Pond dipping with a washing up bowl
Scoop a little pond life into a shallow bowl, watch it closely, then put every creature back exactly where it came from.
A jam jar of pond water is a whole world. Ten quiet minutes of looking teaches more than a page of naming.
What you need
- A shallow pale bowl
- A sieve or old kitchen colander
- A jam jar
- A spoon
How to do it
- 1
Find a safe pond edge, stream or even a garden water butt, with an adult holding on.
- 2
Sweep the sieve slowly through the water in a figure of eight.
- 3
Tip the catch into the bowl of pond water and let everything settle.
- 4
Watch for two minutes before saying anything, then describe how each creature moves.
- 5
Return every creature and the water to the pond.
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