It’s easy to forget that we’re surrounded by hundreds and thousands of tiny little creepy crawlies called minibeasts. Minibeasts - the perfect theme for spring and summer! These are ideas only: ANY CURRICULUM LINKS DO NOT RELATE TO THE CURRENT (2012) EYFS REQUIREMENTS

Minibeast story bags – e.g. a plastic minibeast, a leaf, a twig, a cup and a shoe – tell a story as the children pull out the props A collection of early years (EYFS) and key stage 1 (KS1) lesson plans and ideas relating to insects and minibeasts, ideal for using in your classroom or early years setting when looking at this ever popular topic.This clip is relevant for teaching Music and Sciences at at Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and Scotland. David began his illustration career by creating the Pigs Might Fly and Flux Deluxe greetings cards ranges and then illustrated the very popular and successful picture book series that began with Rumble In The Jungle, written by Giles Andreae. This successful author/illustrator pairing won the picture book section of the Children's Book Award with The Lion Who Wanted To Love. Make your own minibeast garden – collect natural materials and use box or small tray for each child

Encourage the children to listen and hear the rhyming words – woo /do, day /away. When the rhyme is repeated, encourage the children to join in with the appropriate actions. This resource could be used to introduce new habitats and show how animals and plants exist in different environments. Some minibeasts have a really thin but super strong layer on the outside of their bodies. Creatures like ants, woodlice and even spiders all have this hard layer and it’s called an exoskeleton. It protects their squidgy bodies underneath!Sound discrimination: Cat invites the listeners to guess the sounds: bees buzzing and grasshoppers chirping . She then invites the children to think about the minibeasts which don’t make a sound - worms, butterflies, spiders, slugs and snails - and to think about how they move. Have an Ugly Bug Ball – make appropriate head wear for different minibeasts and dance to the Ugly Bug Ball music