Activity Introduction

Many of us get the heebie-jeebies about creepy crawlies. Maybe that’s because there are so many of them. But fear not, the earth is not in danger of being overrun by bugs, slugs and other invertebrates. Instead, they are actually vital to the healthy functioning of almost every aspect of our natural environment. They work as pollinators and as decomposers, they enrich and aerate the soil, and they are a critical part of the food chain, serving as a source of food for all sorts of animals.

This activity is a great one to do together as a family. However, children will need support to complete this activity.

Ideal for: Primary Ages 8 to 10.

Themes:

  • fresh air
  • be creative
  • investigate
  • think and connect

Time required: 30 to 40 minutes

Curriculum connections: Critical and Creative Thinking, Literacy.

Tips for Parents and Carers

Before heading outside, talk to your children about how to be careful around invertebrates. Some bite and some sting so it’s always best not to touch, and if you do get a sting or bite to tell an adult immediately. Be extra careful when removing bark from trees, lifting up logs or stones, or placing your hands in spots where you can’t see what you’re about to touch.

In addition, you should also explain to children that because of their small size, invertebrates are delicate, and are easily hurt by big blundering animals like ourselves. Working with children to develop a culture of awareness, appreciation and care for the littlest of creatures – including invertebrates – is a great way to help children connect to the natural environment. Focus your curiosity on observation rather than touch, and remember that when you disturb bark, stones and fallen branches you might be damaging an invertebrate home.

Lesson & Curriculum Details

Curriculum codes:

Resources Required

 

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[email protected] resources are designed for parents and teachers to use with children in the home environment. They can be used as stand-alone activities or built into existing curriculum-aligned learning programs. Our [email protected] series includes two types of resources. The first type of resources are fun and challenging real-world activities for all ages. The second type of resource is self-directed lessons for upper primary and secondary students. These lessons support independent learning in remote or school settings.

Cool Australia’s curriculum team continually reviews and refines our resources to be in line with changes to the Australian Curriculum.

 

Worksheets

Student Worksheet

Create Your Own Invertebrate - Activity Instructions

Part A: Describing Words

Step 1. Start by looking at the picture below:

Imagine if you were meeting an alien from another planet and you needed their help to find your missing cat. However, this alien has never seen a cat, let alone any other Earth animals!

What could you tell the alien about the cat? How would you describe this cat to the alien?

Record some keywords and statements in your workbooks.

Step 2. Take a look at the statements and words you described the cat with. The naming words are nouns and the words that used to describe the nouns are adjectives. In the statements below you can see that the nouns are highlighted in blue and the adjectives are highlighted in red.

  • Neat, round head
  • Long, slender body
  • A long, thin tail that swishes from side to side and stands straight up sometimes
  • Short, soft, orange and cream striped fur over the whole body
  • Two small, soft, pointed ears with very short hair on the ou
...
 
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