Pond-dipping

• Safety with water - for teachers
• Waterside safety code - for children!

Equipment

Useful equipment for pond-dippers includes wellies, other waterproofs, white plastic trays, pots or ice-cream tubs, sieves, magnifying glasses, white plastic spoons for handling creatures, notebooks, pencils, identification guides and pond nets. If expense is a problem, bear in mind that most of the creatures caught in nets can also be found by simply dipping pots into the water and mud.

Aims: To learn how to find and handle pond animals and plants, developing a respect for them.

How to pond-dip

1. Approach the pond quietly as you may see birds, frogs or mammals around the edge of the pond. Spend some time looking for activity on and below the surface.

2. Then get things ready, e.g. half-fill the plastic trays and pots with pond water.

3. The first pond net sweeps, long and gentle, can be in the open water. Empty the net contents by turning the net inside out into the plastic tray, then observe and record your findings. Some things don't look like animals at first, so you may have to wait until they start to move!

4. Next sweep the net gently around the submerged plants, being careful not to damage them. Look at your catch in a new tray of water.

5. Now sweep the net along the stems of the emerging plants around the edge of the pond. Observe your findings.

6. Then the net can be swept along the bottom of the pond, taking a very small amount of mud and washing this in the net before emptying the contents into a new tray of water.

You could try other places in the pond too, e.g. shaded and light areas. Also try dipping at different times of the year or in different ponds.

Findings can be recorded at the pond for writing in pond diaries and for maths and English exercises.

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