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Pond Dipping

A companion sheet — print it, scribble on it, keep it or recycle it

Voleio

What we're doing

A net, a white tray and a surprising amount of life.

  • About 90 minutes
  • Science
  • Trip / Experience

Gather these

  • Net
  • White tray
  • ID chart
  • Wellies

Step by step

  • Fill the tray with pond water first.
  • Sweep the net gently in a figure of eight.
  • Tip in and look for movement.
  • Identify, record and return everything.

Worth talking about

Freshwater habitats
Identification
Food chains
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Record what happened

There's no wrong way to fill this in

Voleio

What we did

Write, list or draw — whatever suits today.

Skills we touched on

SkillHow it showed up

Reflect together

What surprised you about pond dipping?
What was the easiest part? What was the fiddliest?
What would you change if you did it again tomorrow?
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Take it further

Three doors out of the same activity

Voleio

If it felt tricky

Look at one scoop and name three things.

If it felt easy

Build a food chain from what you found.

If you'd rather do it differently

Try a stream or a rockpool instead.

Next time, we could

  • Try it outdoors
  • Invite a friend or sibling
  • Stretch it over a whole week

Our own ideas