Outdoor Science: Habitats

Sonya Newland is an experienced author of children's books. She specialises in geography.

Perfect for forest schools and other outdoor classroom applications, this series is ideal to engage children with the outside world while at the same time supporting the KS2 science curriculum. From making a pond to going on a minibeast hunt, there are plenty of simple activities which use easily found inexpensive equipment. The hands-on ideas help children's learning about food chains, amazing adaptations, classification keys, as well as habitats such as ponds, rock pools in a far more memorable way than indoor-based learning. 'Spot it' ideas encourage observation and 'hands on' ideas are practical. The series features excellent colour photos to aid identification and these are well labelled for clarity. Also in the Outdoor Science series is Animals (Outdoor Science)which teaches children about the different types of animals and their habitats, with lots of hands-on activities and excellent graphics to give the book appeal. Good indexes enhance useability. Learning outdoors creates lasting memories, helps build a greater awareness of the environment, provides more opportunities to think independently, and gets children feeling challenged and excited by learning.

• 1: What are habitats?;2: What lives where?;3: Animal identification;4: Food chains;5: Habitat hunting;6: What’s in the pond?;7: Make a mini-pond;8: Log life;9: Minibeast hunt;10: Rock pools;11: Name that shell!;12: In the grass;13: Be a habitat hero;