The World of Insects!

1st graders are learning about insects.  In particular...mealworms!  They don't look or feel like any worms we know!  They are small, brown, have 6 legs and shed their skin. They can move fast, but also like to play dead. They are pretty interesting little insects!

Time to set up the habitat! We know they need food, water, air and place to live.
It took a while to figure out how to give the mealworms water, but we figured that fruits and vegetables were juicy and that should work!

Summer Vacation 2019

It's hard to believe that summer is just about over!  I had a wonderful time walking in the woods, swimming in the ocean, reading and visiting my friends in London. 

While in London, I was thrilled to see Olafur Eliasson's exhibition at the Tate Modern.  He is one of the creators of the Little Sun solar lamp!

"Beauty", fine mist in a dark room with a spotlight.

"Moss Wall", reindeer moss, a lichen native to
northern latitudes.

"In Real Life", illuminated from inside projecting shadows and
light outside.

"Your Uncertain Shadow", colored spot lights
projected on a wall. When people walk past the
lights, their shadow appears on the wall.

The components to make a Little Sun solar lamp.

I also got to spend the morning at the Natural History Museum.  What an impressive building.

Blue whale skeleton in Hintze Hall.

Giraffe and giraffe skeleton.

The stunning "Museum of the Moon" by Luke Jerram.

Charles Darwin.

Gems and minerals.

Specimens from Darwin's travels.

Darwin's Origin of the Species.

 Lastly, some photos of the critters and objects I saw this summer!

 

 I hope you all had a fantastic summer!  I can't wait to hear about your adventures!

1st Graders Explore the World of Insects!

1st graders are watching their mealworms grow! They also have been observing other "critters" and seeing how they are the same and how they are different to our mealworms.

The bess beetle is the same as our mealworm because they both have
lines on their bodies and 6 legs, but they are different colors and different sizes.

The crickets have antenna like the mealworm, but mealworms
don't jump like the cricket!

The millipede is thin like the mealworm, but it has way more legs than
a mealworm!

The silkworms and mealworms have holes on the
side of their body where they breathe,
but they are a different color than the mealworm.

 We have discovered big changes happening to our mealworms these days! Our mealworms are getting bigger!

This mealworm is shedding it's skin!
Once the skin hardens, the color will be brown.

 The mealworms are also changing! Many of them are now in the pupa stage...they are teenagers.  Everyone is very excited to discover what the adult will look like.  Some thoughts are butterflies, fireflies and bigger mealworms!

The pupa on the bottom is getting ready to
become an adult. One can see the legs
starting to come out of the pupa.

What will it be?

It's a darkling beetle!

They have wings, but only fly if they get scared.

They move so fast!

It is said that when a beetle is upside down, you can tell if it's male or
female.  The female's underside is rounded, while the male's is a bit pointed.