Stunning Start! - Minibeast Topic

[Guest]

Hi

I am a Pre-school leader myself but my daughter is a reception class teacher and we have been racking our brains about a really good hook for the start of her minibeast/growing topic next term.

 

They had a really successful start to this term when one day her lunch (which happened to be honey sandwiches ) was strewn all over the floor, the next day a jar of honey and a spoon appeared, then some foot prints and fur were left in the classroom and at the end of the week a life size bear poked his head round the door and came to visit!

 

As you can imagine this really hooked the children in and got them going on finding things out about bears and using bears in their play etc

 

So... anyone inspired by a similar sort of idea for this term?!!!

[sunnyday]

Wow - that is fantastic!

 

Sunnyday

[Guest]

discover a spider in the sink?

[Guest]

What a creative pair you are. I think our children would like to discover glow worms after the lights had been turned out. Not sure how you could get to the point of turning of the lights though!! I also dont know how easy it would be to make your space dark enough for glow in the dark to work, we are in a basement and so this is easily achieved. you could plant worms for the children to find if you are growing anything.

I expect someone will come along with a fantastic idea soon.

[Guest]

We thought of some giant eggs (paper mache balloons??) that some caterpillars might emerge from.

[Beau]

We thought of some giant eggs (paper mache balloons??) that some caterpillars might emerge from.

 

What a lovely idea! The children could have a super time guessing what might be in them perhaps leading to some art, crafts and model making.

[Guest]

What an amazing way to hook the children in!

 

Trouble with minibeasts and growing is that it takes time! Wildgoose have some good books and resources and you could buy the butterfly pupa but you won;t see an immeadite result.

 

Do you know the Burl Ives song The Ugly Bug Ball http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qW2_xXMelR8...feature=related that may be a start and if she makes a log pile now and puts down some carpet when she is ready to find minibeasts they will be there under the carpet and logs. If you also make the tuff spot into a minibeat world with compost, peat a tuft of grass and small logs things will soon crawl into it.

 

You could also have a wormerly and ant house and there are some good pictures on the BBC website.

 

We found a small ball of fluff once i the classroom behind a shelf and they turned out to be spiders eggs we persuaded the caretaker not to clear them away and we watched as they hatched and their fine silks enabled them to drift away across the room to the window and then they disappeared! Real awe and wonder.

 

Good luck.