Insect Explore Lab
K5
Introduction:
Did you know that there are several different kinds of “bugs”
but only certain “bugs” can be called insects? Is a spider an
insect? What about a slug or a snail? How do insects move
from place to place? How does an insect see, hear, or taste
the world around it? Today we will find answers to these
questions.
We are going to be a special kind of scientist called an
Entomologist. An entomologist is a scientist that studies
insects.
Insects are bugs that have 6 legs and 3 body parts called the
head, thorax and abdomen. They might have wings and
antennae but they don’t have to have these parts to be an
insect.
Did you know that insects are even in the Bible? Proverbs
6:6-8 says, “Go to the ant, consider her ways and be wise.”
What do you think this means? “For we are God’s
masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so
that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
Ephesians 2:10
Using p. 4 from “Insects” by Mailbox, discuss what they
know about insects, what they want to learn and write these
things down on the model as they answer.
Standards used: 4.7+, 4.5+, 4.2*#, 4.1#, 5.1#, 1.1,
1.2*1.7+,1.8, 1.10+, 4.3#, 4.4#, 4.7+, 4.1, 4.9*+#, 4.10*+
Supplies:
Center #1:
Build-A-Bug
- Various colors of play dough (1 can per 4
students)
- Trays and small paper plates
- Diagram of insect
- Pipe cleaners
- Toothpicks
- Wiggly eyes
Center #2:
Is it an insect?
- Containers with insects and other bugs in their
‘natural’ habitat, if possible
- Magnifying glasses
- Spoons and tweezers
- One empty vessel to serve for group
observation
- QE5 microscope and laptop for viewing insects
- Container with mealworms
- Crickets in bug viewing containers
Center #3: :
-
Insect Eating Methods and How They See
scissors and pliers
leaves
turkey baster
drinking straws
orange
party favor noise maker
sponge
small container of liquid
small amount of sugar
- laminated photo’s of insect eyes
- QE5 microscope
Center #4: Insect Classification
- Insect flashcards, Lakeshore insect boxes, sand
in a tub, soil in a tub, plant in soil, water in a tub,
rubber insects
Center #1: Build-A-Bug Every insect has three (3) body
parts. They are called the head, the thorax, and the
abdomen. If a bug does not have these three body parts
then they are not an insect. An insect also has six (6) and
only six legs. No more and no less. How many legs does a
spider have? [8 legs] Is it an insect? [No] An insect also
has two antennae they use to explore their surroundings.
They can use their antennae to smell, feel or taste. An
insect may or may not have wings. Bees and fire flies have
wings but ants and grasshoppers do not.
The students will “build” their own insect using various
colors of play dough, six toothpicks for legs, and two pipe
cleaners for antennae. They will attach these pieces
together with toothpicks. They may choose to add wings.
Questions to ask:
1. Where do the wings and legs belong on your insect?
On the thorax
2. Why do you suppose God chose that body part to
house the wings and legs? Do you think the insect can
get around better with them being in that location?
3. Do you have a body part similar to the thorax? Yes,
your “trunk” area of the body.
4. Do all insects have six legs? Yes. Spiders are
arachnids and have 8 legs. Do they all have two eyes?
No, some have multiple eyes.
5. Do all insects have wings? No. Do you think all insects
need wings to move around in their environment?
Center #2: Is it an insect? Insect Observation
Each student will use a magnifying glass to observe the
specimens in their habitat boxes. As children begin to look
for specimens, talk about how and why insects live in the
environment indicated in their habitat boxes. First, their food
source is in the environment. Most insects eat leaves,
nutrients from soil, and nectar from flowers. This type of
environment also offers protection from predators and
weather. Insects can burrow in the ground or hide under
leaves. God made certain insects to “blend in” to the
environment so they are difficult to find by enemies.
Have the children remove a specimen and place it in
the observation vessel. Is it an insect? Why? [Look for the
six legs, thorax, and abdomen. Millipedes, earthworms,
spiders are not insects. A tricky one is the caterpillar – it
appears to have lots of legs but these are sticky pads used
for grasping as it crawls. Look closely for the legs.]
Questions to Ask:
1. Look at the baby mealworm under the microscope.
Now look at the adult beetle. Do you see any
similarities? Yes they both have six legs.
2. Can you identify the thorax of your insect?
3. Where do you suppose the mealworm would like
to live? Underneath things to stay out of sight.
They are cream colored so their color would
indicate that they do not want to be exposed to
much light.
4. Where do you suppose the adult beetle likes to
be? Above ground. It is dark and walks very fast.
Center #3: Insect Eating Methods and How They See
Part 1: Insects eat many different ways. Most have
one of five major types of mouths. Demonstrate the
differences as listed below. Allow the children to assist.
Chewing mouthparts (grasshoppers)-scissors, pliers, leaves.
Show the children how the grasshopper would grind food up
using the scissors and leaves.
- sucking mouthparts (stinkbugs)-turkey baster .
Show the children how a stinkbug would suck up its
foods using baster and small particles.
- stabbing mouthparts (deer fly, mosquito)-boxed
drinking straws Use drinking straws to punch
through the orange.
- coiled mouthparts (proboscis - butterfly)
These insects use blood pressure to straighten their
proboscis and then suck up the liquid.
- sponging mouthparts (housefly)-sponge, water,
sugar
Insects with this type of mouth
suck up moisture with their mouths. If they land on a
dry food source, they will spit out liquid that will mix
with the food. They then soak it up like a sponge.
Demonstrate by pouring some sugar on the table
and mixing with some water to make it dissolve.
Soak it up with the sponge.
Questions to Ask:
1. Mix up the insect cards and ask students to match the
insect on the card with the correct eating device
(scissors, straw, turkey baster, sponge, etc)
Part 2: Insects see things differently than we do. Most
have compound eyes. This means they have hundreds of
six-sided lenses sensitive to different colors. This allows
them to see in several directions at once. Some insects also
have simple eyes that detect light and shadow only. Let the
children try on the bug lenses and look around at their
environment. Look at the laminated photos of insect eyes
and talk about their differences.
Questions to ask:
2. If you had to create a mosquito what kind of eyes would
you give it? Why? What kind of mouthpart would work
best for its needs? Why?
3. How do your eyes compare with that of these insects
that we have observed?
4. Use the QE5 microscope to view the eyes of a
grasshopper. What do you see?
5. Can you observe that the mouth is always in the head
portion of the insect? The insect’s ears however can
be located in its front legs as in the case of a cricket.
Center #4: Insect Classification
Insect Habitats. Set up four representative "habitats" (green
carpeting = grassland, sand = desert, potted plants = forest,
and blue paper/foil = water). See if the students can assign
the rubber "bugs" to the proper habitat using clues like body
part adaptations, food preferences, and/or other prior
knowledge. You can also construct representative food webs
(food chains/food pyramids) using rubber arthropods and
other animals.
Questions to Ask:
1. Discuss each habitat and ask the students why certain
insects might like to hide and live in them.
2. Place an insect in the wrong habitat and ask them why
this insect could not survive here.
3. Talk about how we can help preserve habitats in our
own back yard and neighborhoods. Example: leave a
small wood pile in your yard for butterflies to use for
over wintering. Leave an area in your subdivision or
neighborhood wild so that plants, birds, and insects can
live there undisturbed.
4. When you see an insect like an ant on the playground
look to see what type of habitat it lives in. Study it,
don’t just kill it! Do you remember what the name of the
scientist that studies insects is called? Entomologist.
Allow the children to play with the Lakeshore insect boxes.
Parents,
We use the Scientific Method in Explore Lab. Ask the
students guided questions that enable them to think and
explore.
The Scientific Method
1. Ask a question
2. Gather information through observation
3. Make an educated guess or hypothesis about
the answer to your question
4. Design an experiment
5. Evaluate the results