Feb
2nd
🦋 Curious Creatures & Jungle Journeys: Year 1 Shine at Tropical World🌴 Year 1 Visit to Tropical World, Leeds.
Year 1 enjoyed a wonderful visit to Tropical World in Leeds, where the children stepped into warm rainforest environments and explored a huge variety of animals up close. The attraction is known for its indoor tropical habitats, including rainforest, desert, and nocturnal zones, and is home to creatures such as butterflies, reptiles, meerkats, birds, amphibians, and aquatic animals. Each area is designed to help visitors experience what different biomes feel like and understand how animals survive in their natural environments.
This visit provided the perfect chance for our children to bring their science learning to life as part of our St Peter’s vision to Love, Learn, Shine. Through real encounters and hands‑on experiences, our children were able to deepen their curiosity, build knowledge, and shine with confidence as young learners.
During the visit, children were working towards two key learning goals:
- To understand how animals can be grouped according to characteristics such as whether they are mammals, reptiles, birds, fish or amphibians.
- To see a wide range of animals first-hand, building on classroom knowledge with real-life observation and discussion.
Children were fascinated to spot the features they had been learning about—scales, feathers, wings, fur, bright colours, and special adaptations that help animals survive in different climates. Seeing these creatures up close helped make their learning meaningful, memorable, and joyful.
💬 A Word from Miss Ratcliffe
“It was wonderful to see the children’s faces light up as they recognised animals we had talked about in class. They were so inquisitive, thoughtful and full of wonder—exactly what learning should be!”
— Miss Ratcliffe, class teacher and trip organiser
🗣️ Talk More at Home
To continue the learning, here are some simple conversation starters:
- “Which animal did you find most interesting today, and why?”
- “How could you tell whether the animal was a reptile/bird/mammal?”
- “What was the rainforest habitat like? How was it different from our weather?”
- “Did you notice any animals that were awake at night?”
- “How do you think these animals stay safe in the wild?”
🧪 Follow‑Up at Home
🌿 1. Sort and Group Animals
Cut out animal pictures from magazines or draw your own, then sort them into groups (e.g., mammals, reptiles).
🎨 2. Design a Rainforest Animal
Create a new creature! Talk about which body features it needs to survive.
📚 3. Build a Mini Habitat
Use a shoebox to make a rainforest, desert or underwater scene.
📝 4. Write or Draw Your Favourite Animal
Children can label its features or describe them in sentences.
🎶 5. Listen to Jungle Sounds Together
Talk about what you might hear if you were really in a rainforest.
🔍 Helpful Link
Explore more about
animals and their groups on BBC Bitesize:
👉 click
here.
🙏 Thank You
We are extremely grateful to:
- FOSP for their generous part‑funding
- Parents and carers for their contributions
- Our fantastic parent helpers who supported throughout the day
- And a special thank you to Miss Ratcliffe, who organised such a rich learning experience for our children
These combined efforts help our children Love, Learn and Shine both in and beyond the classroom.
Posted In Curriculum, Events
