Enabling Environments: Tried and Tested - Birds, bugs and beasts

Minibeasts fascinate young children. Grow-your-own kits of caterpillars, stick insects and ladybird larvae can be bought by mail order, and children can watch them through their life cycles until they are released into the wild. This helps them learn how to treat living things with care and sensitivity. Going on a minibeast hunt and examining the finds under a magnifying glass encourages children to develop their knowledge and understanding of the world around them. To complement this, practitioners can use supporting books and set up natural habitats containing realistic plastic or rubber versions of ladybirds, spiders and bugs.

SINGING BIRDS IN A NEST
MINDSTRETCHERS
AGE RANGE: 3+
PRICE: £48
CONTACT: 01764 664409, www.mindstretchers.co.uk

A set of six native-to-the-UK birds in a nest. Each bird looks realistic and has a recorded bird call that is accurate.

Tested by Frederick Bird Primary School, Coventry

'The children loved this product - they were enchanted by the beautiful natural appearance of the birds and their realistic bird calls. Many of them live in high-rise housing without gardens, so the chance to hear birdsong fascinated them and gave them the opportunity to talk about and identify different birds. This product was excellent at encouraging children to listen carefully, and many children tried to copy the calls. It also instigated discussion about birds children have seen in the natural environment, and encouraged co-operative play, as they played all the songs at once to make a choir of bird-song. The birds survived being pressed many times by large numbers of children.'

Star Rating:***** - Excellent

LIVING TWIG-STICK INDIAN KIT
INSECT LORE
AGE RANGE: 4+
PRICE: £17.01
CONTACT: 01726 860 273, www.insectlore-europe.com

This kit contains all you need to grow your own stick insects: a 30cm tall spring-up habitat, a voucher for Indian stick insect eggs, a brush to make transferring easy and an instruction guide.

Tested by Bewbush Nursery and Children's centre, Crawley, West Sussex

'The children enjoyed the idea of growing our own insects, and got excited about what would happen next. To begin with, we looked and talked about it daily. We spent time in small groups talking about stick insets and what we thought they might look like. We also discussed the food that we would have to collect for them - bramble, ivy or privet - and what we like to eat, and what is good for us. The process is longer than we expected - the eggs have yet to hatch and can take up to four months - but we've had a lot of enjoyment from the kit. Once the eggs start to hatch, it will enthuse the children's interest again. It's good value for money as, once you have the kit, the stick insects are supposed to lay new eggs and the whole life cycle starts again.'

Star Ratings: **** - Very Good

LIFECYCLE BAG
REFLECTIONS ON LEARNING
AGE RANGE: 3+
PRICE: £29.99
CONTACT: 01732 225850, www.reflectionsonlearning.co.uk

The bag contains the life cycles of four things: a frog, flower, chicken and butterfly; four Velcro labels for each life-cycle stage; and a reference sheet.

Tested by Sure Start children's centre, Blyth Central, Northumberland

'We used the bag alongside live butterfly larvae. To further develop their vocabulary, we asked the children for their ideas about what they thought happened next. The younger children aged two to three liked pulling off the pictures and sticking them back on again. Some children were eager to see what was in the bag but seemed disappointed that it was more pictures. The older children, aged three and over, tried to sequence the pictures. One child used it like a song sack and began to sing. The pictures are fictional animation rather than photographs of the real thing. Children with visual impairments struggled to make out the pictures, as these are in quite dull colours and the edges are transparent. The bag itself is lovely and the children were eager to look inside. It would be better if the interior of the bag was made from a non-stick surface such as satin, because the pictures stuck to the inside, making it hard for the children to take them out one by one. The contents would be greatly enhanced if they were lifelike items that children could hold rather than pictures. It was a great extra to complement the work we already had in place, but we would not use it as a tool by itself.'

Star Rating:** - Satisfactory

LADYBIRDS AND BOOK
EARLY EXCELLENCE
AGE RANGE: 3-6
PRICE: ladybirds, £1.50 each; book, £6.99
CONTACT: 01422 311314, www.earlyexcellence.co.uk

Six life-like rubber ladybirds, 1in long, and the book, Book BUGS, Ladybirds, published by Raintree.

Tested by the Daisychain Nursery, Kirkcaldy, Fife

'We would definitely consider buying these pieces of equipment, as the books are full of useful information and are set out in a way that children can relate to and understand. The rubber ladybirds were a great addition to our display and they encouraged the younger children to approach and explore. We looked through the books with the children at storytime, then we set out a minibeast display together. The children were able to explore this at their own pace and learn through the real-life picture books and visual objects. The ladybirds were a good size for those whose grip was not 100%. The children showed lots of interest in the books and loved the real-life, close up pictures in them. Staff observed children showing more interest in the living things when in the garden and out for walks. Parents also commented on the educational display. This product is excellent value for money.'

Star Ratings: ***** - Excellent

MINIBEASTS ACTIVE WORLD MAT, TRAY AND MINIBEASTS
TTS GROUP
AGE RANGE: 3+
PRICE: Mat, £17.97; tray, £15.95; minibeasts £12.95
CONTACT: 0800 318686, www.tts-group.co.uk

A PVC mat, 86cm square, with pictures of woodland and plants, animals, insects and birds in their natural habitat, fitting inside a plastic Tuff tray. A pack of 48 minibeasts, including butterflies, insects, caterpillars and spiders.

Tested by Mayfield Kindergarten, Ilfracombe, Devon

'We used the tray with the mat and with water, sand, soil, grass, flowers, wood shavings, hay, pasta and rice, to investigate the environment and habitat of minibeasts. Children were excited to add the minibeasts to the ones we already have, and they compared size, shape, colour and texture. The pack has a variety of minibeasts, some of which the children would not usually see. We used story books to bring the beasts to life. Some of the minibeasts are a bit small, but safe for children aged three to five. The tray is very good value for money, as it can be used for numerous things; the minibeasts are also good value, as they can be used over and over again. However, the mat is rather expensive. We generally encourage the children to create a base themselves by cutting paper or card to size, and provide paints and crayons. Overall, it's a good resource to have in the nursery - especially when used with real minibeasts from the garden.'

Star Rating: ***** - Excellent

TRIPOD MAGNIFYER
GALT
AGE RANGE: 3+
PRICE: £31.95
CONTACT: 08451 203005, www.galt-educational.co.uk

A wooden 4x magnifier, 18 x 23cm, that can be rested on the floor, table or ground to view any object.

Tested by Ann Ross, childminder, Dartford, Kent

'The children all enjoyed using the product, and sought it out each day to carry out minibeast investigations. It extended their learning, as the children were able to look at the insects we collected more closely. We looked at caterpillars, stick insects, ladybird larvae, lily beetles and a spider. At first, it seemed quite expensive. However, the learning experience was great. It's an excellent resource, because it's well-made and coped with many knocks, and it can be used by children with special needs. At the setting, a child with an autistic- spectrum disorder was very interested in the magnification and put various objects under it to view the difference. It is totally portable and the legs can be removed for easy storage.'

Star Rating: **** - Very Good.

All prices exclusive of VAT and post/packaging

BEST BUY

For Bewbush Nursery and Children's Centre, Crawley, West Sussex

'We purchased the Butterfly Garden from Insect Lore (www.insectlore-europe.com) for £17.01 about three years ago. In the pack, we got a reusable net, caterpillar eggs, feeding pipettes and full instructions. Each year since, we have purchased eggs from the same company to raise more butterflies. The children in the nursery really enjoy the experience of watching the changes and then the excitement of releasing the butterflies into our garden.'