Minibeasts in the garden
Biology · Early Years · The School
What is a minibeast?
A minibeast is a small bug. You find them outside. Ants are minibeasts. Spiders are minibeasts too. So are worms and snails. A ladybird is a minibeast too, with spots on its back. They live under logs. They live under stones. They hide in long grass. Look softly and you will find lots of them near your home.
Count the legs
Count the legs to sort them. An ant has six legs. A spider has eight legs. That means a spider is not an insect. Insects have six legs. A worm has no legs at all. It moves by squeezing its long body. A snail has one soft foot instead of legs.
Where minibeasts hide
Minibeasts like dark, damp spots. Look under a log. Look under a stone. Look in long grass. Move slow and quiet. Do not scare them away. A minibeast may hide fast if it feels you coming. A grown-up puts the log back when you are done. That keeps their home safe.
Imagine a nursery class on a minibeast hunt. They ask a grown-up first. The grown-up turns a log over gently. A small, dark creature runs about. The class wonders: is it an ant or a spider? The grown-up holds a magnifying glass over it, out of the sun. Sunlight through the glass can get hot. Nobody touches the creature. The class counts its legs together: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. An ant has six legs. A spider has eight legs. Eight is not six, so it is not an ant. It is not an insect. It has eight legs, like a spider. The grown-up says it is a spider. The grown-up puts the log back the same way up. The log is a home for minibeasts. Then everyone washes their hands.