Children in the Yellow Room at St Werburgh’s Park Nursery School have been enjoying a rich exploration of the natural world through the core book Nature Trail by Benjamin Zephaniah. The story has sparked thoughtful conversations and curiosity, encouraging children to look closely at the living things they share their environment with.
Inspired by the book, children have been heading into the garden on bug hunts, carefully searching for mini beasts and learning how to name and identify what they find. They have been talking about different habitats and what insects need to survive, developing their understanding of the world around them while building new vocabulary through shared discussion.
Back indoors and outside, children have been busy creating new homes for the bugs they discovered. Using scissors to snip legs for paper caterpillars supported the development of fine motor skills and hand strength, while using tweezers to rescue bugs from a spider’s web made using tape on our sand table, encouraged concentration, coordination and careful control. These playful, hands-on experiences supported children’s confidence, problem-solving and independence, while nurturing respect for living things and the environment.
