Minibeasts

Minibeast survey

Learning objective

One-hour Minibeast Session: To use knowledge of habitats to locate minibeasts and use a key to identify them

Two-hour Minibeast Session: To use knowledge of habitats to locate minibeasts and use a key to identify them

To recognise how a habitat is suitable for a particular minibeast’s needs

Overview

During this 1-hour or 2-hour session, children have an opportunity to explore different locations within the conservation area looking for and identifying minibeasts.

The one-hour session starts with children discussing the different types and categories of minibeasts that may be found. In pairs, they will explore 6 different locations – under logs, in a stone wall, in loose soil, in leaf litter, in a tree and in long grass. Classification keys will be used to identify the minibeasts and a record will be kept.

The two-hour session covers the same as the one-hour session but then goes onto investigate the preferred habitat of some of the minibeasts found. Each pair will construct a choice chamber for their minibeast and make some close observations of it.

Key information

One-hour or two-hour session

This is available for Key Stage 2 children; an adapted version is available for Key Stage 1 children.

The key focus for this is - Environment