these objects with their own eyes and answer simple questions.

In the early days, Charles Warrell was unable to find a publisher for his books, and so had to publish them himself and sell them through Woolworth's. Later, when the books had proved their popularity, they were taken over by the Daily Mail which gave Charles his own regular newspaper column.

Later still, the I-SPY books and newspaper column moved to the News Chronicle. When that newspaper ceased publication in 1960, a new company, the Dickens Press, was formed to carry on publishing the books. Since those times, the I-SPY series has had several owners including, most

At an early stage, Charles Warrell hit upon the idea of starting an I-SPY Tribe for users of his growing series of I-SPY books. Drawing inspiration from the Red Indians of North America, who discovered many secrets of nature by using their eyes, Charles encouraged his young readers to adopt Indian names, send messages to each other in secret Indian codes, and greet each others with a secret Indian sign. When they had scored a certain number of points in one of their I-SPY books, members were encouraged to write in to Big Chief I-SPY – leader of the Tribe – for a feather for their Indian head dresses plus a small certificate.

Charles Warrell was the first Big Chief I-SPY and served in this role for several years before retiring in 1956. He spent most of his retirement in his native West Country, and lived until the remarkable age of 106.

The second Big Chief I-SPY was Arnold Cawthrow, who had been the original Big Chief's assistant. Arnold remained in this role for a further twenty-two years during which time he updated the books for a new generation of children in the 1960s. If you ever visit the seaside town of Deal, in Kent, watch out for the Boatmen's Rooms, Arnold's former home on the seafront, which has a stone plaque recording that Big Chief I-SPY once lived there.

In the 1980s, I-SPY entered a new phase when the popular broadcaster and environmentalist David Bellamy was brought in as Chief I-SPY. For a number of years the books were published as I-SPY With David Bellamy. The books were updated and re-launched, once again, in the 1990s, when Michelin became the latest publisher to take over the series.

Over the past sixty years, I-SPY has taught many children – and adults – to use their eyes to discover the wonders of the world around them. This is a lesson that we can all learn in 2008, even though the I-SPY books themselves are not currently available. However, Michelin are looking for a new publisher to take over responsibility for I-SPY, so it is possible that in the future a new series of books will appear.

In the meantime, let's celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of the whole I-SPY concept, which is still important even without the books. Let's keep using our eyes to explore the world God has given us, let's continue to support I-SPY Rangers, and let's watch out for the next series of I-SPY books.

HI all . Hope you all had a great Christmas ! I adopted a lovely stray cat and he has settled in really well .

Well in 2008 I-SPY celebrates 60 years and my friend has kindly written an article on the history of I-SPY, how it started , the first books , changes that have happened over the years . It is really good reading and we hope you enjoy it . I hope that our club will be really active in this special year and that you as Rangers will be as keen and enthusiastic. I`d like us to get out and about and have a good look around us as there are lots of interesting things waiting to be discovered etc. I-SPYERS are always on the lookout and keen to find out so I urge you to see what you can come up with. Send in your I-SPYings to me and I will put them on our club page . We are lucky in having our own club page as I bet not many other churches have their own club and pages . It would be great to have your news etc on our pages so please do have a go ! Remember , I-SPY Rangers is OUR club and it is up to you and I to make it a real exciting success and as interesting as we can . New Year resolution ----get involved in the club ! Well , have a Happy New Year and ODHU/NTINGGO ! I`d like to introduce lots of new stuff for the club in 2008 but I need you too to help me . OK ? GO FOR IT! HELP I-SPY `S 60^TH ANNIVERSARY BE A GREAT CELEBRATION! Lets hope Michelin get a new publisher and get some new books out soon! Sue .Head Ranger .

HI all , are you looking forward to Christmas? What does it mean to you -----loads of prezzies , food , trappings etc? these are ok but don`t forget JESUS as it is his birthday and if it wasn`t for Jesus there would be no Christmas at all . I t would simply be another day. God has given us a priceless gift in Jesus and He gives us an amazing new life if we unwrap this Gift . I hope you will and know the real meaning of Christmas and know a fantastic guy called Jesus! He`s awesome !

Well, there is a bird that is always popular at Christmas and that is the Robin. You can usually find him in your garden or park and has a melancholy song at this time of year now the breeding season is over ,but that will start to change at the end of December.

This will be the start of their spring song and can happen at any time between late December and March. It is significant as spring sons is associated with birds pairing up , rather early but that`s what resident robins do When a male decides the time is right ,he starts to sing from a higher perch than normal, and often sings out of sight. He tends to sing from a prominent perch and this is a signal for any females that he`s ready to mate and sooner or later a female will show her intent by trespassing into the male`s territory. There follows a display which is variable in which the male does the singing and the female does the chasing! After several days the sight of the 2 birds feeding side by side is a sure sign that they have paired up . Once this has happened they appear to lose interest in each other until nesting starts in early spring. The birds are,in effect , “engaged“but living apart!

Some robins migrate. A few British breeding birds winter on the continent and a few continental birds pass through here.

Each robin has its own favourite perches for singing ,even though many other virtually identical perches may be close by. Male robins ( 6% ) are sometimes bigamous, pairing up with 2 mates in the same territory.

At the same time some males fail to pair up at all in any year. Robins are often seen in water to feed, often paddling and occasionally snatch up small fish from ponds and even been known to feed from rocky pools on the shore.

Robins tend to feed on the ground when conditions are cold . In the autumn they skulk due to moulting. Some gardeners get worried when their robins seem to disappear in July or August , only to come back with a new set of feathers All birds moult each year when the lose their old feathers and get new ones Male robins tend to feed the young more than females do .

Occasionally , in the transition from winter to breeding territories, the males will hold 2 territories at the same time .Robins don`t like snakes or slow worms in the garden or anywhere else!

Well , I bet you didn`t know all this about our Christmas robin ,did you? A myth says the birds got their red breasts from trying to pull the nails out of Jesus` hand when He was on the cross. They are very territorial and will fight like mad even to the death over . territory! COMPETITION TIME ! To win a nice prize this Christmas answer this question What is a slow-worm ? Is it a snake ? Is it a worm ? Is it a legless lizard?

Send your answer to me at ; I---SPY Rangers , 38 Avion Close , Highgate Road , Walsall ,West Midlands , WS1 3JF . Closing date ;December 15^th . GO ON , GO FOR IT! HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL I----SPY RANGERS !

Did you have a good half-term? Did you go anywhere? If so why not write in and share your adventures .? I went to stay with my friend Sophie in Sussex and went on the Sunday morning and came back on the Wednesday. I had a great time . On the Monday we went to Aldershot which a big army town where soldiers are trained for war etc. We went around the military museum which was packed with lots of interesting stuff about how soldiers have been trained over the last 100 years or so , uniforms , memorabilia and how they lived and fought . Outside , there are some tanks , quite big but people are not allowed to climb on them and get inside. Would have been exciting if I could have got inside to see what it was like inside ! . There were other vehicles in the museum ,an old ambulance , fire engine and jeeps . From the museum we went to an enormous garden centre as Sophie wanted to get a big African snail for her friend . Sophie has one at her house and Dido as she is called is really nice! We got the snail and had lunch before delivering the snail to her friend . At her friend`s house a big bouncy collie called Bonnie wanted to jump all over us –she`s lovely ! In the garden there is a rescued mallard male duck called Webby and he`s really cute! H took a liking to me and rubbed round my foot . He also comes in the house and went to sleep!.

On Tuesday we went the Wetland Centre at Arundel and even though it was my 3^rd visit theres always something new to see. We had a super view of a Green woodpecker , heard a Lesser spotted woodpecker and saw a Treecreeper. There were loads of birds , both wild and captive , to see and I logged 24 wild species ! It`s a great place and we like it .

Do you like spiders? I`m not too keen but recently found out something interesting about their web! Did you know the web is stronger than steel ? Spiders can make quite a few different types of silk ,most strong being their dragline silk . However, spider silk is very thin. But if you were to create a strand of some spiders` silk as thick as a pencil it would be able to hold a fully loaded Boeing 747! Incredible ,isn`t it ?

Lines are thin , if wound into the smallest rope the threads together could hold tons!

Outside my window there is a large spider`s web with him in the middle and I tested a bit of the web with a thin stick . I touched the web with it and it was ,indeed , very strong to the pull of the stick! When I was little I remember where we used to live , there was my mum`s washing line post ans close by was Dad`s shed . Well ,a spider had built its web between the post and the shed and I was running round it and straight into the web! All over my face –horrible! Yet if there were no spiders we would be up our necks in flies and other insects , so spiders do a lot of good in keeping them down . Don`t kill spiders , just put any unwanted ones in a cup with something over the top and gently put it outside , I have a bug box so they and anything else goes in there so I can have a look at them through the magnifying glass on top ---incredible !

Well, finally , if you are having a bonfire on November 5 PLEASE KEEP PETS INDOORS , CHECK YOUR FIRE BEFORE LIGHTING IT FOR ANY HIBERNATING HEDGEHOGS AND OTHER CREATURES . They may think they have found a nice cosy place to spend the winter so if you do find any hibernating animals gently put them in a safe place like a shed . And have a safe bonfire night , take care with fireworks , don`t throw any about , leave any firework that has not gone off alone and stay away as it could explode in your face ! . I f you are going to an organized bonfire try and get the organizers to check for animals before they light it .

BE SAFE AND ENJOY YOURSELF . I`m sure all I---SPY Rangers are careful and sensible . See you next month Sue Head Ranger .

If you do have any reports to send then send them to I—SPY Rangers , 38 Avion Close, Highgate Road , Walsall , West Midlands WS1 3JF . There`s a competition next month so look out for it!