September 5

Antennae

Antennae or feelers are the sensory organs of insects and other invertebrates. Not all antennae look alike. Why? Check out the diversity below.

Resource: Welcomewildlife.com

Illustration showing different types of insect antennae.
After reviewing the types of antennae, task children with designing antennae headbands.



Spiders don’t have antennae. Why?

August 30

Capturing Caterpillars

It has been my intention over the last month to capture photos of caterpillars, and August and September are the best months to do just that. I was rewarded with a cornucopia of finds! My daughter thinks I am a caterpillar whisperer.




Be cautious handling any caterpillar! Some can cause serious infections and rashes. Especially warn children not to handle fuzzy caterpillars with bristles. I believe this caterpillar is the venomous American dagger caterpillar. There are five projecting black barbs.

  • Caterpillars are the larval stage of butterflies and moths. This stage usually last two weeks to one month.
  • After spending their days eating and growing, a butterfly caterpillar will form a chrysalis and a moth caterpillar a cocoon. (Yes, they really are very hungry caterpillars!)
  • Six small eyes arranged in a semicircle are on each side of its head.
  • Well-developed jaws (mandibles) allow them to easily tear off leaves and chop them into small pieces.
  • Setae and antennae help the caterpillar sense its surroundings.
  • A caterpillar has six true legs on its thorax. Prolegs or false legs are on the abdomen and help them grasp objects.
  • As they grow and exoskeletons become too tight, they will molt.
  • Spiracles, breathing pores, are on each side of their bodies.
  • Caterpillars utilize camouflage, mimicry, venomous hairs, or a bright warning color to protect themselves from predators.

Go here to view full screen.

Order caterpillars through Insect Lore and watch them move through metamorphosis. “Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly.” A great reminder for us all!!

Advanced vocabulary and many examples of alliteration fill the pages. Go to YouTube to listen here.

Clara Caterpillar by Edwards, Pamela Duncan Book The Fast Free Shipping ...

Use the following picture book to discuss elements that are real and those that are make-believe. Go here to watch full screen.

To watch full screen, go here. A great mentor text to introduce dialogue or identify character traits. Did the caterpillar become a butterfly or a moth? How do you know?

Related Posts:

Butterflies

Inchworms

August 23

Tiny Perfect Things

A flaming sunset, a crimson fall tree, or morning mist rising from a pond easily grab our attention, but there are many “tiny, perfect things” around us that aren’t as obvious. With closer inspection, you will be amazing at the patterns and complexity. After watching the video for inspiration, encourage your young scientists to discover the splendor in the small living things around you. Take photos and make your own book or slideshow. What do you notice and wonder?

Go here to view full screen.

These are some of the tiny, perfect things that have enriched my days recently.



August 21

Feathers

Feathers are science treasures that catch my eye as I hike near the woodlands or stroll through my backyard. However, did you know that it is illegal (with a few exceptions) to collect feathers? Therefore, I capture their beauty in photos and leave them where I find them. Go here to read the law.

We think and communicate in words, so learning vocabulary is a critical component of any lesson when you teach young scientists. Use this opportunity to call attention to labels on a diagram. Note the downy feathers which keep the bird warm near the bottom of this contour feather. I purchased feathers for classroom use from Nasco.

For a previous post about how ducks waterproof their feathers, go here.

For a simple cutting activity that introduces symmetry, ask children to fold a piece of paper and draw half a feather from the top of the crease to the bottom. For my youngest scientists, I placed dots to indicate where to start and stop on the fold. After opening their feathers, students cut snips (barbs) along the feather edges.

Go here to view full screen.

Because of the shape of their feathers, owls have silent flight. To learn more, go here.

Use these books during your study of feathers.

Plume | Children's Book Council

Look for similes as you read this story about the remarkable uses of feathers. Sidebars provide additional information.

Peacock's Rainbow Feathers - Touch and Feel Board Book - Sensory Board ...

Watch this humorous story full screen here. Young scientists will want to read along.

A fun story with a timeless lesson! Go here to view full screen. After reading, design and create fanciful crests to wear.

August 17

Sunsets

Hot temperatures and afternoon storms have brought amazing sunsets and watercolor skies. The colors and patterns change so quickly. No filters were necessary to enjoy God’s masterpiece!

Do you know why the colors appear in a sunrise and sunset? Go here for a previous post with the answer, videos, and a science experiment.


For full screen viewing, go here.

After reading this story, encourage your children or students to paint or draw a picture when the sky isn’t blue. Go here to view full screen.

The following book which explains all the reasons the sky glows is sure to be a new favorite. Thanks to Starrmatica for introducing it to me!

August 14

Are Bugs Insects?

Are the words bug and insect synonyms? According to scientists, the two terms are not interchangeable. Let’s learn the difference between them. True bugs belong to the insect order Hemiptera.

The specialized piercing mouthparts bugs use for sucking is the primary difference between insects and bugs. Also, all bugs (and some insects) move through incomplete metamorphosis (egg, nymph, adult) during their life cycle, rather than complete metamorphosis (egg, larva, pupa, and adult). So, a bug is a type of insect. All bugs are insects, but not all insects are bugs.

The diversity in the world of bugs and insects is displayed through the accurate and colorful illustrations in the informational book, Bugs are Insects.

Bugs Are Insects by Anne Rockwell

Recently, I’ve come across several true bugs – cicadas and aphids. Stink bugs are also true bugs.

The sound of cicadas reminds me of hot Atlanta summers and their forgotten exoskeletons that cling to the trunks of trees. Go here for a previous post about cicadas and here for to learn more about a cicada killing wasp.

Go here to view full screen.

From the Bug Club Series:

Cicada City: A Bug Club Story on Behance

I discovered two species of aphids on my plants this summer, not a pest a gardener wants to find! I hoped the ladybugs I purchased, a natural predator, would eliminate them. Go here for a previous post about ladybugs. Neem oil, a naturally occurring pesticide, is another alternative to rid your plants of aphids.

The yellow oleander aphids, native to the Mediterranean, blanketed the top of my milkweed plants. I cut off the branch, and they have not returned.

August 9

Amazing Animal Bridges

Is the deer crossing the path or is the path crossing the forest?


Roadways fragment or isolate animal populations. They create barriers for animals to access food or mates, migrate, or reach nesting areas. The flow of energy through the ecosystem is altered. Many animals are also killed crossing roads every year. “Surveys conducted by the Humane Society and the Animal Protection Institute estimate that one million animals per day die on the road in the United States.” Read more here.

As a result of these concerns, engineers and scientists have collaborated to design and build innovative bridges and underpasses to help wildlife move safely across highways. Scientists ask questions and construct explanations based on evidence, while engineers define problems and design solutions.

Go here to view full screen.

Go here to watch full screen.

Add these informative books to your study of animal bridges.

Crossings: Extraordinary Structures for Extraordinary Animals ...

Make Way for Animals!: A World of Wildlife Crossings (Hardback or Cased Book) - Picture 1 of 1

Designing and building bridges is a common classroom STEM activity. The most meaningful engineering challenges are those that solve a real-world problem. Ask your students to research the wildlife that are threatened by crossing roads in the area in which you live, and then challenge them to design a bridge that would help that specific animal cross the highway safely.

Learn bridge building terminology here.

Add these books to your library to extend your children’s knowledge about the history of bridges and various bridge designs. Here to There and Me to You is an engaging book for you to introduce bridges to your students or children. Examples of architectural designs and real-life bridges are included. Use Google maps to locate these bridges. The overarching message is that bridges bring people together. Discuss real problems that the construction of a bridge has resolved.

Perfect Picture Book Friday: A BOOK OF BRIDGES – FROM HERE TO THERE ...

Would the Brooklyn Bridge be completed when the chief engineer was bedridden? His wife, Emily Roebling, supervised the completion of the bridge during a time in history when women were not engineers.

History Book Fest to introduce Children’s Literature Panel Sept. 28 ...

In 1883, people wondered just how much weight the new mile-long Brooklyn Bridge could hold. Would the elephants in the P. T. Barnum Circus cross the bridge safely? Twenty-One Elephants and Still Standing is another beautifully illustrated book that integrates social studies concepts (history and geography) with engineering, science, and math concepts.

Twenty-One Elephants and Still Standing (Hardcover - Used) 061844887X 9780618448876

Building the Golden Gate Bridge, “the impossible bridge”, was a dangerous undertaking and at its completion was considered an architectural wonder. Pop’s Bridge is told from the point of view of one of the high climbing ironworker’s sons and his friend.

Pop's Bridge (Hardcover)

Use this informational book to introduce the variety of bridge designs. Which types of bridges are in your city or community?

Hardcover Cross a Bridge Book

Click here to view full screen.

Go here for a simple bridge building challenge.

Go here for an impressive activity that tests the strength of solid shapes.

When I was in the classroom, I created units that were cross-curricular or multi-disciplinary, so that learning was connected and had greater meaning. The study of bridges is an ideal topic to incorporate multiple subject areas.

August 7

Unexpected Discoveries

I walk with expectancy, not knowing who or possibly what I will encounter next on my woodland hikes or neighborhood walks. Is there wildlife around the turn or peering at me from the tree limbs (if I would just remember to look up.) Each discovery is a gift, a memory to treasure, a smile waiting to happen. Grateful.

I hope I live life this way too, excited to discover what adventure or sweet moment awaits.

Just a few of my latest discoveries….

I happened upon the doe first and a few steps later, I realized why this nervous mama was stomping her hoof in warning. Go here for a previous deer post.


Tree frogs are always a delightful surprise!

I spied this dead Eastern Hercules beetle lying on the path, as if it was donating its body to science. Go here to learn more about beetles.

I tried to rescue this millipede from the hot summer sun. To learn more about millipedes, go here.

A box turtle was unable to climb over the street curb, so I gave it a lift up. Go here for a post about turtles.

A yellow-bellied slider startled me when I was trying to capture a photo of a dragonfly. Learn more about sliders here.

So many dragonflies darting around the ponds. For a previous post about dragonflies, go here.

While watering my plants, a little toad hopped out from the leaf litter. Go here to learn more about toads.

August 2

Copperheads

When I was on a woodland walk, a hiker warned me that a copperhead snake was crossing the path just ahead. Copperheads are a venomous (not poisonous) snake common in Georgia and other parts of the Southeastern United States. It is easily recognized by what appears to be chocolate kisses running along its body.

  • Copperheads are ovoviviparous which means that eggs develop within the mother’s body and babies are born alive in early fall. They are independent and venomous from birth.
  • Young have a tail with a bright yellow tip for about a year that attracts frogs and lizards.
  • This pit viper easily camouflages itself in leaf litter on the woodland forest floor.

  • Like other reptiles, copperheads are cold blooded, and their bodies are covered with scales.
  • Most adults grow to lengths of two to three feet.
  • These vertebrates have muscular bodies and are excellent climbers.
  • During the hot summer months, copperheads are nocturnal, but in the fall, they are active during daytime hours.
  • Copperhead bites are rarely fatal.

I saw these copperheads on a hike in North Carolina.

A snake’s forked tongue darts in and out. Why? Watch below to learn more. Go here to view full screen.

Learn more about animal tongues with this engaging picture book:

July 31

Brown

Brown is a common color found in nature. Brainstorm a list of all the natural items that are brown with your children or students. Why do you think so many animals are brown?

Butterflies are often thought to be colorful, but recently I’ve come across some brown butterflies. What clues let me know that it’s not a moth?

During my watercolor lessons, I learned how to mix brown using complementary colors, colors that are across from each other on the color wheel. Examples are purple and yellow, orange and blue, as well as red and green. Your browns will vary depending upon whether you are using warm or cool varieties of the complementary colors. What a fun color mixing activity that may be a new challenge for your children or students.

The Secret to Using Complementary Colors Effectively

We can’t discuss the color brown without including chocolate! What do you know about chocolate? Go here to view full screen.

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