Siskiyou Environmental Education Center
The Insect Kit explores the diversity of insects common to our region using a mounted specimen collection. The collection parallels the activities which explore adaptations that insects use to survive such as camouflage, mouthparts, and behavior. Detailed observational and collection techniques of insects included.
Activities:
- Camouflage: Where are they hiding?
- Busy, Busy Bees - understanding how a honeycomb is built and understanding the purpose of the “bee dance”
- Make a Pooter! Grab your nets, and go collecting! - make a collecting device to safely catch insects
- Learning mouthparts - understanding what the different mouthparts
- On the Move – understanding leg types and there function for insect survival
- Flutter and Fly – identifying wing types and wing function
- Amazing Antennae – understanding the function of insect antennae
- By Gall-y – looking at the function of galls and being able to identify different types
- Insects Rummy Game – used to identify and learn about different insects around the world
- Buzz words - a fun word search
Books:
- Incredible Insects
- Bug Watching with Charles Henry Turner
- Entomology
- I wish I were a Butterfly
- Bugs of Washington and Oregon
- Outside and Inside Spiders
- Eyes on Nature: Spiders
Resources:
- 15 Student Study Kits, each containing:
- 1 box of crayons
- Small pad
- Insect cube
- Beetle stick
- Insect Gall
- Magnifying Lucite Box
- Golden Guide to Insects
- Life Cycle and Insect Parts Diagram
- Magnifying jars and hand lenses
- Extra magnifying Lucite Boxes
- Various insect specimen collections
- Various other added insect resources