Begin British Science Week with some background information on the peppered moth!

PRESENTATION: The peppered moth

• Questions: What is camouflage? Can you think of examples?

Give each pupil a paper butterfly and challenge them to decorate it for camouflage in a chosen spot around the school – classroom, corridor, or playground. Encourage them to apply Art and design skills such as shading, blending, or collage.

Ask pupils to write their name and class on the back before hiding their butterflies. The goal? To see which ones stay hidden the longest! Discuss why some were harder to find and link this to real-world adaptations like the peppered moth.

Pupils can keep their butterflies for the final presentation or assembly.

We’d love to see your best camouflage creations in action – share them with us!

This activity works well in the classroom or assemblies.

Seat pupils with their butterflies and display the Changing Habitats presentation. Begin by asking: Why do habitats change? (e.g. pollution, deforestation, wildfires, climate change).

Explain that habitats change for many reasons, often because of human actions. Climate change can make some places wetter and others drier, affecting plants and animals. Pollution, deforestation, and other changes to the environment can make it harder for some species to adapt and survive.

PRESENTATION – Changing habitats

KS1 (Years 1 & 2)

• Use ‘Moth – An Evolution Story’ as a starting point for discussion.
• If pupils have covered the Habitats unit, ask them what a food chain including the peppered moth might look like. Who are its predators?
• When revising the Sensitive Bodies unit, discuss which senses a predator uses to hunt and how camouflage helps prey stay hidden.
• If pupils have completed Comparing Animals, encourage them to use precise descriptive language for different animals.
• When revisiting Seasonal Changes, discuss how habitats change throughout the year and how this affects wildlife.

Lower KS2 (Years 3 & 4)

• In the Classification and Changing Habitats unit, introduce lichen as a living organism that is neither a plant nor an animal.
• If pupils have covered Digestion and Food, ask how food chains would change if peppered moth populations increased or decreased. How would this affect predators and other prey?
• In the Life Cycles and Health unit, discuss what animals need to survive and how environmental changes impact them.

Upper KS2 (Years 5 & 6)

• If pupils have studied Classifying Big and Small, explain that lichen is a mix of algae (a plant-like organism) and fungus, which belongs to its own classification group.
• In Evolution and Inheritance, highlight how the peppered moth demonstrates natural selection and how species change over time.
• Emphasise that natural selection has occurred twice in the history of the peppered moth due to environmental changes.
• In Classification and Changing Habitats, explore the difference between natural and human-caused habitat changes. Discuss how climate change affects animal behaviour, such as changes in migration or breeding patterns.