Week two at Science After School

Bugs, bugs, everywhere!

Taught by Miss Sarah and Miss Sophie

*African music playing in the background*

          As the children came into the classroom, we pointed out our discovery table that had many different kinds of bugs on it. There were displays of butterflies, walking sticks, beetles, spiders, ticks, ants, bees, and even live hissing cockroaches! The students were intrigued by the hissing cockroaches because when you petted them, they hissed. (It sounded like we were frying bacon.)

          Once everyone arrived we started out lesson. We told the kids that we were going outside, but we had some ground rules first. I taught them 1-2-3 eyes on me, which came in handy later.

         We rode our zebra stripped magic school bus from the doors to our bug hunting location. With our clipboard, pencils, and magnifying glasses in hand, we hunted for bus. My group had a little surprise with a slug. Miss Sarah’s group saw a beetle. Then we hopped back into the bus to go back inside.

          When we came back inside the students sat on the multi-colored puzzle piece mats. It is nice not to have to sit in a chair all the time. Next, we compared the types of bugs that we saw. Miss Sarah and I gave out plastic bugs to the students and one by one we talked about them. We counted their legs and body parts, and then placed them on the board, one side or the other.       The students were very smart. They knew right away that the bugs on the left were insects and the bugs on the right were not insects. Then we compared some African bugs. By this time, the children knew their stuff and breezed through the pictures of African insects and other bugs. Toward the end of this part of the lesson, the students started getting a little restless, but have no fear; we had something else for them to do!           We came back into our seats and changed a While Thing into an insect. The monster/insects drawing were quite impressive. Some had wings and others had big eyes. Some were looking at you sideways, and others were showed their white teeth.

         After they finished their drawings, we taught them an insect song. They really liked the ant verse where they got to get up and march like an ant.            Then we broke out the insect “eggs”. We put them in warm water and watched them hatch. But while they were hatching, we talked Miss Sarah into holding a hissing cockroach! The kids went over to pet it and to hear it hiss at them. 

          Once their insects hatched, they figured out what their insects were. We had flies, dragon flies, and ants, and even a butterfly.           There was a little bit of a surprise at the end of our lesson. We got to eat meal worms. They were BBQ flavored. To my surprise, all of the children wanted to try one. Then we pack up their things and sent them home. 

I can’t wait to see what they do next week.