In this activity, we immerse ourselves in natural history and explore the distinctive features of animals that are used to group and identify living things. We use specimens in our Natural History Museum to help explain relationships between species and use a dichotomous key to identify specimens.
This activity unlocks the study of nature in three key ways:
- Close observation of the similarities and differences between species. Use a dichotomous key to classify animals into taxonomic groups;
- Creative documentation of these species through pencil illustration. Draw one of the animals and explore why it is unique from the others; and
- Seeing and understanding symmetry. Explore patterns and shapes of animals that give us insight into their development and evolution in nature.