Discovering Small Creatures

🎂 6 + years ⏱️ 20 min 📍 Everywhere ⭐ medium

Today, we embark on an exciting journey into the world of small creatures. Little beings like ladybugs, snails, or flies are all around us. Often, we don't even notice them, but if you look closely, you will discover a fascinating world. These animals are important for nature, and by observing them, you will learn a lot about their way of life.

What you'll need

Template
Scissors
Glue
Flashlight
or sunlight

How it works

Download the templates with the small animals and the empty jars and print them out. On the template, you will see different jars with small creatures like ladybugs, snails, and flies, as well as empty jars.
Carefully cut out the jars with the animals and the empty jars. Set the cut-out jars aside.
Take the cut-out jars with the animals and the empty jars. Glue one empty jar onto a jar with an animal. This way, at first glance, you will only see an empty jar that you can discover later.
Turn on the flashlight and start your search. Shine from below on the templates to make the animals in the jar visible. You can also go outside and hold the templates in the sunlight.
Look closely at the animals and read their names aloud. Think about where you have seen these animals in nature before. Have you ever spotted a ladybug on a flower? Or a snail in the garden?
Discuss together why these animals are important. For example, ladybugs help eat aphids that could harm plants. Snails, on the other hand, are important decomposers that break down plant remains.
Now it's your turn: Go to the garden or the park and look for real small creatures. You don't need a real jar for this; you can observe the animals directly in their natural environment. You will be surprised by what you can discover!