what's BUGGING you?

INSECTS!!!!  We started our Insect Expedition and the children have been very busy learning what makes and insect an insect ... All of the children should be able to answer the question -- What things MUST an insect have?

 

Antennae

 

Head

 

Thorax

 

Abdomen

 

6 Legs

 

Eyes (Compound or Simple)

 

SOME INSECTS -- have wings

 

 

Spiders are NOT insects ... they have 8 legs and they do not have 3 body parts!

 

 

We have been studying the Ant. The ant is very interesting to study and a great specimen for the children to see every body part when viewed through a hand lens. We received our Ant Colony on Thursday, March 26 and the children have been able to complete 3 observation sheets so far. It is absolutely amazing how BUSY the ants have been. Also -- it is really awesome to see the children really making sure they get the tunnel details as exact as they can.  Enjoy our initial pictures from our Ant Expedition!



 

Finding out What the children thought about insects before we began studying them

I think that ... insects

The children working hard on writing FACTS about ANTS!

 

What is this ANT missing? 

How many legs does he need?

What kind of eyes does he have?

What does he use to pick up things?

He needs 6 legs

He has simple eyes (some ants are blind or barely see)

They use their antennae to see, smell, and feel!

They use mandibles to pick up things like sand and food!

 

Our Space - Aged Ant Colony

Our ant colony has a gel substance in it ... the gel contains water and food so we don't have to

add any and they also tunnel through it!

 

By the morning of March 27, the ants have already tunneled down the sides of the colony!!

 The white "crystal like" stuff at the top is the gel that they have moved to the top to make their tunnels. The children said it looked like ICE!

 

 The ants tunneled all the way down the side and are at the bottom.

I am amazed that the gel doesn't collapse onto them!

 

DAY 2

Not many ants in the tunnels ... but they have certainly been hard at work!

On the LEFT -- the front of the Ant Colony from DAY 5 (Monday, March 30)

I decided to turn the colony around to see the back (On the RIGHT) -- the tunnels look so much clearer that way.

The kids said that it looks like under water! It is crazy to see how much of the gel they moved to the top of the colony! I still can't believe it hasn't collapsed onto them.

We have seen a couple of the ants die and they are then eaten by the remaining ants to keep the colony clean.

Ants live about 45 days -- this colony has no Queen so we will not get new ants ... so the children know that the circle of life will end when by the end of April with our Ants.