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IN THE MAGAZINE ... AND ON THE WEBSITE @ www.scholastic.co.uk/childedplus
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Liz Smallman
Prepare yourself for the minibeast ‘bug’ by
keeping one step ahead with these thought-
provoking questions and answers
Some spiders have specially designed feet and fine hairs which help them to hold onto the different shapes and textures of walls and even ceilings. Other spiders place a small amount of the sticky silk, which they use for their webs, on their feet and use that to move.
Like snails, slugs have got soft bodies which don’t have a skeleton inside. They belong to a group of minibeasts called gastropods (meaning ‘belly feet’). A lot of slugs do have a tiny shell (or helmet) which helps to support and protect their body, but they like to live in covered dark and damp places just in case.
Why doesn’t a slug have a shell?
Why does a caterpillar turn into a butterfly?A caterpillar is a butterfly waiting to grow up! The lifecycle starts when a butterfly lays its eggs on plants, which caterpillars hatch from. The caterpillar grows, regularly sheds its skin and then changes into a beautiful butterfly inside a hard shell (called a chrysalis). The butterfly appears from the chrysalis and then the cycle starts again!
Why do moths flutter around lights?Some scientists believe that moths are attracted to lights because they think the light is coming from the stars or the Moon. Moths sometimes use starlight or the Moon to help them find their way over long distances, and our electric lights can trick them.
Why do bees dance?
Why do lice like living in hair?Lice are tiny insects that love to live on people’s heads. They need to be next to skin to stay alive, where they can eat tiny amounts of blood (a bit like a mosquito does). They use their sticky little feet to hold onto hair, which they also attach their eggs (or nits) to.
Bees dance to communicate with each other and to pass on the location of food. Bees have created a special language through dance that can even be understood by humans. A bee’s movements can show which direction to fly in, and the type of wiggle they do can explain how far to go!
Why don’t spiders fall off walls when they walk up them?
Why is a bumble bee black and yellow?Black and yellow are great warning colours, which make the bumblebee very noticeable. This helps to protect them from being attacked by predators such as birds. The design works so well that over time other insects have changed their colours, including wasps and even poisonous caterpillars.
Why do ants need a queen?A queen ant is the most important member of an ant colony. After starting her new nest, the queen cares for and feeds her first brood of workers. She then becomes an ‘egg-laying machine’ and spends her time being cleaned and fed by other ants. She may live for many years until replaced by a daughter queen.
Why do earwigs look so fierce?It’s true, earwigs do look quite scary with their big pincers, but they are in fact very nice creatures who spend most of their time protecting their young. In fact, because they are very visible and do look quite menacing, they often get blamed for damage caused by other minibeasts.
Why are flies sick on food?
Dung beetles are very important and are one of the insect world’s great ‘recyclers’. They love to tunnel in the earth, helping to put air into the soil. By eating dung (or poo), they release nutrients into the soil. By breaking down the dung, they also prevent flies from breeding in it.
After a fly lands on food, it starts off by being sick on it. The fly’s vomit is made from digestive juices and saliva, which start to break down and dissolve the food. The fly then sucks up the liquid food. Yummy! So it’s a good idea to make sure that food is covered when it’s left out.
Why do some beetles eat poo?
cross-curricular
Boost children’s speaking
and listening skills with these
philosophical discussion cards
Talk about…
What did you last dream about?
Talk about…
Do you have a secret?
Talk about…
What would be your perfect meal?
Talk about…
What's your favourite item of clothing?
Talk about…
If something correct can be 'right', why isn't something wrong also 'left'?
Talk about…
What super power would you like to have?
Talk about…
Have you ever sent an email? Who did you send it to?
Talk about…
Have you ever had a visit from the Tooth Fairy?
Talk about…
When was the last time you splashed about in a puddle?
Talkabout…
Talk about…
What's your favourite time of year?
Talk about…
What animal would be your ideal pet?
Talk about…
Do slugs get jealous of snails?
speaking & listening
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SIGNS OF SPRING4 STUNNING IMAGES!
MINIBEASTS
SCIENCE SPIES
OUTDOOR LEARNING
FAIRYTALE KINGDOM
FEBRUARY 2009 £4.25
FLYSPIDER
ESSENTIAL TEACHING RESOURCES FOR AGES 4 TO 7
Online
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How to subscribe
Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations
February 2009
Interactive resourcesMinibeast maths: these two interactive games are so addictive your class will be ‘bugging’ you to play them again and again!
Also online this monthThe Ugly Bug Ball: four photocopiables to accompany the creative topic (see pages 11–17) and A2 poster.
If your class love all things creepy-crawly, then this really is the issue for you! This month children can help celebrate the wonderful world of minibeasts by preparing for an Ugly Bug Ball (see pages 11–17), learn all there is to know about minibeasts with our ‘Tell me why!’ cards (18–19), and polish off the topic with some
fun interactive minibeast maths games (20). But if bugs aren’t quite your thing, then fear not! We’ve still got lots of other goodies, such as making the landscape for the Fairytale Kingdom (38–39). We’ve loved constructing this model – and want to thank everyone who has joined us in the build. If you’ve not started it yet, then don’t worry – the
instructions will remain online. Jane Bower also took her model into a school to show how much potential it has in the classroom – read how she got on, on pages 40–41. With spring just around the corner, we’ve got a stunning poster and four fun colouring-in sheets to help children appreciate seasonal change. And don’t forget that our October ’08 creative topic on seasons is available online...
Until next month,Charlotte Ronalds, Acting Editor
Tell me why!: prepare yourself for the minibeast ‘bug’ by keeping one step ahead with these questions and answers.
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Volume 86 Number 2
© Scholastic Ltd 2009 ISSN 1755-8891
Cover image © RubberBall/Alamy
Every effort has been made to trace copyright holders and the publishers apologise for any inadvertent omissions. Crown copyright material is reproduced under the terms of the Click-Use Licence.
Child Education PLUS is not responsible for the content of websites listed. Due to the nature of the web, we cannot guarantee the content or links of any sites featured. We strongly recommend that teachers check websites before using them in the classroom.
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On the cover11 Creative topic: Minibeasts27 Science Spies: Gravity38 Art: Fairytale Kingdom42 Cross-curricular: Taking learning outdoors
Features and activities11 Creative topic: Minibeasts18 Cross-curricular: Tell me why!22 PSHE: Golden Rules24 Literacy: Favourite books27 Science: Science Spies31 Cross-curricular: Using the ‘Talk about’ cards34 Cross-curricular: ‘Talk about’ cards37 Cross-curricular: Snow activities38 Art: Fairytale Kingdom40 Report: Using Fairytale Kingdom42 Literacy: Taking learning outdoors44 PE: Extreme sports!
Regulars6 Calendar8 Sue Palmer on the road47 On the naughty step49 Student noticeboard52 Book reviews: Creepy-crawlies54 Ten of the best: Minibeasts58 The world according to Miss Conduct
Posters
Signs of spring: four simple colouring-in sheets to help children welcome the spring season.
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‘Talk about’... cards: boost children’s speaking and listening skills with these philosophical discussion cards.
Science Spies: four free top secret emails, and another Science Spies investigation exclusively online for subscribers!
0845 850 4411
