Dale Treadwell visits 6th Class

For Heritage week, On the 22nd of September, 6th class received a visit from Dale Treadwell. He came to discuss the role of biodiversity in our environment.

Sixth class got to see a variety of mini beasts, including spiders, millipedes, and beetles, up close in magnified containers.

They each got to see these creatures and followed Dale's instructions to view them carefully.

Most of the children were excited by the wriggling bodies and the numerous legs but some pupils were less keen.

Dale showed the class a device that enabled the children to hear at the same frequency as bats. The children described it as sounding like static.

After this, Dale explained that bats rely on their hearing to hunt their prey.

He then organized a quick game called Bats and Moths. One child has to keep their eyes closed and rely on sound to catch another child like a bat. Every time the first child says 'Bat', the other child has to reply 'Moth'.

The circle of children around the game became tighter and closer to show how the bat was closing in on its prey.

To identify minibeasts and certain trees, sixth class were given a chart to refer to as they examined sections of the front garden.

Dale placed his coat onto the grass and shook the nearest tree. Both leaves and insects fell on to the coat and here, the children examined their findings.

To finish off the visit, Dale showed some of the fossils he had collected over the years. He showed the class two dinosaur claws that were used to cut open and kill prey as well as a fossilised emu leg. The children expected the leg to be soft but it was rock hard and had a coarse surface.