Abstract
To date, insufficient work has been carried out on how children view living organisms in the environment. In this study a large number of conversations were audio‐taped and transcribed while primary age pupils observed meal worms or brine shrimps (both of which are invertebrates) during science activities. Analysis revealed the ways in which the pupils interpreted what they saw in terms of their prior experience. We discuss the implications of these and others of our findings for school education and the development of children's ethical constructions of their environments.