Using school grounds for Science

School grounds are a wonderful resource for fieldwork as they are safe, free and constantly accessible. Personal research has shown that a wide variety of plants and animals can be found all year in the grounds of suburban and rural schools.

My aim is to assist Teachers in knowing what this wildlife is and how they can be used for Science investigations outdoors. Maybe this site could help. Identifying species, suggesting projects and pupil's worksheets, whatever would be of use.  Please just ask!

All you need at school is some grassland and hedge, so what can be found now that we are into April? In flower along the boundary hedgerows may be Celandine, Red Dead-nettle, Germander Speedwell, Lesser Stitchwort, Hairy Bittercress, Common Mouse-ear, Dog Violet, Dandelion and sometimes Ladies Smock.  Also look out for Annual Meadow-grass, the one grass which flowers all year.

Beefly

Bumble Bees are particularly active hunting for nesting sites and Bee-flies may be seen visiting the Spring flowers. Investigating the piles of dead leaves around the grounds will reveal numerous invertebrates, from slugs and worms to beetles, ants and spiders.

 

Common Toad

Many ponds have frogspawn and Toads are returning to the water where they started as toadspawn.

Notes on species.

Beeflies Bombylius major
Beeflies are small rounded furry insects which get their name through their resemblance to Bumble Bees. However, they have long spindly legs and only one pair of wings. They are most often seen when hovering around spring flowers, plunging their long proboscis into flowers. Although the adults eat nectar, the larvae are parasites, mostly living on solitary bees and wasps. There are about ten types of Beefly in Britain.