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Plants and Animals

During this hands-on day we explore the wildlife area at Skelton Grange, and take a closer look at the range of plants and animals that can be found living there.  We will look at some different habitats to find out about how plants and animals survive and what they need to live where they do, how things change as they grow and how living things are the same and different.

National Curriculum Summary

Sc2

Sc2 Life Processes and Living Things:
Life Processes - We find out that animals, including humans move, feed, grow, use their senses and reproduce.
Green Plants - We discover that plants grow from seeds and need light and water to grow and also learn to name and recognise the parts of flowering plants.
Variation and Classification - We look at simple methods of classification and grouping living things according to observable similarities and differences.
Living things in their environment - find out about the different kinds of plants and animals in the local environment, and identify similarities and differences between local environments.

Main National Curriculum Links

Sc2 1b, 1c, 2b, 3a, 3b, 3c, 4b, 5a, 5b, 5c
Supports QCA units 1B Growing Plants and 2B Plants and Animals in the Local Environment.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the day children will be able to:

  • identify the main parts of a plant, and what each part does
  • talk about how plants and animals (including humans) grow and change throughout their life cycle
  • suggest how many living things are the same and how they are different

Availability

March - October

Day Summary

The day begins with an introduction by the group leader, welcoming the group to the centre, and explaining what will be happening during the day.  We have a general discussion about plants and animals that the groups have seen or know about, and have a warm-up game.

The children then split into groups (usually 3) for the day's activities: Plants, Animal Growth, and Animals & Habitats.

Plants

We have a close look at the different parts of a plant, including stem, roots, leaves and flower and find out how they help the plant live and grow. We'll then investigate a simple plant life cycle.  We look at some different fruits and seeds and find out that plants grow from seeds. We then take a look at some of the variety of plants growing at Skelton Grange, and collect pieces of them to make colourful stickyboards.

Animal Growth

This session looks at animal lifecycles, and how living things change over time and reproduce. We then go pond dipping, in order to have a closer look at some of the creatures that live and grow there and to think about the life cycle of dragonflies and other pond creatures.

Animals & Habitats

We talk about the variety of animals and how they are the same and different, and then go outside to do a minibeast hunt in our woodland area. The children get an opportunity to look at the creatures they find very closely and to talk about their shape, colour, number of legs, where they live and other characteristics. We'll then go on a trip to our compost bins and wormery and find out why plants and animals need each other to survive.

 

Visit our Links page to find some fun ideas for pre-visit or follow-up activities! 

:: last modified 17 May 2011 ::