With fish, chickens, snails, foxes and a plethora of mini beasts to care for and observe, we discuss and learn about the natural world throughout the year. We often use the work of David Attenborough as source material. From March to July however, it is live action all the way as the children have the opportunity to observe life cycles before their eyes. The ladybirds have been abundant this year after a poor year last year; we have observed hundreds of larvae, pupa and adults emerging in our many bushes and plants. Our friends, the minor bees are back, emerging from their holes and visiting the many flowers available within the four walls of our garden.
This week, we were joined by Harriot from Wild About Science with her fury and scaly friends. The children were able to observe and handle Geoff the fat tail gerbil, Mango the corn snake, Legs the tarantula, Carlos the Costa Rican gecko and Morpheus the hissing Cockroach. Carefully thought out questions were posed by the children such as, “Where in the jungle does Carlos live, up high or in the river?” and “Can a corn snake eat a child?” Harriot was full of energy and information and created a joyful experience for all the children; developing their understanding of the world with lots of language and communication opportunities.
