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.

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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.

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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.

Category: All About Mrs. Bright, Science | 1 Comment on Unexpected Discoveries
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:

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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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July 27

Stripes

I’ve written other posts about patterns in nature, such as concentric circles, spirals and hearts. In this post, let’s focus on stripes. I’ve previously shared that I enjoy setting an intention for my walks, and finding stripes was an especially challenging task that has taken time. Both prey and predators use stripes for camouflage. Some of the stripes on shells and plants are growth rings or body segments while the stripes or layers on rocks result from heat and pressure.


Zebras, skunks, tigers, and raccoons are known for their stripes, but there are many other animals that have stripes too.

Taken at the Sanibel Shell Museum in 2022

Go here to view full screen.

A Bad Case of Stripes is a fun fiction story to include in your study of stripes. Go here to view full screen. The setting is the beginning of a new school year.

There are numerous simple paper or yarn weaving activities that will reinforce your study of stripes. Integrate measurement skills.

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July 25

Merlin App

During my first education class in college, we visited the kindergarteners at the Model School on campus. The seasoned teacher was playing tapes of bird calls and her young students were identifying the recorded bird calls with amazing accuracy. With wisdom, she explained to this group of aspiring teachers that identifying bird calls improves auditory discrimination (subtle differences in sounds) which is a building block in phonics, reading, and writing.

The free Cornell Lab Merlin Bird app on my phone has quickly become a favorite. “Sound ID listens to the birds around you and shows real-time suggestions for who’s singing. Compare your recording to the songs and calls in Merlin to confirm what you heard. Sound ID works completely offline, so you can identify birds you hear no matter where you are.”  I’ve been surprised at how many birds are close by that I do not see. Go here to learn more about this app.

When you walk outside with your children and keep a list of the birds you hear. Add this app to classroom iPads and use it around your school campus.

I heard the following birds one morning as I savored a cup of coffee on my deck:

Go here to watch full screen.

Click here to reference the Audubon’s encyclopedia of bird calls.

In this classic book, the owl tries to sleep, but the diurnal animals keep him awake. Young children will enjoy repeating the predictable text and laugh at the surprise ending. Use this book in a nocturnal unit and to introduce onomatopoeia, a word that phonetically imitates, resembles, or suggests the sound that it describes. It is a simple book to dramatize with instruments and bird calls. (Can you think of other sounds to add?)

See the source image

 

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July 19

Hummingbird Sphinx Moth

As we learned in my previous post, bees and butterflies aren’t the only pollinators. On a walk through a local park, I noticed a variety of insects on the base of a tree. (I didn’t spy all the tiny insects until I was reviewing the photos!) There were some hornets, so I didn’t venture too close, but one visitor piqued my interest. I had discovered a hummingbird moth! With body parts and behavior similar to a hummingbird, it is often mistaken for one. Moths are nocturnal, but this moth is diurnal and a lesser-known pollinator. I’m uncertain what was drawing all the insects to the tree – sap or some other sweet substance? What do you think?

Look carefully. Do you see the feathery antennae, a plump body covered with hair resembling feathers, six legs, and an abdomen that flairs like a tail?  The moth is able to hover like the bird it is mimicking, but it collects nectar with a proboscis, not a beak. There are four types of hummingbird moths in North America. They move quickly, approximately 15 miles per hour, so I felt fortunate to have captured a photo. Unexpected discoveries are the best!

A hummingbird at my feeder:

Go here to view full screen.

Such a great example of mimicry – a defense mechanism. Go here to view full screen.

Can you distinguish a moth from a butterfly? Go here to a post with the answers.

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July 17

A Green Roof!

As I approached the entrance to Dunwoody Nature Center, I was greeted by a pollinator garden on the rooftop of an education building – a creative collaboration between scientists and engineers! Read below to learn how it was created:

“The green roof is made up of layers of specially blended soil, rigid drainage boards, and native plants that attract all kinds of pollinators. Our roof captures rainwater before it can become stormwater. The specially blended soil contains small pebble like aggregates, sand, and composted worm castings, The rigid drainboard has shallow cups. Together, they hold the rainwater long enough to irrigate the plants. Unused rainwater flows into the gutter and trickles slowly down into the rain garden below.”



How do you construct a green roof? Go here to view full screen.

Which plants should be included in a pollinator garden? Go here to watch full screen.

Why are pollinators important? Go here to watch full screen.

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July 12

So Many Engaging Color Activities!

As I mentioned in a previous post, I am intentionally capturing photos of summer colors.This post will highlight the primary colors, red, yellow, and blue and a sampling of my photographs follow. They are considered primary colors because they can’t be created by mixing other colors together. There are warm and cool variations of each color.






The primary colors mixed together create the secondary colors (orange, purple, and green), as well as the tertiary or intermediate colors. Four engaging investigations follow: Go here and here for a simple color mixing activity that introduces the concepts of hydrophilic and absorption.

Go here for a favorite color mixing exploration. Name the colors you create.

Go here and here for an investigation that creates a chemical reaction as you mix colors.

Go here for a fun experiment with milk, soap, and the primary colors that explores surface tension.

Go here to view full screen, Go here for a book extension.

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My youngest scientists always enjoyed this song. Click here to view full screen.

However, these colors are not the same as the primary colors used in printing and digital displays. Go here for an investigation with the primary colors of light.

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