Stick Insect — early years teaching pack 🎓
A gentle, hands-on minibeast unit for EYFS and KS1, mapped to the Early Years framework and the National Curriculum. Our built-out example for the youngest learners.
🦎 Teaching older pupils? See the KS2–KS3 bearded dragon pack →Age rangeEYFS–KS1
AreaUnderstanding the World
Duration2 × 30–40 min
AssessmentObservation & talk
FormatPlay · sheets · rota
🎯 Curriculum links
EYFS — Understanding the World (The Natural World)
- Explore the natural world; observe and care for a living thing.
- Talk about what they see, using a wide vocabulary.
- Links to Communication & Language and Physical Development (drawing).
National Curriculum — Science (KS1)
- Y1: identify and name a variety of common animals, including insects; describe and compare their structure.
- Y2: living things and their habitats; basic needs (food, water, shelter); a simple life cycle.
- Working scientifically: observing closely using senses.
📌 Learning objectives
- I can name it: a stick insect is a minibeast (an insect) with six legs and a long body.
- I can explain hiding: it looks like a twig to hide from things that might eat it (camouflage).
- I can care: it needs fresh leaves, a little misting of water, and very gentle, clean hands.
🗃️ Lesson sequence
| Session | Activities |
|---|---|
| 1 · Meet the stick insect | Observe closely together. Count the legs. "Insect or not?" sorting cards. Draw and label our stick insect (big and small). |
| 2 · Hide & care | Why does it look like a twig? A camouflage hunt outside. What does it need to live? Make a simple class care rota (food, misting, gentle hands). |
🌚 Differentiation
🔵 Emerging
- Match minibeast pictures
- Point to and name legs/body
- Adult scribes their ideas
🟢 Expected
- Sort insect / not insect
- Label a drawing with words
- Say why it hides
🟠 Greater depth
- Explain what it needs and why
- Compare two minibeasts
- Caption a drawing in a sentence
🧩 Continuous provision ideas
- Small-world minibeast area with twigs and leaves.
- Playdough stick insects (fine motor).
- Outdoor camouflage hunt — find things that hide.
- Observational drawing at a nature table.
🔗 Across the areas of learning
- Literacy: labels, captions and a simple minibeast story.
- Maths: counting legs; comparing lengths (long / short).
- Expressive Arts: twig collage and drawing.
- PSED: caring for a living thing; gentle, kind handling.
- Physical: fine motor through drawing and playdough.
🛡️ Keeping it safe
Wash hands before and after; handle very gently and low over a soft surface; check the species is legal to keep in the UK.
💡 Built-out EYFS/KS1 template. Curriculum references are indicative — check against your current framework and scheme of work. Informational only.