You will need the following items to classify your insects:
- A nice day
- A net
- A magnifying glass
- Garden shovel
- A notebook
- A pencil
Follow the instructions below to perform this science project on insects:
- Choose a day that is sunny and pleasant. Children may not want to stay out long while bug hunting in cold, damp weather. You also need a sunny day so that the children can get a good look at the insects in order to classify them.
- Before you head outdoors, have a discussion with your class about being a scientist. Show them how to make a chart. Tell them that scientists use charts to organize information.
- Once the chart is made, suggest that they leave one column for the name of the insect. Ask them about other columns to create to classify insects. You should hear number of legs, whether they have wings, how many main body parts, and whether their bodies have a hard shell. If your students brainstorm more columns, that is OK too. Have them draw the chart into their notebooks.
- Gather the supplies and head to a forest or nature area. For some, this may require a trip to a nature park or preserve or it can take place in the school yard.
- Have the children turn over rocks or branches to look for insects. When they find an insect, have them observe it closely, using a magnifying glass to see its parts up close.
- Use a net to catch a few flying insects to observe. Be careful not to harm them and release them when you are finished.
- Use a shovel to dig underground and to uncover any insects. Classify them in the notebook.
- If you place the students into groups, then they will come back with different bugs and insects. They can report their findings orally in front of the class. The students have a chance to learn about bugs that they didn't find and each student gets a chance to practice public speaking.
- Compare and contrast the bugs for review.
- Make a bar graph to show the most common insect found and the least common insect found. Ask the children if they had any favorites and tell why. Tell the students that scientists organize the information that they collect, sometimes using a graph.
