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Mini-Beast Hunt

Animals· Arachnids· Backyard· Math in Nature· Minibeasts· Uncategorized

7 Sep

When the sun starts to shine and the winter cold has disappeared, it’s time for an outside treasure hunt! It’s time to hunt for bugs!

Put on your boots! Grab a magnifying glass, a butterfly net, and a jar, and come with us to find some mini-beasts!

There are so many insects, bugs, arachnids, and invertebrates hiding in your backyard! Take a look under a rock or log, lift some leaf litter, look in the soil, what will you find?

Let your children stop and wonder at the amazing creatures they find. It’s not a race! In fact, the slower you go, and the quieter you are, the more you will see.

Sit by an ant nest, watch the ants as they go about their work.

Follow a dragonfly, where will it land? What do you notice? What do you wonder?

Have a conversation, “Why did God create so many little creatures?” and “why do they display so many different patterns and colours?”

“None of God’s creatures absolutely consider’d are in their own Nature contemptible; the meanest fly, the poorest insect has its use and vertue”

Mary Astell

You might like to make a count of the creatures you find. Tally marks on the back of an identification card are a great way to do this. Talk about the things that you have noticed: How many wings can you see? How many legs? Eyes? How big is the creature? Compare the size of the Head/Thorax and Abdomen.

When you go back inside, encourage your children to write about the insects/bugs or creatures they have seen. Talk about the things that are similar and the things that are different about each creature. Maybe your children would like to create a bar graph showing what they have found, or a Venn diagram illustrating the similarities and differences of two of the mini-beasts.

We have created a set of treasure hunt cards for you. Download them for free. They can be found on our free resources page.

Please beware of the dangers of having little ones lifting bark or rocks. Australia has some nasty beasts that bite and sting. Help your children explore with caution. Look but don’t touch, unless you know a mini-beast is safe. It is lovely to feel an earthworm but a centipede needs to be left alone. Also, if you are exploring in summer, be snake-safe. Wear boots and be very careful exploring under logs and rocks. Never approach a snake, and if you do stumble across one, wait for it to move on or back slowly away from it. It is helpful to know what to do if you are bitten and to teach your children how to apply a snake bandage. You can find information HERE at St John Ambulance Australia. Explore safely and have fun!

Australian Nature Study | Spring/Summer | Volume 4
Backyard Edition | Spring/Summer | Volume 8

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Jo: Wife, Home-school Mum and Homemaker

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Sally

We have really enjoyed the program this term. We have gotten outside more often and the children are definitely taking more notice of things when we are out. Having a place to share what we have done and seen has been an encouragement to keep it up. I sometimes felt like we could spend longer on some topics as they were so interesting but that is probably just my obsessive "we must cover everything now" problem. 
Nature Study Australia
2018-05-25T15:48:30+10:30
We have really enjoyed the program this term. We have gotten outside more often and the children are definitely taking more notice of things when we are out. Having a place to share what we have done and seen has been an encouragement to keep it up. I sometimes felt like we could spend longer on some topics as they were so interesting but that is probably just my obsessive "we must cover everything now" problem. 
https://naturestudyaustralia.com.au/testimonials/sally/

Cheryl

We didn’t find out about the program until about half way through term, so we played catch up most of the time. I love how open ended the lessons are, but with enough structure to work well for those children needing such a program. We have been able to cover much of the required curriculum whilst enjoying the activities we love. Your program has been such a blessing to us, because we needed a change to our homeschooling lessons which would still cover curriculum, but would enable us to relax and enjoy “school” together. Thank you.
Nature Study Australia
2018-05-25T15:50:47+10:30
We didn’t find out about the program until about half way through term, so we played catch up most of the time. I love how open ended the lessons are, but with enough structure to work well for those children needing such a program. We have been able to cover much of the required curriculum whilst enjoying the activities we love. Your program has been such a blessing to us, because we needed a change to our homeschooling lessons which would still cover curriculum, but would enable us to relax and enjoy “school” together. Thank you.
https://naturestudyaustralia.com.au/testimonials/cheryl/

Rachel

We began our homeschool journey this year keen to explore all that nature study entails. I had searched the web for weeks to research what we would use as our framework. I cannot describe the elation I felt when I came across an AUSTRALIAN nature study guide! Marie has done all the hard work and put together a wonderfully elaborate resource for all ages. You can dip your toe in or dive right into all the ideas and links. There’s so much here we could spend all week doing nature study, and often we do.
Nature Study Australia
2018-05-25T15:53:11+10:30
We began our homeschool journey this year keen to explore all that nature study entails. I had searched the web for weeks to research what we would use as our framework. I cannot describe the elation I felt when I came across an AUSTRALIAN nature study guide! Marie has done all the hard work and put together a wonderfully elaborate resource for all ages. You can dip your toe in or dive right into all the ideas and links. There’s so much here we could spend all week doing nature study, and often we do.
https://naturestudyaustralia.com.au/testimonials/rachel/

Sarah

Absolutely love the activity books my whole family can learn together and it’s Australia based. Highly recommend
Nature Study Australia
2018-05-25T15:52:01+10:30
Absolutely love the activity books my whole family can learn together and it’s Australia based. Highly recommend
https://naturestudyaustralia.com.au/testimonials/sarah/

Valerie

I totally enjoy using the Nature study guide. The children enjoy learning about the different animals and plants.
Nature Study Australia
2018-05-25T15:51:39+10:30
I totally enjoy using the Nature study guide. The children enjoy learning about the different animals and plants.
https://naturestudyaustralia.com.au/testimonials/valerie/

Jessie

I looked high and low online for an Australian nature based curriculum and when I found Australian Nature study Guide on Instagram I was so excited to have finally found something that my family can relate to. My favourite thing about this guide is that Marie is so hands on and involved with her customers. I have never felt alone in the journey, she is there to guide and encourage us every step of the way in the Facebook group. Thanks Marie for welcoming us to your nature study family 🙂
Nature Study Australia
2018-05-25T15:52:36+10:30
I looked high and low online for an Australian nature based curriculum and when I found Australian Nature study Guide on Instagram I was so excited to have finally found something that my family can relate to. My favourite thing about this guide is that Marie is so hands on and involved with her customers. I have never felt alone in the journey, she is there to guide and encourage us every step of the way in the Facebook group. Thanks Marie for welcoming us to your nature study family 🙂
https://naturestudyaustralia.com.au/testimonials/jessie/
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