NatureLab Naturalist Maria Merian: Life Cycles Workshop
Latest News: 5th March 2026
Our outdoor season starts now! From March to November, NatureLab offers a variety of outdoor workshops and field trips for all age groups. All our workshops include practical scientific investigation, nature exploration and align with forest school principles.
Classroom Workshop (one hour):
This workshop provides pupils with a hands on introduction to the pioneering naturalist Maria Merian, who travelled to South America in 1699 to study the butterfly life cycle.
Pupils will discover:
• The vital work of modern and historical naturalists, in researching and conserving species
• The sights and sounds of the Amazon rainforest
• The butterfly life cycle and reproduction
Minibeast Hunt:
From March - November, add on an extra hour to introduce pupils to the incredible invertebrates found in their own school environment.
Pupils will explore areas of your school grounds, identifying and surveying invertebrates, and discussing how they are adapted to their habitat. This can be tailored to suit the outdoor spaces available at your school, such as:
• Playing fields
• Woodland areas
• Ponds
• Overgrown areas, hedgerows and field edges
Our outdoor season starts now! From March to November, NatureLab offers a variety of outdoor workshops and field trips for all age groups. All our workshops include practical scientific investigation, nature exploration and align with forest school principles.
Classroom Workshop (one hour):This workshop provides pupils with a hands on introduction to the pioneering naturalist Maria Merian, who travelled to South America in 1699 to study the butterfly life cycle.
Pupils will discover:
• The vital work of modern and historical naturalists, in researching and conserving species
• The sights and sounds of the Amazon rainforest
• The butterfly life cycle and reproduction
Minibeast Hunt:
From March - November, add on an extra hour to introduce pupils to the incredible invertebrates found in their own school environment.
Pupils will explore areas of your school grounds, identifying and surveying invertebrates, and discussing how they are adapted to their habitat. This can be tailored to suit the outdoor spaces available at your school, such as:
• Playing fields
• Woodland areas
• Ponds
• Overgrown areas, hedgerows and field edges
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Where we travel to
We can visit your school in:
What activities are available during this school workshop?
In the classroom workshop, pupils will take part in demonstrations and discussions, and put their observational skills to the test to complete a sketch in the style of Maria Merian.
The minibeast hunt puts their new found knowledge into practise, as they discover the fasinating insects found on their doorstep.
The minibeast hunt puts their new found knowledge into practise, as they discover the fasinating insects found on their doorstep.
Which curriculum topics do we cater for?
Wildlife Workshop
Discover the naturalist who unravelled the mysteries of insect life cycles, Maria Merian. Through her paintings, and first hand observation of real minibeasts, your pupils will develop their own understanding of the butterfly life cycle. Who knows, the next great naturalist might be in your class!
Biology Workshop
Animals including humans Living things and habitats Ecology and environment Life Cycles Minibeasts Habitats Life Sciences Forest School
Discover naturalist Maria Merian's pioneering work on butterfly life cycles. Through her field sketches and paintings, pupils will explore the relationship between butterflies and the plants they rely on in every stage of their life, incorporating living things and their habitats objectives for UKS2.
Explorers Workshop
Discover naturalist Maria Merian's pioneering trip to the Amazon rainforest to observe and record insect life cycles. Explore the sights and sounds of the rainforest, and the importance of the field sketches and paintings she created, many of which showed species unknown to science at the time.
Forest School Workshop
Combining interactive classroom learning and outdoor exploration, your pupils will discover pioneering naturalist Maria Merian, then follow in her footsteps by observing and recording minibeasts in their school grounds. This workshop focuses on insect life cycles and reproduction.
What size groups do we cater for?
Up to 35 pupils per workshop. Discounts are available for multiple workshops booked by the same school, across our whole range of science and nature workshops.
Anything else?
This workshop supports key science curriculum topics including living things and their habitats.
All equipment is provided, and additional resources to support curriculum topics will be sent to the school.
This workshop is ideal for focus days / weeks, making curriculum learning memorable, outdoor learning / forest school sessions and 'hook' lessons.
All equipment is provided, and additional resources to support curriculum topics will be sent to the school.
This workshop is ideal for focus days / weeks, making curriculum learning memorable, outdoor learning / forest school sessions and 'hook' lessons.
Who are NatureLab?
We offer primary science and nature workshops and trips across a variety of topics, including habitats, minibeasts, life cycles, fossils and evolution. Please see our other listings for more details.
Shannon Raponi:
I am the founder of NatureLab, working with schools to impart my passion for the natural world and its protection.
I am a qualified primary school teacher with experience in KS1 and KS2. I have also worked as a field studies instructor and group leader, teaching biology and geography fieldwork to school groups in every year group from KS2 to A level, in addition to a number of volunteer roles with children.
I have a degree in animal behaviour and training, and wildlife conservation and research experience in South Africa. Throughout my career so far I have worked to give children experiences they would not otherwise have, and inspire a love for nature and the outdoors.
Teacher Checklist
Risk Assessments Resource Packs £5m PL Insurance
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