To reduce our impact, we collect conkers that have fallen onto the pavement and would inevitably end up being crushed in the road.

What makes a conker poisonous are the toxins in them called glycosides and saponins. The only animal that can and do eat conkers are deer - which have chemicals in their stomachs that can digest these toxins. No, it’s not possible to eat conkers. Unlike other types of chestnuts - which are edible - horse chestnuts - Aesculus hippocastanum -conkers are in fact poisonous. To work with smaller and delicate workpieces like wooden discs, you should use spring clamps. They are ideal for this kind of application due to their small size. These clamps can be used to hold small objects on a work surface, but they are especially useful for holding two pieces together when glueing.

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Conker nuts usually mature and fall from trees in early Autumn in the UK - between mid-September and mid October. With world temperatures rising, the conker season is getting earlier. Tangles is where if the string of two conkers end up getting tangled together, each can pull the other out of the other’s hands - and when on the floor stamp on it - thus winning! What equipment is needed to play conkers? The tradition way to score in a game of conkers is based on how many times a player wins / smashes an opponents conker. The score is usually attributed to the conker itself, rather than the player. So for example, a conker that has smashed just one other conker is called a‘one-er’; a conker that has smashed two conkers is called a ‘two-er’. An added complication involved in scoring is that if your conker is a ‘two-er’ and you beat another conker that is a ‘two-er’ your conker turns into a ‘four-er’ (i.e. you add the two values of the conkers together - with the victorious conker taking the combiner value e.g. 2 + 2 = ‘four-er’.) Ideally also conker clamps (buy from Muddy Faces) https://muddyfaces.co.uk/shop/products/conker-clamp-kids-at-work Decorations! Go wild with natural materials – decorative grasses, flowers, and colourful autumn leaves all look great and are another thing to go on a hunt to find (bonus activity there!). How about little shells, pretty pebbles, or found feathers? As long as it’s not too big for their conker creations and is (relatively) clean or cleanable, anything goes! Craft materials like coloured feathers, googly eyes, paint and glitter also work well, and don’t forget fabrics, raffia, string or wool too.

G-clamps are designed for woodworking projects. This model has a fixed frame holding a threaded rod that connects to a flat end or swivel shoe. The T-handle attached to the rod is turned to tighten the clamp. These clamps have a smaller jaw size and a limited range of 25-150mm compared to F-clamps. The best way to make a hole in a conker is to use a sharp screw-type device. It’s important to use a screw-type method rather than trying to punch a hole in the conker, as if you try to punch a hole (for example, using a kebab skewer or bradawl) then it’s highly dangerous and your likely to put the the skewer through your hand - as the conker is so small and hard. Conkers in the US tend to be smaller than the European version - because of the specific type of horse chestnut, so possibly not as good for playing conkers. The history of the name ‘conker’ is not 100% clear, however ideas of why a conker is called a conker include:Cotton & wire (eco) pipe cleaners - get from Conscious Crafts https://consciouscraft.uk/products/pipe-cleaners If you’re collecting from a more natural spot please collect considerately – you may find our our foraging guidelines useful to help you reduce your impact. And you can always plant more, following our planting tree seeds guide. Don’t forget to collect up the little and misshapen ones that often get ignored - they can come in useful. eSchools understands our obligation to be mindful about the data we process and only process data that is required to fulfil our obligations in providing our services; to a school who enters into an agreement to use our services and you, the user. Now thread your string through the hole, and tie a knot at one end (making sure the knot is big enough to not fall through the hole of the conker). Learn about spiders, and make some conker spiders in this great Halloween activity (while avoiding using too much plastic). Resources

You can grow a horse chestnut tree by planting a conker - however you need to make sure that the conker is fresh and hasn’t dried out. If you have conkers growing near you, they are a lovely resource to link to nature through play and learning. Every time I see a fresh smooth conker I am mesmerised by the swirls and beautiful colours. F-Clamps are similar to G-Clamps, except the frame is not fixed. One arm of the frame slides along a bar. This feature allows for a greater clamping range of up to 600 milimetres without requiring a longer threaded rod. There are alternative conker game scoring systems where scores are accrued according to how many times players hit the opponents conker, as well as bonus points for smashing the opponent’s conker. The best tools to hole a really hard conker (for example an old conker) is to use an electric drill (only to be used with a clamp), or a gimlet.Conkers are very rich in starch however, and extracts are used in natural shampoos and body washes. How big do conkers grow? The real name for a conker is a horse chestnut - or in its latin name Aesculus hippocastanum Conker Equipment Tips on how to encourage schools to allow conkers to be played in the school playground include asking children to wear safety goggles (like ones they way wear in the science lab) and only allowing children to play conkers outside. Do they play conkers in the US? Talk to them about spiders as you do the activity - are spiders insects? How many legs do they have? How many eyes? What do they eat? How do they catch their food (not all use webs etc). You may want to share some photos of spiders to talk about body parts as conker spiders aren't quite true to how a spider looks - no abdomen! We may disclose your personal information to any of our employees, officers, insurers, professional advisers, agents, suppliers or subcontractors insofar as reasonably necessary for the purposes set out in this policy.