Woodlice Habitat Box
Key Stage 1 / Lower Key Stage 2
Link to the National Curriculum:
Sc2. Life processes and Living things
Children should:
“identify that most living things live in habitats to which they are suited and describe how different habitats provide for the basic needs of different kinds of animals and plants and how they depend on each other”.( NC. Yr 2 programme of study for Living things and their habitats)
Shoe box, black/ white lining paper, craft knife*, magnifiers and collection of live woodlice.
* Adults only to use craft knives.
See the video clip on my website: www.scienceprimarypractical.com
Lining the light area of the box with white paper and the dark area with black paper will provide an extra incentive for the woodlice to secrete themselves in the dark area. Additionally inside the dark area there should be placed damp detritus (rotting wood bark/leaves) from the area where the woodlice were discovered.
Practical group work for the children
Depending on the adult supervision, the number of shoe box habitats available and the number of woodlice the children should be split into groups of three or fours to observe the woodlice once placed into the light area over a five minute time slot.
Children should also be given individual observation sheets charged with the responsibility of observing what occurs with the additional opportunity of making first hand drawings of the woodlice once the observation period has expired. Hand held magnifiers would be useful for this purpose.
This would take the form of class or group discussions to determine where woodlice prefer to live consolidating their own findings from direct observation and the completion of the woodlice observation sheet
Key Stage 1 / Lower Key Stage 2
Link to the National Curriculum:
Sc2. Life processes and Living things
Children should:
“identify that most living things live in habitats to which they are suited and describe how different habitats provide for the basic needs of different kinds of animals and plants and how they depend on each other”.( NC. Yr 2 programme of study for Living things and their habitats)
Shoe box, black/ white lining paper, craft knife*, magnifiers and collection of live woodlice.
* Adults only to use craft knives.
See the video clip on my website: www.scienceprimarypractical.com
Lining the light area of the box with white paper and the dark area with black paper will provide an extra incentive for the woodlice to secrete themselves in the dark area. Additionally inside the dark area there should be placed damp detritus (rotting wood bark/leaves) from the area where the woodlice were discovered.
Practical group work for the children
Depending on the adult supervision, the number of shoe box habitats available and the number of woodlice the children should be split into groups of three or fours to observe the woodlice once placed into the light area over a five minute time slot.
Children should also be given individual observation sheets charged with the responsibility of observing what occurs with the additional opportunity of making first hand drawings of the woodlice once the observation period has expired. Hand held magnifiers would be useful for this purpose.
This would take the form of class or group discussions to determine where woodlice prefer to live consolidating their own findings from direct observation and the completion of the woodlice observation sheet