In Spring 2 the Frogs have been learning all about minibeasts. We learnt that a minibeast is a small animal called an invertebrate. This means that its skeleton is on the outside of its body or it might not have a skeleton at all. You can find these minibeasts in a range of habitats, like ponds, rivers, woodlands or beaches. Most minibeasts are herbivores. This means they eat plants, leaves, nectar or sap. Some, like spiders, are carnivores and think of clever ways to catch their prey! Minibeasts are very important for our eco system. They are decomposers, pollinators and even make food like honey.

We explored this topic in a range of ways. We went on bug hunts and identified a range of minibeasts, made bug hotels, danced and performed like bugs, painted and printed bugs in our outdoor area and observed closely our own pet caterpillars in our classroom.

In Frogs class we also take time to celebrate special events in the calendar. This half term we have celebrated and learnt about:

Winter

We took part in a special winter walk, looking for signs of winter. We noticed how cold it felt and how the trees had all lost their leaves. We learnt how birds find it tricky in the Winter to find food and decided we'd like to make them their own special bird feeder.

St David's Day

St Patrick's Day

Frogs discovered how Saint Patrick took Christianity to Ireland. We learnt all about the symbol of the shamrock, how people like to wear green, take part in parades and eat food together with their friends and family. We enjoyed making rainbow paintings with a Leprechaun's pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Pancake Day/Shrove Tuesday

During pancake day we discovered how this is a special time in the Christian calendar. It marks the start of lent where Christians often give up something. In the past popular things to give up were flour, eggs and milk - the 3 ingredients needed for pancakes! We sampled some delicious pancakes, make mud kitchen pancakes, flipped pancakes with tricky words on and took part in pancake races.

Spring/Easter

In our final week of spring 2 the Frogs have been thinking all about spring. We went on a lovely warm walk and spotted signs of spring around our school grounds. We saw blossom, daffodils, heard birds singing, nests, buds and green leaves beginning to appear on trees again. We noticed how we did not need our coats as the temperature felt warmer and we discussed how the sun was still out at bedtime! We enjoyed making tulip paintings, spring bracelets, blossom milkshake in our mud kitchen and creating fluffy chicks out of playdough. We then discussed the symbol of eggs how many baby chicks and ducklings are hatching at this time of year. Spring is a time for new life and this allowed us to make links to the Easter story and how Easter is a time of new beginnings and life.