One of my earliest and fondest memories of my childhood is the time I spent exploring the world around me outdoors. I grew up in the early 90’s when there were no mobile phones, tablets or computers to occupy the day – so going out to play was almost the only option.
Spending so much time outdoors fostered an appreciation and fascination for the animals and insects that could be found in the garden or local glen where I spent much of my time exploring. One of my most favourite memories is having a butterfly land on the palm of my hand. I remember holding it in the palm of my hands to show my friends and brother before letting it go, having it transfer the unique pattern of its wings on to my hands.
It is important we instil this appreciation for the world around them in our young children. Playing outdoors allows children to flourish and connects us as human beings to the planet that we live on. Being in nature stimulates our senses and nurtures our natural sense of wonder and awe at the processes of life.
Ideas:
Go on a minibeast hunt round the garden. What insects and animals can you find? What sort of environment do they live in? Is it bright, dark, wet, dry, sheltered?
Make a list or create a tally chart to keep track of the number of animals/insects you have found. Can you count how many there are?
Can you make a minibeast house in your garden? Use some cardboard boxes and natural materials e.g. stones, grass, moss, dirt, twigs etc.
Can you move like a minibeast? E.g. really slow like a snail, on your tummy like a worm etc. You could do this to the Ugly Bug Song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utWrIWq2_tk
Draw or paint a picture of the minibeasts you found in your garden. How many legs does the minibeast have? Does it have a pattern? Stripy, spots.
Story suggestion:
Here’s one of my favourite stories all about minibeasts. Can you name the different minibeasts that appear in the story? Can you count how many _____ there are? How many legs does it have? How many spots?
All comments, feedback and suggestions are most welcome.
Enjoy your minibeast hunt!
Blog post written by Amy Wilson.
