On Thursday, Year 4 and some of our Year 5 children headed to the school pond with Harpreet and Mrs Pearman to discover what wildlife lives beneath the water!
The children began by looking carefully into the pond and using clipboards to tally the different creatures they spotted. Then it was time for some pond dipping! Armed with nets and trays, they carefully explored around the edges of the pond to see what they could find.
There were some exciting discoveries, including water snails, water boatmen and nymphs. Orla was particularly fascinated by the water snails:
"My favourite was the water snails because they had really cool patterns on their shells and I like that they sit around the edge of the pond."
The children also learnt that water snails eat algae, helping to keep their pond habitat healthy.
Harpreet brought along something rather unusual for the children to touch: the shed skin of a false water cobra! The children were fascinated by its texture, with Orla describing it as feeling "like bubble wrap" because of its tiny raised dots.
There was plenty more to learn, including the incredible life cycle of a dragonfly. The children discovered that dragonfly nymphs can live underwater for a long time, moulting several times as they grow. When fully grown, they emerge from the water and moult one final time to reveal their wings. Adult dragonflies then have a much shorter life above the water.
The wildlife discoveries continued when Harpreet showed the children some moths he had caught in a moth trap. The children spotted a yellow moth with little brown markings and another that was completely orange.
It was a fantastic opportunity to get hands-on with nature, develop our observation skills and discover more about the wildlife living right here in our school grounds. A big thank you to Harpreet and Mrs Pearman for helping the children explore and learn about our wonderful pond habitat!
Pond Dipping
