Friday Science Fix - Animal Diets
Building upon our previous science learning we will be looking at different animal diets this half term. We have already learnt about the different life processes that determine living things... but can you remember what they are? Take a moment to ask these questions as a recap;
How do we know if something is living or not? What does it do that tells you it is a living thing?
Once you have had a chat about this (hopefully together you can remember at least a few of the life processes) you can kick off by taking a look at this very short clip from BBC Bitesize here, which introduces the terms Herbivore, Carnivore and Omnivore. Follow this up by taking a look at this powerpoint slideshow which reinforces these terms and gives some detail specifically about underwater animal diets.
Have a discussion about animals you are familiar with and see if you can figure out which category they fit into; Herbivore, Carnivore or Omnivore? Some of the common living things around us might surprise you... Which category do you think a ladybird falls into? (Answer at the end of the blog!) Think about your own diet. What are you going to eat today? Are you a Herbivore, Carnivore or Omnivore?
Possible Activities
Please choose whichever suits you best today:
- Design a label for each of the animal diet categories. Make them clear and bold using colour and design to show what each one means so that this will help you to remember.
- Choose some animals that you are interested in. Research their diets using your search engine to find out exactly what your chosen animals eat. Or if preferred use the game at the end of this list to source information - it's great, I really enjoyed this!
- Collect lists using the three headings you have made (or just divide a page into three to collect and organise the information).
- Make a recording for each animal, or even cut up some card and make a pack of information cards. This can be in pictures, words, sentences, or a mixture of all three depending on what suits your mood and preference!
- Go on a bug hunt in the garden and collect some living things in a shoebox. Draw a picture of each one and find out exactly what they eat and which category they fall into. Please be careful not to harm them and replace them to their natural habitat after your learning.
- Play this interactive game. An animal appears on screen and you must make a guess whether their diet is Herbivore, Carnivore or Omnivore. When you click on the correct choice an animation shows you exactly what that animal eats. It's a free game so I do hope it works on all of your different devices, click here to find out - Sheppard Software Animal Diets Game.
Please remember that the emphasis in this science learning is exploring the world around us, asking questions, finding out and learning. So do not worry if today turns out to be a day not destined for recording. You can just do the learning and discussions today, or you can make simple recordings of key concepts together. For example, adults could record key ideas in simple terms, (ie; the three types of diet and their definition) but leaving learners the space to add diagrams or illustrations afterwards. This will give you something to refer to for the future so you can consolidate any science learning by revisiting it, or building upon it further whenever the feeling takes you.
Finally, please just enjoy this fabulous clip from Springwatch, just because it is awesome that all of this life exists and we don't usually get to see it under water! It has a few subtitles to read but they don't stay on the screen for very long, so watch together if you possibly can.
Springwatch is currently showing on BBC 2 every weekday evening (26th May - 12th June) and is a great family watch for awe and wonder of our natural world. If this is past bedtime or you are a budding enthusiast and want to catch up on missed episodes, go to BBC i-player where all previous episodes are available.
Ladybird diets - most ladybirds eat aphids and other insects so are carnivores! Although often seen on plants and leaves, they are not eating them, they are searching for small insects to eat.
Happy Friday and have a lovely weekend everyone!
Key Stage 1 Team
