Living things & the processes of life - The processes of life - Plants & animals - G8 - LT-B2.3

Butterflies at Strathyre Primary School (access to video - probably only suitable if you have Broadband or a great deal of patience!)

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2. Worksheets B20a (G) could be used to keep a diary of the development of a plant grown from seed.

3. Frogs are an ideal animal to study for life cycles but we are no longer allowed to take frog-spawn from its natural environment because of the decline in the frog population so to watch frog development we should now visit a pond regularly to look at the animals in their natural home. If you have a pond with frog spawn in the garden then it should be all right to take out a small amount of spawn - about 6 eggs or so and bring them into school but return them within a day. You can then bring some small tadpoles in for a day when they have hatched and again when the legs start to develop. Keeping frog spawn indoors encourages the tadpoles to develop early because of the higher temperatures and so they reach maturity too early in the year and risk dying when returned to a pond as frogs.

Caterpillars are a good alternative if tadpoles are impractical. If you collect caterpillars then make sure you notice the type of leaves they are eating and collect a supply of them.

If you know someone who is a fish enthusiast, they may be able to supply you with some goldfish eggs which can be kept in a suitable tank in the classroom to hatch.

Note: All living things used in lessons should be put back where they were collected after use. Pupils should be encouraged to view living things a a precious resource to be disturbed as little as possible.

Another alternative is to keep mealworms which are available from pet superstores or specialist pet shops where they are sold as food for lizards. Although not particularly pleasant to watch - a bit squirmy! - they are easy to keep in any small clear container with air holes in the top for example a cut off lemonade bottle with muslin (or Jay-cloth) across the top. They eat fruit or you can buy special food for them.

Over the course of a couple of weeks they will turn from the ‘worm’ stage into a pupa which will last for about a week. A small beetle will emerge from the larva and wander about the container.

They do not fly and are harmless. The warmth of the classroom should be sufficient to keep them alive and a few small chunks of apple will do for food.

Worksheet B20b (G) can be used again for the children to draw several stages of the animal they watch. Stages such as egg - caterpillar - pupa - butterfly/moth or baby - child - teenager - adult could be drawn in the segments and writing added to suit.

Worksheet B20c (G) is the title page for a diary which the children could keep over their year in Primary 3. The cover could include a drawing of themselves and the details of weight, height and shoe size at the beginning of the year. Every month for the year their weight, height and shoe size could be recorded on the second sheet – Worksheet B20d (G). Add to this any skill which the child has developed in that month such as writing full name, tying shoelaces etc.