What to do 1. Read the
What to do 1. Read the ACTIVITY CARD to familiarise yourself with the activity. 2. Check the Kit list to ensure you have the necessary resources. 3. Set the scene by discussing the news story UNDER YOUR FEET 4. Give children time to talk about what it might be like to be so tiny. Encourage them to think about what they might encounter. 5. Help them to create their cut out ‘feet’ if they are struggling. 6. Remind them of safety issues before you go outside. 7. Try to look in different places outdoors to find a range of interesting living things – remember to get children to include plants as well as animals and anything else that is interesting. 8. You might want to look at one place together to encourage children to look very closely. 9. If there is time, record a couple of places before returning indoors. 10. When they return indoors, encourage children to find out more about what they have seen and to think about the story. 11. Give children time to share their ideas. You could put all the ‘feet’ on display. Can people tell where each ‘foot’ was drawn? 12. They could write the story for Stella or draw pictures of what it might be like to be so small living in these places. 13. There are extra challenges on the ACTIVITY CARD. These can be used if there is spare time or if children want to try out more ideas at home and earn a bonus sticker. Things to think about Children may need to be encouraged to look closely. You may wish to create an example of what their filled in ‘feet’ might look like when they are finished. You should draw everything you can see including pebbles, sticks, the texture of tree bark or soil, spiders’ webs etc. Try to encourage children to include details of the animals, plants etc. in their stories rather than just writing about battles with giants! UNDER YOUR FEET
Take it further There is a wide range of things to be found under your feet, even in areas that look fairly barren. The focus of this activity is to get children to be aware of this range of living things. It also helps them to get some sense of where living things are found by studying and comparing the small environments enclosed within the foot shape. You could use PE or maths sorting hoops to focus on a small area. However, children find using the cut out feet more engaging. Do not worry if you cannot identify everything that is found. Looking closely and describing and drawing what has been seen are far more important than naming things. Keywords UNDER YOUR FEET • Outdoors • Nature • Insects • Challenge • Storytelling Watch out! Follow the organisation’s safety code for working outdoors. Check the area first to look for dangerous plants or other items such as broken glass, sharp stones, etc. Avoid areas regularly used by dogs. Ensure that animals are treated with care. Wash hands carefully after the activity outside.
