Entomology: Cross-Curricular Learning

Kids have fun investigating insects in their natural habitat!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VSK6HrKelgtudsf66-B3jeZ8On5L4Ywh/view?usp=sharing

Includes:
1. Letters and photos from Entomologist Greg prompting kids to do different experimentations.
2. 3 Insect Investigation Worksheets: identifying, describing, comparing and contrasting
3. Insect Trading Card Project: measurement and data collection
4. 4 Insect Posters: insect characteristics, non-insect characteristics, mouth parts and compound eyes
5. Insect Fraction and Graphing: oversized images of insects are hung up around the classroom and kids have to circle whether the specimens are insects or not. Then they make a graph of their findings and record fractions.
6. Ant Restaurant Experiment and Recording Sheet: kids have a menu and add their own items to a paper plate for experimentation. Then they graph the results of the experiment (as a class).
7. Label Ant Worksheet
8. Metamorphosis Monarch Sequencing Cards and Worksheet
9. Create Your Own Ladybug Sequencing Cards and Ladybug Lifecycle Worksheet
10. Lifecycle Comic Strip Tech Project
11. Incomplete Metamorphosis Worksheet: Grasshopper and Dragonfly
12. Butterfly Feeder Instructions: kids make daily recordings of the feeder
13. Letter from Greg prompting kids to research an insect from a different biome

Centimeter Crawl

Have a race with your plastic figurines! Students pick a card, measure using the number on the card, and create a path. Whoever reaches the end of the paper first wins!

Biodiversity Scavenger Hunt

Kids hunt for abiotic and biotic factors in their backyard (or school yard). Then, based on their observations, they create a food chain or web to represent what they discovered in the ecosystem they explored! Click here for the printable

Ecosystem in a Bottle

pill bug photo: teacher.vbsd / fish photo: toledonative365

Create a 1 to 3 tier ecosystem using soda bottles!

Featured above:
3 bottle construction - Scribbit: Motherhood in Alaska. Also check out Cranberry Corner.
Visit Annenberg Learner for activities to go along with your eco-column!

2 bottle construction - Legacy Owensboro

1 bottle - The Geo Exchange

Visit Bottle Biology for more ideas!
Check out NFBWA to see how to make a compost column!

Hungry Caterpillar Food Rope

Print and cut out caterpillar life cycle and food shapes, punch holes in them (leaf and food), and have kids create a hungry caterpillar food rope! What did the hungry caterpillar eat first? Kids use clothespins (or simply lace), putting the food in order on a piece of yarn. 

SWAT!

swatter via nytimes

Using a fly swatter, kids try to swat and capture matching flies. Example above: swatter is looking for the number 9. There are six flies that represent the number 9. Click here for a free printable!

What's Living In Your Area?

photo credit: treehouse 1977 - flickr cc

E-nature Zip Guides - Discover the various plants and animals that reside in your area! You can also search endangered or poisonous species. Earth's Endangered is another endangered species search engine, easy for kids to use, that lists animals in their region.

EOL - has lots of biodiversity experiments for kids to conduct in their own backyard! Their tools section includes fun ways to implement technology into science lessons. Kids can also create customized field guides, build / explore ecosystems with an interactive tool, and create their own bingo games.

The Butterfly Site lists butterflies found in each US state.

Once you discover the different plants, animals, and insects in your area, see if you can find them!

Bubblr

Bubblr - Students can create free comic strips using flickr creative commons images. They simply search under tag and they're offered a wide array of photos to choose from that all meet fair use standards! This web 2.0 tool is great for the classroom because it's simple to navigate and easy for young children to publish their own unique story. You can use bubblr to create science comic strips, such as: the lifecycle of a butterfly or frog, the journey of a raindrop, or the transformations of matter. Furthermore, students can just have fun with the tool, creating funny, fictional stories. What child doesn't like comics?!

Monarch Migration Project!

photo credit: science daily

Integrate technology with Project Based Learning, by tracking wildlife migration with Journey North! (track the migration of monarchs, whales, and various birds). 


Monarch Migration Project: students track the migration of butterflies around the world, while communicating with different schools (with the help from Journey North!). Click here to watch the Monarch Migration Project in action from BIE Project Based Learning! 


Art - Kids create special paper butterflies and send them to the next location the monarch migrates to. The student's paper monarchs travel to the same places that real monarch butterflies do. Their paper creations travel around the world!
Science - Students make observations outside of the school. They check the temperature, examine plant life, and find out what kind of environment butterflies prefer.
Language Arts - Kids write to other countries, explaining what their environment is like for the butterflies. They read what students from other schools had to say about their backyard observations!
Social Studies - Mark off the places the butterflies have migrated on a map. Plus, learn about the different cultures around the world by corresponding with other schools. Check out how kids from around the world decorated their butterflies. Is the butterfly art similar or different to your class' artwork?

Balancing Butterfly

photos via greenwala and ideas 4 kids

Find the center of gravity by creating a playful butterfly that balances on your fingertip, shoulder, head, or any place you'd like to land it! isit Ideas 4 Kids to download a butterfly template! Then, flutter over to Green Wala to see how to make a mobile with your balancing butterflies! Click here to see balancing butterflies in action!


Other Gravity Experiments:
Try balancing a soda can at a 45 degree angle
Balance an egg with salt
Hands on activities that play around with gravity
Defy gravity with water with this simple anti-gravity experiment! 

Butterfly and Moth Feeder

After learning about the lifecycle of a butterfly, create a butterfly feeder to observe the various species that live in your neighborhood! This sponge feeder is super easy to make from Rainbow Sunshine and ehow. Punch holes in a vibrant colored sponge (pink, yellow, orange, purple to attract butterflies) with an x-acto knife. Next, push through the hole with a screwdriver (4 holes, 2 on each side). Thread string through your holes so it balances when hung. Then, mix up nectar - 4 parts boiling water to 1 part sugar. Stir and let the sugar dissolve. Remove from stove or microwave, let cool down, and dip! Refrigerate extra solution for 1 week, then dispose it. Dip the sponge in the nectar so it soaks up. Finally, hang it outside. Keep your eyes peeled for butterflies! Clean your sponge and change the nectar once a week.

Besides this butterfly feeder, check out Our Big Earth's version. You can also just lay fruit on a plate. Hang it in a tree or sit the plate on a table outside via Garden Web!

photo credit: unplug your kids

Unplug Your Kids did an cool night experiment from The Learning Channel. They constructed a moth feeder, so kids could see the many different kinds of moths that reside in their environment. Click here for the tutorial!

Molting Experiment

photo credit: lizard-fle-pics, snake-dkimages.com

Cool Bug Stuff conducted an experiment to demonstrate how snakes, lizards, and bugs shed their skin / exoskeleton, when they grow and molt. Spread glue on one of your hands and let dry. "Slowly peel dried glue off and discuss the different insects and reptiles that shed or molt." For more bug experiments, activities, teaching ideas, and even recipes, visit Cool Bug Stuff 

Story Interaction

Kids love role play. Encourage them to act out the parts of main characters in books. Not only will they have fun, but this activity will also help with reading comprehension. Snap photos of the kids. Then, have them draw/paint backgrounds and settings from a book. Then, paste their photo within the art they've made. 

Ladder to the moon via Artsonia 

Grouchy bug via Finally in First

Climbing the stalk via No Time for Flash Cards

Pollination

Demonstrate pollination with Cheetos! Click here for an idea of how to implement this into your classroom!

Twig Dragonflies

photo via twig and toadstool

Create beautiful dragonflies out of twigs and maple keys! You can keep them natural or make them sparkle! Visit Twig and Toadstool for the full tutorial!

Buzz Noise Maker