Ban the word Minibea**S

[Clearwater]

it's really time you learned to spell

[Clearwater]

Quite right! i lost my fear of spiders by braving it out to my children. i wasn't going to have any of them with beasties complexes. i taught primary schoolchildren to look after small creatures, examine them etc then free them to return "to their families"!

[Airehead]

Originally Posted by honeybee

most of us call a cranefly a daddy long-legs don't we??

As a child, "daddy long-legs" was the name I was taught to give the harvest-man, as Paul Mabbott says. I always called the crane-fly a "jenny spinner" or "ginny spinner". I don't know if this was a regional peculiarity.

[Boddie]

Originally Posted by Clearwater

Quite right! i lost my fear of spiders by braving it out to my children. i wasn't going to have any of them with beasties complexes. i taught primary schoolchildren to look after small creatures, examine them etc then free them to return "to their families"!

I often wonder if my phobias will be cured by having to introduce my kids to insects. I hope so as I would hate to feel that they have inherited my fear of anything that moves

[Barbara]

Originally Posted by Airehead

As a child, "daddy long-legs" was the name I was taught to give the harvest-man, as Paul Mabbott says. I always called the crane-fly a "jenny spinner" or "ginny spinner". I don't know if this was a regional peculiarity.

I was taught to call the crane-fly 'daddy long legs' and that's what I still call them

[Beryl]

I was told as a child that the harvest-man was daddy long legs, I supose it's different in different parts of the country, sort of thing

[honeybee]

That's interesting: regional dialect.

My partner's from yorks and he has silly names for things

[honeybee]

Originally Posted by Airehead

As a child, "daddy long-legs" was the name I was taught to give the harvest-man, as Paul Mabbott says. I always called the crane-fly a "jenny spinner" or "ginny spinner". I don't know if this was a regional peculiarity.

That's funny actually coz my other half calls the hellicopter seeds from trees "spinning ginnys"

[Airehead]

Mr Magoo, I now can sympathise with your original complaint. I have just seen that word for the first time - in the RSPB centre at Forsinard, out in the wilds of Sutherland. Don't these bad habits travel fast and far!

[wyevilla]

Still it is better than creepy crawlies which has a really prejudicial feel to it.

But seriously, why not refer to them as invertebrates? Not only is this accurate it is certainly no bad thing to introduce young children to some simple taxonomy and why not start here. Children are certainly capable of understanding the main differences between major taxonomic groups. (I speak with 18 years teaching experience)

[badgerwatcher]

As I have understood it, the term Minibeasts is one that teachers have had presented to them as an area they must cover for Key Stage 1. Please, teachers, correct me if I'm wrong. I think teachers have so much to do, that fighting for a change of name for a topic is low on their list.

[RobSutton]

Originally Posted by wyevilla

But seriously, why not refer to them as invertebrates?

(I speak with 18 years teaching experience)

Here here - young children love very long dinosaur names so invertebrates is certainly well within their scope. I didn't think there was anybody else out there who detested the use of mininbeast so glad to know there are others of similar mind.

[The Valley sparrow]

Think the term Mini Beasts is great. We have Minibeast trails in our Forest schools, with trap doors, log piles and such. It definitely makes the inverts more exciting for the children.

[Kymba]

Originally Posted by The Valley sparrow

Think the term Mini Beasts is great. We have Minibeast trails in our Forest schools, with trap doors, log piles and such. It definitely makes the inverts more exciting for the children.

I agree with you I like the word Minibeasts and children i have asked said the word makes them interested and it is a fun word... The main thing is once you have captures their enthusiasm and interest you then breakdown and explain to them what Minibeasts are..It is all about getting young children interested enough to want to learn more...And if MINI BEASTS does that then thats Great

[nightshade]

I have to agree with Kymba,first get their attention then give them an education!

[RobSutton]

Originally Posted by The Valley sparrow

Think the term Mini Beasts is great. We have Minibeast trails in our Forest schools, with trap doors, log piles and such. It definitely makes the inverts more exciting for the children.

Or is it the person leading the activity and the activities themselves which make invertebrates exciting for kids? I still think minibeasts is insulting to a childs intelligence.

[Tormentil]

How so ?? The english language is ever evolving. Since I left school way back in 1964, there must be hundreds of new words that have entered our vocabulary.

[RobSutton]

Originally Posted by Tormentil

How so ?? The english language is ever evolving. Since I left school way back in 1964, there must be hundreds of new words that have entered our vocabulary.

But most of them are there because they needed to be made up for new situations, new ways of doing things etc. - minibeast is just dumbing down, invertebrate is meaningful. So if we have a word which works, which young children have no problem understanding then why do we need to make another up - just to appear trendy and with it?

[badgerwatcher]

Originally Posted by RobSutton

But most of them are there because they needed to be made up for new situations, new ways of doing things etc. - minibeast is just dumbing down, invertebrate is meaningful. So if we have a word which works, which young children have no problem understanding then why do we need to make another up - just to appear trendy and with it?

I think maybe that this is a case in point, Rob. It needed to be made up to fit this new situation, which is that children raised on technicoloured cartoons, films with special effects so believable that a lot of small children believe they have watched films of real dinosaurs etc., (which is a whole other argument, as is the 'jazzing up' of museums!), and computer games, need to be 'grabbed' in a different way from the ways that worked years ago. We don't necessarily like it, but we have to reach the children.

[Gill Catton]

I think it can backfire a little though if you're brought up with a subject using 'easy' words - when it come to actually learn about the subject the real words - the longer unfamiliar words and latin etc can make you back right off and put the whole thing in the 'too hard' file as I did for years and years - I truly wish I had been introduced to the real words earlier in life - I might be years ahead in my ability by now plus I might have realised then at school when I had the opportunity to learn latin how useful it would have been.
Children use a different part of their brain to learn languages that adults - it's why they pick up foreign languages with relative ease - and that's what essentially much in wildlife study is words used nowhere else - it's a whole new language in many cases.
I think the dinosaur point is spot on, kids aren't afraid of long words and I think an enthusiastic and informed teacher is as useful - and in the long run potentially more valuable - as easy words in getting children interested.
I was brought up with people using the word minibeast and yes it was an exciting word but not nearly as exciting as the centipede put in a pot under my nose for me to look at, or the ground beetle black and chunky and glossy - they could've been called Chilopoda or Pterostichus madidus and I still would have been fascinated

[The Valley sparrow]

The point of the term Minibeasts is to help sow that seed of interest toward young Children, and i suppose to help take away the stigma behind the term Creepy Crawlies. I can see the other point of veiw, but not all children are keen on wildlife (especially now they have got so much to keep them indoors). For the moment Minibeasts seems to be working, especially with the Children i help teach.