It's great to have a new activity to look forward to each month. My kids love talking about what they learned.
Are you ready to have some fun and introduce your child to the wonderful world of science? The Kidocio Kid Kraft below relates to our current monthly topic with a fun, hands-on activity that will be sure to pique the interest of your young scientist!
The Topic for June is Insects
Activity: Create your own insect
Materials:
- 3 Styrofoam balls – any sizes
- 4 very small Styrofoam balls
- 2 toothpicks
- 8 pipe cleaners – any color, but black/brown is more realistic
- 2 small triangles – any color, but black/brown is more realistic made out of construction paper or foam
- 2 wings cut out of construction paper or foam
- Paint and paint brushes
- Glue
Directions:
- Connect the 3 Styrofoam balls using the toothpicks- these are the 3 body parts
- Connect 6 pipe cleaners to the middle (thorax) Styrofoam ball – align 3 on one side and 3 on the other. These are the legs
- Glue the wings to the thorax – opposite where the legs were attached
- Insert 2 pipe cleaners in the head of the insect and place a small Styrofoam ball at the top of each (antennae)
- Glue the 2 triangles (mouth) where the points of the triangles are sticking out to the head
- Paint little black dots on the remaining 2 Styrofoam balls and glue to the head. This is the insects compound eyes
- Now you can paint your insect however you choose
Parts of the Insect:
All insects have three body parts: the head, the thorax, and the abdomen; six legs;, two antennae; an exoskeleton; and sometimes wings.
- Thorax – The middle division of the body of an insect, crustacean, or arachnid
- Antennae – a thin movable sensory organ found in pairs on the heads insects and crustaceans
- Compound Eyes – The eye that most insects and some crustaceans have, made up of several separate light-sensitive parts
- Legs – All insects have three pairs of jointed legs
- Exoskeleton – a hard covering on the outside of insects, crustaceans, turtles, and armadillos that provides support and protection
