This week we looked at what makes an insect an insect and learnt the names of the different body parts of this type of minibeast. We focused on grasshoppers and crickets and looked at the similarities and differences between them.

The characters from Eric Carle’s book, ‘The Very Quiet Cricket’, moved in to our garden under the stairs. There the children created games around these minibeasts and built elaborate homes for them. Music instruments were added that produced a symphony of insect sounds.

In the number room the children explored the small world toy habitat which housed crickets and grasshoppers with their buried oblong eggs and newly hatched baby nymphs.

We had a creative and very gluey week making collages of crickets with two long antennae and two compound eyes. The children spent time creating beautiful square works of art and enjoyed playing with the square shape activities in the classroom.

In the letter room, we visited the Himalayan mountains with the small world animals where hairy yaks and shy yeti’s live. Inspired by the book, ‘The Three Little Yogis and the Wolf Who Lost His Breath’ by Susan Verde, we practiced calming breathing exercises and poses recommended to the wolf, and to us, when we all at times feel like ‘huffing and puffing’.