A couple of months ago, I visited my great-granddaughter’s forest school, and we explored their wildlife patch for minibeasts.
Her nursery class is called Saplings, and the patch has plenty of real saplings too, as well as more mature trees and bushes.
Last time, the trees and bushes were bare, and the ground had a scant covering of grass. Today, everything was in leaf, and the grass reached up to some of the children’s knees.
I unpacked the Outdoor Scientists backpack again and distributed its contents – a trowel and tray, a catching cloth, big forceps, an insect net, specimen containers for quick close-up viewing, and magnifying glasses.
I was joined on the foray by the teacher and three teaching assistants, and we adopted a strategy of gentle guidance with discreet supervision to let the children explore the forest in their own way.
The ground was very dry, as it had not rained for about two weeks, so this time the children did not find any worms, but they did start bringing other minibeasts to us. First it was woodlice from under logs, then slugs followed by beetles and a millipede. Shaking leaves onto the catching cloth led to discovering aphids, more beetles (smaller this time), midges, and gnats.
At various times, the children excitedly pointed out butterflies – a small white and a speckled wood – and the session ended with a picnic.
This second visit revealed a much greater biodiversity of minibeasts and increased confidence in the children as they explored and engaged with nature.
The foray in the forest certainly fired up the children’s curiosity and you can find out how to make a curiosity box in my video in the section on Science books and videos for primary school here.
