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    <lastmod>2020-03-31</lastmod>
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      <image:title>Edu-tainment - Six D.I.Y. activities from ‘I Ate Sunshine for Breakfast’ - My publishers, Flying Eye Books have picked out their 6 favourite nature-based DIY activities from the pages of my new book for you and your little ones to crack on with. From how to make your own cornflower slime to making beautiful leaf prints to decorate your home, you’ll need nothing more than what you’ve already got on your shelves and in your garden. Whether you’re brushing up on your home teaching skills or just looking for some fun activities for these fresh spring days, I Ate Sunshine For Breakfast  is an incredible introduction to the world of plants and is packed full of fascinating facts about the powerful science behind the great green machines of the natural world. This comprehensive guide covers everything from the parts of a plant through to conservation, and is full of inspiration for gardeners both young or old.</image:title>
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    <lastmod>2020-03-31</lastmod>
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    <loc>https://www.growingunderstandings.co.uk/edutainment/i-ate-sunshine-for-breakfast</loc>
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    <lastmod>2020-03-26</lastmod>
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    <loc>https://www.growingunderstandings.co.uk/edutainment/make-a-boomer-plane</loc>
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    <lastmod>2020-03-24</lastmod>
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    <loc>https://www.growingunderstandings.co.uk/edutainment/home-schooling-ideas</loc>
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    <lastmod>2020-03-23</lastmod>
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      <image:title>Edu-tainment - Home-schooling ideas - Home-schooling ideas #1</image:title>
      <image:caption>For all of you newly appointed homeschooling parents and carers out there (!), here are a few nature-based activities I have put together for The English Garden Magazine which I hope are useful, interesting, engaging and of course, fun. LEARN MORE</image:caption>
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    <lastmod>2020-03-19</lastmod>
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    <lastmod>2020-03-19</lastmod>
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  <url>
    <loc>https://www.growingunderstandings.co.uk/about</loc>
    <changefreq>daily</changefreq>
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    <lastmod>2023-09-19</lastmod>
    <image:image>
      <image:loc>https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4052d894d5fa3ebbba0abe/3f4ac22b-9a49-4b40-9649-8ba795adc82b/Michael+Holland+Portrait+2.jpg</image:loc>
      <image:title>About - About Michael Holland Expert freelance nature educator and author, Michael Holland FLS is on a mission to educate and inspire people from all walks of life about the powerful world of plants and the vital role they play in our daily lives.</image:title>
      <image:caption>EDUCATION &amp; CAREER Michael studied Ecology at Lancaster University and Oregon State University and is a keen photographer, wildlife gardener and all-round composting nerd!  He is a member of the Royal Horticultural Society’s Education Committee and The Garden Media Guild; he’s a Fellow of both the Linnean Society of London and the London Environmental Educators’ Forum (LEEF). Joining 149 others, Michael is one of the Rangers for the London National Park City.</image:caption>
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    <image:image>
      <image:loc>https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4052d894d5fa3ebbba0abe/1584460792430-Q9JSSKKEMY99TL1I7FXR/image-asset.jpeg</image:loc>
      <image:title>About - Michael has spoken at a number of global conferences - one highlight being invited to talk at a botanical garden in Japan. He has appeared on a number of television and radio shows and podcasts about plants and history (including Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch, Channel 5’s ‘The Thames: Britain’s Great River’ series with Tony Robinson and Mr Plant Geek’s Plant-Based Podcast to name a few).</image:title>
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    <image:image>
      <image:loc>https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4052d894d5fa3ebbba0abe/1583753314672-EYU2ZASFYIG57REYNQPC/ShelfLifeMedley.jpg</image:loc>
      <image:title>About</image:title>
      <image:caption>Michael says, “When working with school groups, many were very surprised that their meals may have come from plants. I usually start with the question, ‘Did anyone eat any plants for breakfast?’ Often, the response is laughter and disbelief. However, when I fetch the box of Weetabix with wheat growing out of it, a tin of coffee powder containing Coffea arabica, tomatoes in a ketchup bottle and mint in a toothpaste tube, the penny starts to drop.”</image:caption>
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    <image:image>
      <image:loc>https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4052d894d5fa3ebbba0abe/1584016831038-T9FV5YLDD0PAFA70SZU2/pipbookcoverold.jpg</image:loc>
      <image:title>About - Michael says, “I was really lucky to be brought up in North London, close to woods and nature with parents who were very encouraging of my interest in plants, ponds and worms. They grew the majority of their fruit and vegetables which were all part of my daily diet. For my 8th birthday, they bought me a copy of The Pip Book by Keith Mossman, showing me how to grow seeds from the kitchen into beautiful houseplants. The airing cupboard was never the same again …and my life’s passion for plants began!”</image:title>
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      <image:loc>https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4052d894d5fa3ebbba0abe/1583759533795-R0SRMK7D1GFHMBGVPGKB/MHfromunderwater.JPG</image:loc>
      <image:title>About</image:title>
      <image:caption>“Above all, this is my hobby. It’s really important to me to switch people on to the plant world, so that they know where things come from and how important plants are to the world we live in. Growing plants is fun, too! It teaches patience, persistence and a great life lesson that not everything works first time.”</image:caption>
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    <image:image>
      <image:loc>https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4052d894d5fa3ebbba0abe/1583759743062-ROMX11HD5ELEB3U8D375/moodycardoons.jpg</image:loc>
      <image:title>About - I Ate Sunshine for Breakfast – hints and tips, and fun-filled activities and experiments from the book, why he wrote it and what he hopes it will do to engage young people and their families.  The declining number of young people today engaging with nature – the lack of education, awareness and understanding of the plant world and the impact that this has on them now, in the future and for society overall.</image:title>
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    <lastmod>2023-09-15</lastmod>
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      <image:title>Contact</image:title>
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  <url>
    <loc>https://www.growingunderstandings.co.uk/factoids</loc>
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    <lastmod>2023-09-15</lastmod>
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  <url>
    <loc>https://www.growingunderstandings.co.uk/gallery</loc>
    <changefreq>daily</changefreq>
    <priority>0.75</priority>
    <lastmod>2024-02-19</lastmod>
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      <image:title>Gallery</image:title>
      <image:caption>A bumblebee feeding from a daisy-family flower at London’s amazing Chelsea Physic Garden. [This would certainly have been taken using my lovely 100mm macro lens and a Canon EOS DSLR camera (and a steady hand).]</image:caption>
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      <image:title>Gallery - Ctenium concinnum, also known as Sickle Grass</image:title>
      <image:caption>I took this picture in Swaziland’s wonderful Malolotja Nature Reserve in 1993, where myself and 5 others from the UK were carrying out a vegetation survey there. It was a magical few months and this is one of thousands of images from that expedition. More info on this Southern African grass can be found here: https://wildflowernursery.co.za/indigenous-plant-database/ctenium-concinnum-2/ [Taken using a 35mm Olympus OM series film camera on Kodak T-max film.]</image:caption>
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      <image:loc>https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4052d894d5fa3ebbba0abe/1584372969531-93BS3XJB46ANDVIDNEYX/BryceConkerSpiderMedly.jpg</image:loc>
      <image:title>Gallery - Douglas Fir in Bryce Canyon, Utah, USA</image:title>
      <image:caption>This Douglas Fir tree (Pseudotsuga menziesii) is growing from deep within the unbelievably beautiful Bryce Canyon National Park in the American state of Utah. It struck me as a true survivor when I saw this on an epic road trip in the summer of 1992. [Shot with an Olympus OM series camera on Fuji Velvia slide film.]</image:caption>
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      <image:loc>https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4052d894d5fa3ebbba0abe/1584399542790-ATT2D56TZ8SJON12V1SC/KL+map1.jpg</image:loc>
      <image:title>Gallery - KL Map</image:title>
      <image:caption>Taken in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in about 2002, this is not actually a map. Have a closer look. It’s paint on a handrail, worn away over time - on the way up to a Hindu temple at Batu Caves. This is one of several hundred images of this type I have captured all over the world over the years. ‘Wear in the World’ is the name of this side project which brings to light that some of the same factors that act upon small painted surfaces appear to be the same as some of those acting on continents and landmasses.</image:caption>
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      <image:loc>https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4052d894d5fa3ebbba0abe/1584450249963-JILCYIFF9BKUC0GTQO9J/floella1.jpg</image:loc>
      <image:title>Gallery - Micro lawn</image:title>
      <image:caption>A closeup of the Birmingham City Council and Baroness Floella Benjamin garden display at the 2019 RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Small scenes on a chamomile lawn.</image:caption>
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      <image:loc>https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4052d894d5fa3ebbba0abe/1584536991639-2Z4G0XHRXYXL1DW3NS7Z/crossspiderclose.jpg</image:loc>
      <image:title>Gallery</image:title>
      <image:caption>This image was taken in my old back garden back in 2003- about 2 metres from the back door I crouched in my pajamas, with macro lens on the Olympus OM series film camera (old school)- holding my breath so as to capture the shot without too much movement of my own (the Web was doing plenty of its own - only millimetres, but it all makes a difference to these things). It is a garden spider (Araneus diadematus) -also known as the 'cross spider' - wrapping up a shield bug in silk to suck dry later. This image depicts one of approximately 600 species of spiders in the  British Isles and one of 44 species of shield bugs (their foods are sap and leaves).  This is a depiction of just one of the millions of meals taking place in our neighbourhoods all the time. A given weight of spider silk is five times as strong as the same weight of steel. Reasonably successful attempts to synthesise it have included inserting the silk gene into goats and then extracting the silk from the goat's milk then spinning this to combine the single stands as a spider does with its spinnerets which did sort of work was not commercially viable. Spiders fall into several groups including hunters and those that spin webs such as the one pictured. There are even species that create underwater webs.</image:caption>
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      <image:title>Gallery</image:title>
      <image:caption>Taken mid-morning on 29th December 2016 in Epping Forest, near The Hollow Pond. This image shows the mist created as the morning frost melts and rises up as it evaporates. I’d had to go to Whipps Cross hospital for some reason and decided walking the 30 minutes home was a good idea and I am very glad I did.</image:caption>
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  </url>
  <url>
    <loc>https://www.growingunderstandings.co.uk/mediacoverage</loc>
    <changefreq>daily</changefreq>
    <priority>0.75</priority>
    <lastmod>2023-09-15</lastmod>
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      <image:loc>https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4052d894d5fa3ebbba0abe/1600256411311-OX0CNHTLMLBXT9SSZT70/educateempower.png</image:loc>
      <image:title>Michael's Media Moments - Educate. Empower Blog, 24th August 2020 I was thrilled to stumble across this blog from Australia reviewing my 1st book.</image:title>
      <image:caption>“Every single day, and in every single way, we use plants. From the food we eat and the cars we drive to the medicines we take and the clothes we wear, we would not be able to live without plants. This book is informative yet encourages readers to get outside and see the plants beyond the pages. It helps children to realise there is so much more to plants than what they realise and that without them – we would not exist!”</image:caption>
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      <image:loc>https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4052d894d5fa3ebbba0abe/1597228859453-56YFD8XGLXAGUXY1W5M3/Echo-masthead-300-dpi-2-e1540563641984.png</image:loc>
      <image:title>Michael's Media Moments</image:title>
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      <image:loc>https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4052d894d5fa3ebbba0abe/1598006992307-QUK2NPZRFVDQ0PTA4N7Y/Sh-sticky-card.jpg</image:loc>
      <image:title>Michael's Media Moments - ‘Making the most of nature’ A short article about my book and I in the August edition of one of my local independent newspapers - The Waltham Forest Echo.</image:title>
      <image:caption>This is the link to the article which starts with these amazing facts: Did you know there are more living things in a teaspoon of soil than there are people on planet Earth? Or that a giant bamboo can grow one metre in a day, making it the fastest growing plant in the world? And did you know that only about 5% of plants in the world are edible, which means that 95% of them are poisonous?</image:caption>
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      <image:title>Michael's Media Moments</image:title>
      <image:caption>The Prisma Multicultural Newspaper wrote a lovely review in late July 2020: “I Ate Sunshine for Breakfast” (7-14 year-olds) justifies its glorious title by bringing botany alive. Informative text and graphic illustrations work together to celebrate the power and importance of plants. The book is divided into four thematic parts but readers can open it at any page and learn something new.”</image:caption>
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      <image:loc>https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4052d894d5fa3ebbba0abe/1597145574394-O0ZZ1UEA20O2JNNDOE7U/thirsty.jpg</image:loc>
      <image:title>Michael's Media Moments - Summer book review by The Thirsty Gardeners, August 2020</image:title>
      <image:caption>It was lovely to be included in this great review: “It may be aimed at children, but we reckon there are very few parents who won’t learn a wheelbarrow full of facts about the science behind plants by reading this book. Author Michael Holland writes in a succinct, un-patronising way that makes learning addictive, while Philip Geordano’s lavish illustrations turn every page into a colourful adventure.”</image:caption>
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      <image:loc>https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4052d894d5fa3ebbba0abe/1594904979589-H3VKNBD7476YOF86FXX3/TringYouTube.jpg</image:loc>
      <image:title>Michael's Media Moments - Here I talk about my influences, career, passions and, of course my book I Ate Sunshine For Breakfast with Ben Moorhouse, owner of Our Bookshop in Tring, Hertfordshire as part of the Tring Book Festival.</image:title>
      <image:caption>Here’s the link to the interview on their YouTube channel (there are loads of other author chats on this channel)</image:caption>
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      <image:loc>https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4052d894d5fa3ebbba0abe/1594903837205-6SAZY8SOBHJQ2UD3TG33/image-asset.jpeg</image:loc>
      <image:title>Michael's Media Moments - For July’s full moon (the Wort Moon), I was asked to contribute to the third Lunasea podcast - with storytellers Xanthe Gresham Knight, Fleur Shorthouse and Kate Corkery where we discussed the Full Summer Moon and the Oak Tree via faith healing, herbs, the Chelsea Physic Garden and Irish mythology. Here’s the link to the (26 minute long) Soundcloud episode.</image:title>
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      <image:loc>https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4052d894d5fa3ebbba0abe/1594896683615-2IQUKA7A8514OYSUKRPP/Roots+and+all+logo.png</image:loc>
      <image:title>Michael's Media Moments</image:title>
      <image:caption>On May 19th, I chatted to Sarah Wilson for Episode 61 of her fantastic ‘Roots and All’ podcast - about my upbringing and influences, career, book, hobbies and shed! You can listen to it here.</image:caption>
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      <image:loc>https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4052d894d5fa3ebbba0abe/1594906237456-5CCSA2AA7U26RNZY8RVY/Shelf-Life.jpg</image:loc>
      <image:title>Michael's Media Moments - I contributed to Sudocrem’s Back to the Garden campaign with some top tips on creating your very own Shelf Life display of plants.</image:title>
      <image:caption>Back to the Garden was about getting families planting and growing wherever they may be, by sharing gardening ideas from expert gardeners.</image:caption>
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      <image:loc>https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4052d894d5fa3ebbba0abe/1585744075066-2EBNPNW3EUXMSD9PHCNQ/IASFB_Insta_Post1_Card1.jpg</image:loc>
      <image:title>Michael's Media Moments - “I don’t feature many new children’s books on this blog, but I couldn’t say no when offered this one which is published today by Flying Eye Books. I mean, just look at that lovely cover. And then I opened the book up, and saw these endpapers (the back ones are different and equally glorious).”</image:title>
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  </url>
  <url>
    <loc>https://www.growingunderstandings.co.uk/writing</loc>
    <changefreq>daily</changefreq>
    <priority>0.75</priority>
    <lastmod>2025-06-07</lastmod>
    <image:image>
      <image:loc>https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4052d894d5fa3ebbba0abe/cc260339-ebd0-47a4-97ac-6ae4ec7df9b9/Michael+Holland+Portrait.jpg</image:loc>
      <image:title>Writing - Michael is proud to announce that his 4th book is out now!</image:title>
      <image:caption>It’s called The Little Gardener’s Handbook, and whether you have a big garden or a small windowsill, you can still make the world a greener place. This beautiful book is the perfect introduction to gardening. Illustrated by Maria Dek, it’s a feast for the eyes as well as a genuinely useful handbook to get you and your family well on the path to botanical bliss! Winner of the Peter Seabrook Practical Book of the Year in the 2024 Garden Media Guild Awards!</image:caption>
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      <image:loc>https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4052d894d5fa3ebbba0abe/c891c8cf-fe97-4bc2-bfc0-d7303248c75c/The+Peter+Seabrook+Practical+Book+Winner.jpg</image:loc>
      <image:title>Writing - Make it stand out</image:title>
      <image:caption>Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.</image:caption>
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      <image:loc>https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4052d894d5fa3ebbba0abe/368538c6-ce0f-470f-b2e6-32e964a42dbc/TLGH+cover+in+soil.png</image:loc>
      <image:title>Writing - Make it stand out</image:title>
      <image:caption>Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.</image:caption>
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      <image:loc>https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4052d894d5fa3ebbba0abe/1584180192006-4XIFQS9Q16RO2FZXTFHD/IASFB_Facebook_Card+2.jpg</image:loc>
      <image:title>Writing - ‘Beautifully written &amp; illustrated, this book brings to life the inextricable link between plants and our day-to-day lives, all presented in a fun, accessible manner for children.’ – Nick Bailey, Writer, Broadcaster and former Head Gardener at Chelsea Physic Garden</image:title>
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      <image:title>Writing</image:title>
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      <image:loc>https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4052d894d5fa3ebbba0abe/6a61750b-0790-427e-be3f-603258565029/GMGwinningLogo.jpg</image:loc>
      <image:title>Writing - I Ate Sunshine For Breakfast was awarded the Garden Book Of The Year in the Garden Media Guild 2020 Awards.</image:title>
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      <image:loc>https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4052d894d5fa3ebbba0abe/1584180443737-XHGG721D8PESJIS3G5RR/IASFB_Insta_Post3_Card1.jpg</image:loc>
      <image:title>Writing - Michael has made a career out of answering tricky plant based questions from tricky customers (aka kids)! A fun read from start to finish with some brilliant practical experiments.’– Nell Jones, Head of Plant Collections, Chelsea Physic Garden</image:title>
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      <image:loc>https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4052d894d5fa3ebbba0abe/b066f750-97b9-421f-be3d-36a88f903b3d/smart+animals+cover.jpg</image:loc>
      <image:title>Writing - Some animals are so smart that we don’t even know the extent of their intelligence. How do some animals play? How do they use tools? How do they solve problems? How do they communicate? How do their memories work? Do they feel emotions like we do? Here are a few images from ‘Smart Animals’ - beautifully illustrated by Daniela Olejniková</image:title>
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      <image:loc>https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4052d894d5fa3ebbba0abe/3b9543d5-dc35-4717-a6e1-c0e6891f7be1/Smart+Animal+Medley.PNG</image:loc>
      <image:title>Writing</image:title>
      <image:caption>Smart Animals features octopuses navigating mazes, rats outsmarting lab experiments, dolphins naming each other, orangutans solving riddles, elephants holding a grudge for decades, and many more. Get ready for the most marvellous and mind-blowing masterminds from our animal kingdom!</image:caption>
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      <image:loc>https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4052d894d5fa3ebbba0abe/223d0d63-50dc-48b0-b4ae-fa94ddb97a37/Jungle+cover.jpg</image:loc>
      <image:title>Writing - Book number 3 was published in September 2023…</image:title>
      <image:caption>Wherever you live and whatever type of place you call ‘home’, houseplants can transform it. Learn all about them, their benefits and possibilities…and soon you’ll have a jungle in YOUR living room! Growing plants inside your home is not only a wonderfully rewarding hobby and an easy way to bring some of the great outdoors inside, but houseplants can also provide health benefits and homegrown food. Listen to Michael being interviewd by Jane Perrone for her On The Ledge podcast all about this book.</image:caption>
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      <image:loc>https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4052d894d5fa3ebbba0abe/26a448d9-f3c4-4ccc-bd65-236de7899e70/Hamster+in+Jungle.PNG</image:loc>
      <image:title>Writing - With wonderfully colourful illustrations by Philip Giordano, this book will give young readers the confidence and knowledge to be a successful houseplant expert for years to come. It’ll give them tips and tricks to help care for plants and even teach children how to make more plants.</image:title>
    </image:image>
  </url>
  <url>
    <loc>https://www.growingunderstandings.co.uk/home</loc>
    <changefreq>daily</changefreq>
    <priority>1.0</priority>
    <lastmod>2024-04-29</lastmod>
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      <image:loc>https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e4052d894d5fa3ebbba0abe/1695107173556-LJ5U7G35VLPZPCTMHVOM/image-asset.jpeg</image:loc>
      <image:title>Home</image:title>
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      <image:title>Home</image:title>
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      <image:title>Home</image:title>
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  </url>
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