Pill Bugs, Pill Bugs Everywhere

Title of Activity: Pill Bugs, Pill Bugs Everywhere (Science Activity)

Age Group Recommended: Three to five year olds

Development Emphasis & Objectives:

Social/Emotional – work collaboratively with others as they hunt for pill bugs, ease fears of bugs as they become more familiar with them.
Cognitive/Language – describes, compare, classify and order in terms of observable characteristics and properties (number of legs, color, where the pill bugs where found, how many they found). Use of a variety of simple tools in their observation – magnifying glass, bug boxes. Raise questions, share and discuss what they found/discovered about the bugs.
Physical/Motor – use of fine motor skills and eye hand coordination in picking up pill bugs and using tweezers.
Creative - record observations and ideas through representation (drawing).

Materials Needed:
Sensory Table/Garden
pill bugs
Soil
Magnifying glasses
Bug Boxes
Crayons
Drawing Paper
Books with illustration and information about pill bugs (sow bugs)

Procedure:
1. If you do not have a garden, fill sensory table with soil and pill bugs you have found in your home garden, worms also if you like.
2. Read the story in “In My Garden” or any other story about bugs you might find in a garden.
3. Discuss with the students what lives in a garden and what their job in the garden is. (Pill bug-decomposition, worms-holes in the soil that helps get water and air to the roots of plants.
4. Distribute bug boxes, explain to the students that after they have examined the bugs that they must put them back in the garden or sensory tub.
5. If you have a garden it’s time to go on a bug hunt, if not have the students go to the sensory table. Explain to the children they must be gentle with the creatures they find.
6. If a student is frighten of bugs reassure them you will be there to help, provide gardening or rubber gloves, tweezers for those who might not wish to pick up the pill bugs with their bare hands.
7. Children can place one pill bug under a magnifying glass or bug box.
8. Once everyone has a pill bug, have the students examine the pill bug carefully. Ask questions such as; What does your bug look like? How many legs can you count? Does the pill bug have wings? What does your pill bug need to live?
9. While the students are looking at their pill bug, have them draw a picture of the bug and dictate to you about what they saw and/or how they felt.

Limits and Guidance Suggestions:
Some students may be fearful of insects/bugs and need lots of assurance.
Children will need to be reminded to be very gentle with the bugs.
Teacher should monitor the bugs/insects that the children a finding before they touch or pick them up.

Extensions of Activity:
Discuss what living things need to live.
Build a worm habitat.
Life cycles- Butterflies
Discuss the relationship between living things and their environment. How living things depend on other living and non-living things for some of their needs.