Mini Beasts (1)

Series 286: Mini Beasts We see insects and other small creatures almost every day of our lives. These “mini beasts” are one of the first introductions young children have to the natural world. They come in countless varieties, shapes, colours, patterns and sizes and are celebrated in favourite pre- school nursery rhymes, such as “Incy Wincy Spider”, “Ladybird, Ladybird” and “The Ants Go Marching”. In this series of Play School, we explore “mini beasts” through craft activities, play, songs and stories. We are also visited in studio by some real-life insects: slaters, snails, worms and even a stick insect! Episode 1 PRESENTERS Andrew McFarlane – Karen Pang PIANIST Peter Dasent STORY BUTTERFLY, BUTTERFLY written & illustrated by Petr Horáček Walker Books Australia FILM Barron Gorge Walk (Play School, ABC) ANIMATION Incy Wincy Spider (Play School, ABC) IDEAS FOR LATER Make a garden diorama with green grass, a blue sky & flowers made from patty pans and pipe cleaners. Make some craft bugs to live in your diorama, such as the bottle top bugs described below. Take a walk in your garden or a local park and look out for “mini beasts” such as ants, worms, beetles and birds. Take a close look at the mini beasts you find (without touching them) and then draw or paint a picture of them. Tape or staple your pictures together to create a mini beast scrapbook! Plant some colourful flowers in your garden or a plant pot. Watch them as they grow. Do they attract any insects? SONGS Spots Are Great Composers: Peter Dasent & Mark Barnard Publisher: Origin/ Control Incy Wincy Spider Composer: Traditional Publisher: Origin/ABC Music Publishing Outside in the Garden Composers: Peter Dasent & Judith Keyzer Publisher: Origin/Control Flutter, Flutter Butterfly Composer: Lesley Lees Publisher: Ward Lock Educational Would You Like to Be a Tree? Composers: Peter Casey & Carissa Campbell