A Bug Observation Field Trip
/Whales took a field trip to B-Street Trail to explore bug habitats. It was a long walk (30 minutes!) but we were energized and ready to go when we left the school at 9:15 am on Tuesday morning. Once at the trailhead, we ate a quick snack and then went straight off to complete our field study. We saw plenty of insects, myriapods, arachnids and worms. As we searched for bugs, we paid close attention to the environment in which we found them, taking notes for the eventual design of our Whale Bug Hotel. Prior to heading home, we enjoyed rolling down a grassy hill. What a fantastic way to end a morning of learning fun!
The next day, we spent a quiet morning reading and relaxing together. Ms. Ellie showed us a nifty new website on the Smartboard that allowed us to look at lots of different kinds of bugs up close. Meanwhile, one of the Whales noticed that we had 8 new Praying Mantises in our tank. That was super exciting!
We spent some time the following day becoming Praying Mantises. We were so still and quiet and camouflaged while we sat on our bright green leaf...and then, quick as lightning, we grabbed a nice juicy fly with our hooked and spiked front legs! After we ate, we cleaned our front legs, wiped our eyes and antennae, and got ready to grab the next insect we saw. When we were attacked by a predator, we puffed our wings out and got really big!
