This term in Year 2 we have been learning about animals and their habitats. For this unit we began learning about habitats by going on a ‘What’s that Pokemon?’ hunt! This involved using the iPads with QR codes to find a Pokémon and rehome it to its correct habitat. This we were very excited to do and hooked us in to learning more about habitats and the suitability of animals to their environments.
With our Scientist heads on, we then thought ‘What habitats do we have at Merry Hill?’ and so an investigation was decided! We would travel to the Mini Forest to observe and locate the microhabitats we have here at Merry Hill.
With Mrs Mitzman, we began a Minibeast Safari! First, we were reminded what a microhabitat is and how to locate them. Then, using our observation and data collection skills, we partnered up and began gathering our information. We explored under logs, in the mud, at the roots of trees and many others. We found all sorts of minibeasts such as worms, spiders and ants!
When we returned to class, we were then able to use what we discovered to present our findings into a bar graph! We learnt about the axes on the graph and how to draw the y axis high to the sky and the x axis along the bottom. Then we began plotting the types of minibeasts we found and the number we found; learning how to plot the bar graph was fun. We had both our Scientist hat and our Mathematician hat on for this!
Take a look at us working hard below!
How to help at home:
- What microhabitats can you find in your garden or in a park? Count them and tally them up!
- Ask your child to design a bar graph from an observation of the types of minibeasts in the garden/park.
- Ask your child what a microhabitat is – can they give you examples from their hunt?