Outreach Workshop: Bug's Eye View
Experience the alien world of arthropods through this special, interactive workshop. Fun activities and lively demonstrations give students a first-hand look at insects, arachnids and more with plenty to touch!
Price
$310 - Includes two 50-minute workshops. Additional workshops $125 each.
Register for an Outreach Workshop today!
Michigan Grade Level Content Expectations, Science v.1.09
- Make purposeful observation of the natural world using the appropriate senses. (S.IP.00.11)
- Identify the needs of animals. (L.OL.01.13)
- Identify and compare structures in animals used for controlling body temperature, support, movement, food-getting, and protection (for example: fur, wings, teeth, scales). (L.OL.03.32)
- Classify animals on the basis of observable physical characteristics (backbone, body coverings, limbs). (L.OL.03.42)
- Identify how variations in physical characteristics of individual organisms give them an advantage for survival and reproduction. (L.EV.04.22)
- Describe the physical characteristics (traits) of organisms that help them survive in their environment. (L.EV.05.12)
Bug's Eye View Pre-visit Vocabulary
Abdomen: The posterior section of the body of an insect, behind the thorax.
Arachnids: A class of arthropods with two body parts and eight legs. Arachnids lack antennae.
Arthropod: An organism from the phylum Arthropoda with a characteristic segmented body and jointed legs. Members of this phylum include insects, arachnids, crustaceans and myriapods.
Bug: A generic term referring to a large number of animals in the phylum Arthropoda containing insects and insect-like animals.
Chrysalis: The pupal stage of a butterfly.
Cocoon: The pupal stage of many insects, including moths.
Crustaceans: A predominately aquatic class of arthropods including crabs, lobsters, shrimp and copepods.
Egg: The first stage of the insect’s life cycle.
Entomology: Specifically, the scientific study of insects. More generally, this refers to the scientific study of bugs.
Head: The part of the body containing, when present, eyes, mouth and antennae.
Imago: An adult insect.
Insects: A class of arthropods with three body parts, three pairs of legs and, usually, two pairs of wings.
Larva: The immature, feeding stage of the insect’s life cycle.
Life Cycle: The series of changes in the development from an egg to an adult.
Metamorphosis: A transition from egg to adult resulting in significant physical and behavioral changes in an organism.
Myriapods: A class of arthropods with elongated, segmented bodies with at least nine pairs of legs. This class includes centipedes and millipedes.
Pupa: A non-feeding, transition stage between a larva and an adult insect.
Thorax: The body segment between head and the abdomen. In insects, this segment usually contains two pairs of wings.
Post-visit Activity
Post-visit activities provide your students with an opportunity to review workshop-presented concepts and introduce related subjects. Below you will find a classroom extension activity and a list of suggested resources for further exploration. We hope that you enjoyed our Outreach Hands-On Workshop and we look forward to visiting your students again!
Hands-on Activity: The Bug Crawl
Materials
- Fun noodles or long, foamy sticks.
- Blindfolds
Procedure
- First, get into groups of two or three.
- Give each group 2 fun noodles or foam sticks (like pipe insulation).
- Have one student blindfolded.
- Give that student two foam sticks that they should hold in their hands.
- Blindfolded, they now must find their way across the room carefully, using the foam as “feelers”.
- Take turns.
Discussion
Animals are widely adapted to perceive their environments. Some animals have incredible vision and can spot something hundreds of feet away. Some have superb hearing and can hear critters burrowing underground. Some fish have strong electro-receptors to notice slight differences in the electric current in the water.
Insects have antennae. Different insects use their antennae in different ways, but all of them use them to get a sense of their environment. Many insects actually smell with their antennae! Another main function is to feel the world around them. Some insects have super-sensitive antennae they use for hunting.
Suggested Resources
Books
Winner, Cherie. Everything Bug: What Kids Really Want to Know about Bugs. NorthWord Press. 2004.
Greenaway, Theresa. Big Book of Bugs. DK Children. 2000.
Johnson, Jinny. Simon & Schuster. Children’s Guide to Insects and Spiders. Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing. 1997.
O’Neill, Amanda. Insects and Bugs (Curious Kids Guides). Kingfisher. 2002.
Internet