Reception Children at Hillier Gardens

Reception children enjoyed a busy day at Hillier Gardens to support their topic learning about minibeasts. The morning was spent in a woodland area looking under logs and on the woodland floor for bugs. Many were found and put into collection pots, some with a little help due to the speed of them! It was wonderful to watch the children’s excitement watching the bugs scurrying around. The children then gathered together to look at what they had found and with great excitement were told that they were going to have a minibeast race! They released their bugs to see which was the fastest, the beetles were the outright winners. We headed back for lunch through the bamboo forest and over the wobbly bridge to enjoy a picnic lunch. After lunch the heavens opened, luckily the children were kitted out and as the plan was to go pond dipping this didn’t affect our exciting finds. A little competition occurred by the staff once the first newt was found! The children were fascinated by the range of creatures found from flat worms, to ram horn snails, water boatmen to may fly nymphs and beetle larvae. Sadly no tadpoles were caught. To end the day we headed to the outside music area which the children adored. A story, snack and change of clothes ended our time at Hillier Gardens and on the journey home not a sleeping child in sight, just excited chatting all the way!

Vikki Thornburrow