Sometimes scientists zoom out and sometimes they have to zoom WAY in. This week we will zoom in to take a closer look at our tiny insect friends. Do you think insects are an important part of our world? Why or why not?
Challenge Accepted
Do you have the strength of an ant? Ants may seem small, but they are insanely strong! If an ant was human, it could lift a van and could jump over a 4 story building! Your engineering challenge this week is to build an ant model (use the image below as a reference) that can hold weight. Remember, good engineers make a plan before building. Make sure to choose your materials wisely! If you want to learn more about ants, check out “How Strong is an Ant?” by Kurt Waldendorf on EPIC!
Virtual Field Trip
Today would be a good take to take an ACTUAL field trip! Take an insect walk. Go outside and see where you see insects thriving in our city. Remember to look low and high and careful not to step on our buggy friends! Take a notebook and draw what you see.
Can’t get outside?
Let’s venture to a butterfly house! Butterflies are pollinators and love flower gardens. Check out this footage from Zoos Victoria in Melbourne (click the image). What do you notice about how the butterflies move? What about their environment?
Podcast
Let’s head over to WOW in the WORLD to hear “The Buzz on Bee Barf”! If you are like me, you are disgusted, but you just have to know more! Wow in the World is a hilarious NPR podcast for kids that explores the wonders of our surrounding world. Click on the image to find this episode!
Phenomena
It’s a phenomenal day to observe a phenomenon! As you watch this timelapse video from the Science Channel (click the image below), think like a scientist and make ‘I notice’ and ‘I wonder’ statements.
Check out some other incredible insect phenomena videos from National Geographic Kids (click on the image)
STEM Stories
Let’s do scientific research this week to learn more about an insect YOU are interested in. We are going to use PebbleGo to learn about an insect’s body parts, habitat, food, and life cycle. This resource is perfect for all ages because you can read or listen along. You can also research in English or in Spanish. Go to https://pebblego.com/. Log in using the username: rosselemsch and password: school.
Bonus
Check out these insect-themed board games! These are great for early elementary (Pre-K through 2nd) and were some of our household favorites! Click the images to a purchase link to Amazon.
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