First grade entomologists continued their study of fireflies. After reviewing the body parts of a firefly: six jointed legs attached to the thorax, three body parts (head, thorax, abdomen), compound eyes, antennae, and two pairs of wings, we sang the following song, to the tune of Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.

Head, thorax, abdomen, abdomen ( Repeat 2 times)
Antennae, wings, and six jointed legs,
Head, thorax, abdomen (abdomen)

Like all beetles, fireflies undergo complete metamorphosis during their life cycle: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Click here to watch an informative video about fireflies. What is bioluminescence?  Why do fireflies glow?

We applied what we learned about the anatomy of a firefly and added bodyparts to the fingerprint abdomen. Of course, these scientists would only observe a firefly in a jar for a short time, before they released it.

Our fireflies really glow in the dark because I added Steve Spangler’s phosphorescent powder to yellow paint. We dipped our fingers into the paint to make the abdomens.

This little light of mine; I’m gonna let it shine!

Click here to watch The Very Lonely Firefly.