Age 5-6: Darwin's Lookouts
Introducing Darwin's Lookouts
5-6 year-olds are the 'Lookouts' - looking out for plants in the local environment and examining them carefully. They'll be learning about plant parts and spotting similarities and differences.
Darwin used his powers of observation all the time in his scientific work, and the Lookouts will be well on their way to becoming the scientists of the future!
Lookouts quick start
- Darwin's Lookouts learning outcomes PDF Word
- Darwin's Lookouts curriculum links (all regions) PDF Word
- Darwin's Lookouts Teachers Booklet PDF Word
- Darwin Doodle Book PDF Word
- Darwin's Lookouts postcard from Fiona PDF Word
- Darwin's Lookouts video download .wmv(55MB) .mov (150MB)
- Darwin's Lookouts video Video
To celebrate 200 years since Charles Darwin's birth, The Great Plant Hunt has been developed by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, commissioned and funded by the Wellcome Trust.
What's this?
Teachers need to sign up for a school account - even if you've already registered to get our newsletter.
When you sign up, we'll send you a username and password for your classes to log in with and share photos and data from their Great Plant Hunt activities.
Please use a school email address if you have one - other email addresses will take a little longer to process.
You must log in to:
- Change your details or year group
- Send us your photos
- Moderate photos
- Send in tips and tricks
- Assign teachers to year groups
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Photos
Every week, we'll award one stunning image the prestigious 'Photo of the Week' grand title! Winning photos will appear on The Great Plant Hunt home page in the treehouses and in the photo album.
Send us your photos!Sign up for an account to get your school's children uploading photos and entering the competition.
Tips and Tricks
Run a Lookouts assembly
Kick off the Lookouts work with an assembly or classroom presentation! Read the Darwin the Lookout chapter from the storybook and show the Lookouts video of Fiona - a real life Plant Hunter who’ll set the children their challenge.
Footprints frenzy
Download and print out as many Lookouts footsteps as you need to get the childrens’ work walking all over the classroom.
Fun with leaves
What we enjoyed this year was collecting the leaves gathered on a thinking walk, pressing them in the plant press and using them to make christmas cards! We might experiment with biodegradable festive decorations next year..
More tips & tricksLookouts activities
Lookouts Activity 1: Thinking Walk
In Activity 1, the Lookouts look at parts of a plant and then go on a walk to look for wild native plants. Ways to use the plants and leaves collected are suggested or invent your own!
- Duration: 2 lessons.
Activity 1 Resources
Lookouts Activity 2: Spot the plant
In Activity 2, the Lookouts go on a second walk to find plants from the Identikit. They'll use observation skills to compare and match living plants with the Identikit.
Activity 2 Resources
Lookouts activities, stickers and games
Lookouts Activity 3: Help!
In Activity 3, the Lookouts will see plants that are wilted and unhealthy. Using the worksheet, ask the children to arrange a set of cartoon pictures into the correct order.
- Duration: 1 lesson.
Activity 3 Resources
- Darwin's Lookouts Activity 3 PDF Word
- Wilted and watered plant images Plant images
- Darwin's Lookouts worksheet PDF Word
The fun stuff - play online
Engage the Lookouts with Sunflower Survival and other interactive games! They can be used by children independently or on a whiteboard as a whole class. Plus there's stickers and an extra fun outdoor extension activity to do or take home.
- Sunflower Survival
- Herby Havoc
Download The Great Plant Hunt games
You can download the individual games to your computer by clicking on the links below - make sure you choose the correct type of file depending on whether you use a PC or Mac. When the download has completed, you will need to unzip the folder to a suitable place on your computer then, follow the simple instructions included in the folder.
PC users Mac usersPlan and run a Darwin's Lookouts assembly
Planning the Lookouts assembly
Read the Darwin the Lookout chapter from the storybook to set the scene. Then show the children the Darwin's Lookouts postcard and video from Fiona to get them going on the classroom and outdoor activities. Other useful downloads include a poster of Darwin (A3 or A4), and more footsteps to add to the school poster.
Lookouts assembly resources
- Storybook Chapter 2: Darwin the Lookout PDF Word
- Charles Darwin poster - A3 PDF
- Charles Darwin poster - A4 PDF
- Darwin's Lookouts postcard from Fiona PDF Word
- Darwin's Lookouts name graphic PDF
- Darwin's Lookouts footsteps (A3) PDF
- Darwin's Lookouts footsteps (A4) PDF
- Darwin's Lookouts colour certificate PDF
- Darwin's Lookouts black and white certificate PDF