Excited pupils from Brundall primary school went on a bug hunt thanks to an initiative by the RSPB which encourages exploration of the natural world.
The Outdoor Classroom Day project was started by the society to inspire students and teachers to learn and play outdoors.
Called BioBlitz, the project sees pupils spend 30 minutes on their school grounds searching for as many living things as possible.
Harry Rowland and Preston Gibbons, two year six classmates from Brundall Primary School who took part, said it had been loads of fun. 'It's a lot better than spending time in the classroom,' they said.
Xavier Coutinho and Louis Melville said they had never noticed so many 'bugs' on their school sports field before. 'We found a snail, spider, ant, ladybug, wasp and a hoverfly,' said Xavier.
The children were introduced to the project by Glenda Saunders, RSPB community nature champion. The class was divided into pairs and given brushes and small transparent 'pots' with a magnifying glass on the lid. 'We're not giving you the brush to paint the insects,' she said. 'You use it to gently brush the insect into your pot so you can study it.'
Once they had finished studying the insects, the pupils were told to place them back carefully where they had found them.
Class teacher Harriet Power said the exercise provided a welcome change for the pupils. 'We're lucky because here at Brundall we've got fantastic grounds for this sort of thing,' she said.
RSPB schools outreach project officer Clare Whitelegg said Bioblitz was a fun way to explore and discover. She said the project, which was run at various schools, was made possible thanks to Networks for Nature, funded by HLF, and the RSPB's Schools Outreach Programme funded by and in partnership with Aldi.
'It is a really popular programme,' she said. 'The kids love it and we get brilliant feedback from them.' If you would like you school to take part, contact the RSPB at www.rspb.org.uk
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here