Minibeast Hunting

The aims of this Workshop are to:

• Learn and understand the world of minibeasts
• Identify their different habitats
• Search for and identify different minibeasts

Activity:

A group discussion regarding minibeast habitats and woodland wildlife, followed by a woodland walk. This will include minibeast collection, using a variety of collecting techniques.

Link to National Curriculum:

• Citizenship – me and my environment
• Life processes and living things - life cycles, plants and animals in the local environment
• Interdependence and adaptation

Background:

Minibeasts are literally ‘small animals’, which includes spiders, snails, slugs, beetles, centipedes and worms (to name a few). They are all classified as invertebrates (animals without backbones). There are 25,000 species in Britain alone.

Trees are habitats in their own right and can provide homes for hundreds of species. Not only do trees provide an ideal habitat, they are also vital to sustain life on earth.

Minibeasts are a huge part of woodland life and are a vital contributor to both the food chain and to the balance of woodland ecosystems.