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Aim of the Activity
To use simple collection tools to explore insect and other small creatures present in your backyard or an open space
Target Year Level
Year 3 - 8
Curriculum Alignment
Science
Things you will need
Paintbrushes, jars with lids or commercial bug catchers are all options
a magnifying glass or the zoom function on a phone’s camera
Download the iNaturalist app to assist with animal identification
Learn to make some simple collection tools here
Description of the Activity
Once you have gathered your collection tools, discuss with your child where they might find small creatures living. Will they be on top of the soil? Will they be hiding under the leaves? In the soil? Are they camouflaged and the same colour as the trunk of the tree?
Talk to your child about respecting the animals and not hurting or killing them. Talk about how to keep ourselves and the animals safe and unharmed, including a warning to not handle bees, wasps and spiders. Talk about the importance of returning creatures to their natural homes afterward.
Supervise your child as they search for insects and other small creatures and use the tools to collect them.
Study the animals closely. Can you identify (classify) what it is? What body parts does it have (adaptations) to help it move, eat, defend itself? What do you think it needs to survive in its habitat?
Try drawing the animal and labelling its body parts (an annotated drawing), create a model of the animal using craft materials or modelling clay, write down your observations of it just like real scientists do, research your creature’s life cycle.
Questions to talk about with your child
What small creatures do you think live in our backyard (or local park etc)? Where could we look for them?
How can we be safe and keep the animals safe when we are catching them?
What do we want to learn about the creatures we have caught?
Links for further learning
Lots of further information including an invertebrate identification guide https://australianmuseum.net.au/learn/teachers/learning/bugwise/
A brilliant 5 episode BBC series to watch is David Attenborough’s, ‘Life in the Undergrowth’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007y9sd
Why scientists give species names that are so difficult to say https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/1437-naming-species
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