It’s minibeast week here at Ranger Stu’s Virtual Zoo!
I hope you all enjoyed my Live Q and A on Saturday, we had some great animal questions! If you didn’t catch it then here is the link.
Rainforest week went really well and I really enjoyed seeing all the completed rainforest tasks being sent to me.
This week it’s minibeasts, another curriculum staple!
On Wednesday I will be posting a video on my YouTube channel (subscribe here!) all about minibeasts (featuring some very large creepy crawlies from my zoo!) and how you can go on a minibeast hunt in your garden or daily walk!
So what is a minibeast?
You may also know them as Creepy Crawlies but the long name is invertebrate! Invertebrate means "without a backbone" and every single minibeast has this in common, they do not have a backbone/spine.
There are millions of minibeasts found in every single habitat on earth, from tiny fruit flies to giant goliath beetles.
You don't even have to be mini to be a minibeast however, the giant squid is an invertebrate but weighs up to 500kgs!!!
Now we know what a minibeast is, here are your weekly tasks!
EYFS - Egg Box Animals
Think about the minibeast you would like to create, here are three that I found online. Get as creative as you like!
You will need...
An empty egg box
Scissors
Paint or Crayons
Scrap of card or pipe cleaners
Googly eyes (if you have them)
Ask an adult to cut out the egg box into sections. You could use each section to make individual animals or you could cut out an entire section and turn it into a caterpillar, millipede or worm!
Paint or colour in your egg box animal, don’t forget to draw its eyes (spiders have 8 eyes!) or if you have some googly eyes around the house use those.
Then add legs or antennae using cardboard or pipe cleaners.
You should end up with a funky looking minibeast like these ones above!
KS1 and KS2 - Mini Beast Hunt
Here is a really great minibeast hunt tally sheet from Twinkl and you can download it for free!
Print off this minibeast sheet above, head into the garden and have some fun! Don't forget if you turn over logs or stones to put them back the way that you found them, these are the animals homes after all.
If you don’t have a garden and you go on a daily walk near home then take this sheet with you, you will be surprised how easy minibeasts are to find when you start looking!
If you find a minibeast that isn't on the sheet you can add it or even create your own minibeast hunt sheet!
You can post pictures of your egg box animals and minibeast hunts through my Facebook and Instagram or you can post them in the comments section below.
Want to enjoy more Ranger Stu content?
Why not take a look at Ranger Stu's Virtual Zoo, live animals visiting your classroom, scout group or organisation virtually!
The great thing about Ranger Stu’s Virtual Zoo is that this can take place at any school or educational group within the U.K. or even the world!
Find out more on the link below and get in touch today for availability and pricing.