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!

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.

Pre-K Uses Their Senses!

Pre-K has been using four of their senses - see, hear, smell and touch - while exploring objects in science.  They are also observing some of the science critters and learning how to handle them!

Making observations.

The log feels smooth and bumpy.

The snail is eating the carrot!

The snail is slow.

The mealworms can move fast!

Using a magnifying glass makes them look bigger!

To touch or not to touch?!

I think it's eating.

They love to hide under the tent!

It has legs!

Pre-K focusing on their sense of touch, put their hand in a mystery bag and tried to determine what the object was by the way it felt.  Often, the temptation to look in the bag before deciding what the object was, was too great! But they all had fun in the process and learned new words to describe objects!

What is in bag 4?

I think it feels round.

It's squishy!

The pine cone is spiky!

A sea star!

It's a spoon!

The worm is long.

It feels slimy!

Earthworms are captivating!