Insect Inquiry

Bugs, bugs, and more bugs! My students have gone crazy about bugs! It started on the first day of school - I brought in a luna moth caterpillar chrysalis and asked my students to predict what might come out. Now, they search relentlessly for other insects during recess. I have a basket full of books about bugs, and they love looking at them!

We created a "wonder wall" about insects where students can post questions. The Wonder Wall is located in our "Lightbulb Lab," a place where students can use books and iPads to research.

So far we've found a lot of beetles and ants, a Giant Leopard Moth caterpillar, and a Goliath beetle. There were lots of questions about the Giant Leopard Moth caterpillar because it is black and bristly. The students wondered if it was poisonous because "it looked scary." When we searched for answers we discovered that it is a harmless insect. Then we created a habitat for it with dandelion leaves to eat. We hope it will turn into a chrysalis and then emerge as a moth!