Junior School Animal Experience

The Pre-prep transformed into a small-scale zoo in the week before half term when The Animal Experience visited the Year 1 and Year 2 classrooms. Year 1 pupils have been learning about simple animal classification – reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals – so it was particularly exciting for them to see these animals. The baby sugar glider provoked plenty of admiring “oohs” and “aahs” with his big eyes and soft coat. Sugar gliders are marsupials and can glide as far as the length of a football pitch, but luckily he stayed put! The snakes made very attractive necklaces for those who were brave enough to approach them. The Year 2 girls have been focusing on mini beasts and animal habitats this term, so they enjoyed it when the giant cockroaches, millipedes and the very hairy tarantula made an appearance. A still hand was needed when holding the tarantula… The girls thought about which features help the animals to live in their particular habitats. Did you know that meerkats have black fur around their eyes which act as sunglasses, protecting their eyes from the bright African sunshine?