MinibeastsBackground

The term minibeast is a child-friendly term for any small invertebrate. An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone. There is a vast range of different species: insects, arachnids (spiders), worms, slugs and snails are all types of invertebrates.

Mini-Beast HuntA minibeast hunt in the school grounds is a simple and enjoyable way for children to explore and discover more about the natural world. The science content can be tailored to meet the needs of any age group.

Areas to hunt in: leafy plants (tall plants, bushes, hedgerows or small trees); natural ground (minibeast hotels, log piles or leaf litter), hard surfaces (eg rocks, walls, fences, tarmac).

You will need: collection pots and spoons, paint brushes, magnifying glasses, identification guides.

In pairs, children can search under logs and stones for invertebrates. The creatures found can then be scooped up with the spoons and placed in pots.

Children should be reminded to put back the logs exactly as they found them.

After examining the invertebrates, they should be placed back where they found them.

A number of different creatures can go in one pot, but large snails and slugs are best kept in pots by themselves as they will produce a lot of sticky slime that can cover and harm the other creatures.

Health and Safety: The children should lift and replace logs carefully, watching

out for fingers and toes. Larger logs should be lifted by adults only. Hands should be washed well with warm soapy water at the end of the

activity.

Page 1

Identification Sheets for Children See The Woodland Trust – Curriculum resources and identifying

sheets.http://www.treetoolsforschools.org.uk Click on Activity Finder then type Identification under Keyword.

Earthworm Identificationhttps://www.imperial.ac.uk/media/imperial-college/research-centres-and-groups/opal/SOIL-4pp-chart.pdf

FSC fold out guides:

https://www.field-studies-council.org/product-category/publications

Make a Pitfall TrapA pitfall trap is a simple device used to catch small animals - particularly insects and other invertebrates - that spend most of their time on the ground.

You will need: a trowel, a yoghurt pot, a tray, ID guides.

Choose a location for the trap on flat ground near vegetation.

Use a trowel to dig a small hole. Place a clean yoghurt pot in the hole. Add some leaves or leaf litter to provide shelter and moisture which will prolong the survival of any trapped animals.

Fill in any empty space around the pot with soil.

Make sure that the top of the pot is level with the ground, or nothing will be caught.

Leave the trap overnight. Only put out your trap on a dry night, otherwise the poor creatures might drown! If you prefer to leave it out during the day, check it at least every few hours.

Empty the trap into a tray to see what creatures wandered in. Use ID guides (books, online resources or apps) to help identify what kind of

invertebrates they are. Record the findings: make a note of what’s been caught, the date and

location. Children could also draw the creatures or take photographs. Once the bugs have been collected and looked at, let them go where they

were found.

Page 2

Remember not to leave any pots in the ground and return the area back to how it was found.

Page 3

Make a Pooter A pooter is a bottle for collecting small insects and

other invertebrates, having one tube through which they are sucked into the bottle and another. You can buy pooters or make your own.

Make a pooter to catch the bugs, so you can then examine and identify them.

https://www.rspb.org.uk/globalassets/downloads/kids--schools/teaching-resources/make-a-pooter.pdf

Tree BeatingA great method to explore what creatures live in the canopy of the trees.

You will need: a stick, a sheet, collection pots and spoons, magnifying glasses, identification guides.

One child holds a sheet (could also use a parachute) under a branch of a tree or a bush whilst another person shakes the branch or gently hits the lower branches with the stick.

Any creatures on the branch / tree will fall on to the beating sheet.

Collect them and place in the collecting pots for closer inspection and identification.

Health and Safety Ensure no one will be hit by the stick whilst hitting the tree!

Page 4

Sweep NetsThis is a useful method for finding out which invertebrates live in long grass and stinging nettles. It works well on a warm day.

You will need: a sweep net; collection tray and pots; spoons; magnifying glasses; ID guides.

In long grass or nettles, move the net gently from side to side in a ‘S’ shape, making sure that the mouth of the net hits the grass first so that the insects go into the net.

When you have moved the net back and forth 10 or more times, the inside of the net can be examined for creatures.

Flip the bottom of the net onto the top and empty the contents onto a tray. Collect the insects and

place in the collecting pots for closer inspection and identification.

Health and Safety Try to avoid sweeping near thorny plants as these can catch

on the net. Leave the net open for a few seconds before emptying to allow any bees or

wasps that have been caught to escape before taking a look. After sweeping through nettles, be careful examining the contents of the net

as there may be bits of nettles inside. Ticks love tall grass, so if there are ticks in your area, take precautions and

do a tick check after the insect hunt.

Invertebrate Investigations Ask questions about local invertebrates and plan investigations to find the

answers. eg Do more invertebrates live in the shady areas or the sunny areas?; Do any invertebrates live on the playground? etc.

https://www.ltl.org.uk/resources/invertebrate-investigations/

Insects in the School Grounds Whether it's through a bug hunt, creating insect homes in

your school grounds, or delivering a campaign to help insects, there are lots of ways that your school can make a difference and learn at the same time.

This helpful guide from the Wildlife Trusts (WWT) is available to download and lead you to other WWT lesson plans and

Page 5

resources.https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/sites/default/files/2020-09/AFI.pdf

Page 6

Giant Beetle Drive This lively game helps remember the parts of a

beetle as well as involving some maths! Children can make individual beetles or a giant

beetle as part of a team game.You will need: a dice, natural resources. Discus the anatomy of a beetle and its body parts

(abdomen, thorax, legs etc). Take it in turns to roll the dice and collect natural

materials to build a beetle. Teams must throw a 6, to start and collect material

to make the abdomen. The other body parts can be collected in any order. eg They will need to

throw a 1 twice to make both antenna.

1 = antenna (x2) 2 = wings (x4) There are 2 hard outer wings which are called elytra

with the 2 soft hind wings underneath. 3 = legs (x6) 4 = head (x1) 5 = thorax (x1) 6 = abdomen (x1)

The first group to complete their beetle is the winner. Children can add up the body parts of their beetle to

work out their score. (maximum 43)Variation: The game can be adapted to make other minibeasts,

eg dragon fly, spider, butterfly, ladybird etc.

Page 7

Back in the ClassroomThough a minibeast hunt can form part of a teaching unit in Science, it can also be the basis for other cross curricular topics as well. Follow-up activities in the classroom are useful to consolidate learning.

Art: Using clay and natural materials,

create minibeast clay monsters. This works well with salt-dough too.

Draw or paint different minibeasts - this is useful to help reinforce work on camouflage, adaptation, etc.

Geography: Make your own miniature route from an Ant’s point of view.

https://www.ltl.org.uk/resources/micro-journey

Maths: Collect data to create graphs and charts on the number of different

types of invertebrates found in each habitat and the number of carnivores, herbivores and detritivores.

15 Minibeast Outdoor Maths Challengeshttps://creativestarlearning.co.uk/early-years-outdoors/15-minibeast-outdoor-maths-challenges/

Literacy: Write a story in the first person, as a minibeast living in a particular

habitat. What does it eat? What does it need to do to survive? Write a non-chronological report about the different invertebrates

found in a particular habitat.

Page 8

Science:

Investigate the way different invertebrates use colour for camouflage or warning others.

Create a fantasy minibeast that is suited to living in a particular habitat. It could have the antennae from a butterfly, the legs of a spider etc. How is it adapted to its environment?

Create a suitable environment for your chosen minibeast using only natural materials. Monitor its progress, recording this information in an appropriate format. Decide how successful or unsuccessful your habitat was and what you would do differently next time.

Play food chain or food web games to enable children to appreciate the importance of invertebrates. (See Trailblazer Food Chain and Food Web Outdoor Activities)

Make boxes and test the habitat preference of selected minibeasts.https://bbsrc.ukri.org/documents/discovery2-pdf/

KS1 - Woodlice habitats. What type of material would woodlice like to live under?https://education.rspca.org.uk/education/teachers/primary/lessonplans/habitats/woodlicehabitats

Turning behaviour of woodlice. Is the behaviour of a woodlouse influenced by what has happened before?https://www.amentsoc.org/bug-club/fun/experiment-turning.html

Sustainability: Create log piles and make bug and

ladybird hotels. https://www.rspb.org.uk/fun-and-learning/

for-families/family-wild-challenge/activities/build-a-minibeast-hotel/

Plant flowers to attract bees and butterflies.

Make a bee water stationhttps://craftinvaders.co.uk/how-to-make-a-simple-bee-water-station-for-your-garden

Make a butterfly feeder station.https://childrens-binary.files.bbci.co.uk/childrens-binarystore/cbbc/bp-butterfly-feeder-make.pdf

https://thelandtrust.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/How-to-Butterfly-Feeder.pdf

Page 9

Useful Websites: Amateur Entomologists' Society – The Bug Club for Young Entomologists

https://www.amentsoc.org/bug-club

Biotechnology and Biological Research Council Mini beast Activity Pack for 5-12 year olds.

https://bbsrc.ukri.org/engagement/schools/keystage1-2/minibeast/

Butterfly Conservation https://munchingcaterpillars.org

Countryside Classroom Minibeast Discovery Pack consisting of six activities including catching minibeasts, food chains and webs, and classification, introducing children to the world of invertebrates.https://www.countrysideclassroom.org.uk/resources/824

Activities to Support Earthworms.https://www.earthwormwatch.org/conservation-activities

National Insect Week https://www.nationalinsectweek.co.uk

OPAL (Open Air Laboratories) - Education Pack: Minibeasts - Invertebrate Surveyhttps://www.stem.org.uk/resources/elibrary/resource/33664/education-pack-minibeasts-invertebrate-survey

OPAL Bugs Count Survey – Whilst Online data entry for the OPAL Bugs Count Survey is closed, you can still use the survey and resources to explore the variety of invertebrates in your local area. https://www.imperial.ac.uk/opal/surveys/bugscountsurvey

OPAL Soil and Earthworm Survey A survey to find out more about soil and earthworms and investigate the relationships between earthworm species and habitats and soil types. Whilst the online data entry for the OPAL Soil and Earthworm Survey is closed, you can still use the survey to explore soil quality and earthworms in your local area. https://www.imperial.ac.uk/opal/surveys/soilsurvey

Polli:Nation - a UK wide initiative encouraging children to turn their school grounds and other local walk-to spaces into pollinator friendly habitats. http://polli-nation.co.uk

RSPCA – Lesson plans with different invertebrates.https://education.rspca.org.uk/education/teachers/primary/lessonplans/minibeasts

The Woodland Trust – Curriculum resources and identifying sheets.

Page 10

http://www.treetoolsforschools.org.uk

Page 11