Nursery World - EYFS Activities: We’ve explored… a wasps’ nest

What the children at one setting learned about wasps and their nests. Annette Rawstrone reports

A deserted wasps’ nest displayed in a curiosity cube at Dunky’s Day Nursery in Runcorn, Cheshire prompted lots of questions, wondering and investigations.

The nest was brought in by a four-year-old whose grandmother had found it in the walls of her house while doing renovations. He was keen to show his friends and find out more about it.

‘The child helped me place the nest into our curiosity cube, we spoke about it being “delicate” and how we had to handle it carefully,’ says deputy manager Kellyann Spellman.

‘We chose to present the nest in this way because at our recent Ofsted inspection, where we received Outstanding, the inspectors were enthralled by the conversations they had with children around an object inside the cube. We knew this would provoke questions and critical thinking. We placed a lightbox on top so we could all see the intricate detail.’

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