subarsky, zechariah; and others living things in field and - eric
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ED 127 166
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INSTITUTION
SPONS AGENCYPUB DATENOTE
AVAILABLE FROM
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IDENTIFIrRS
ABSTRACT
DOCUMENT VftD5E
SE 021 203
Subarsky, Zechariah; And OthersLiving Things in Field and Classroom: A HINNEMAS7Handbook for Teachers of Early Elementary Grades.Minnesota Univ., Minneapolis. Minnesota SchoolMathematics and Science Center.National Science Foundation, Washington, D.C.69141p.; For related documents, see SE021201-234;Photographs may not reproduce wellMINNEMAST, Minnemath Center, 720 Washington Ave.,S.E., Minneapolis, MN 55414
MF-$0.83 HC-$7.35 Plus Postage.*Classroom Environment; Curriculum; ElementaryEducation; *Elementary School Mathematics;*Elementary School Science; *Field Trips;*Instruction; Interdisciplinary Approach; LearningActivities; Mathematics Education; Primary Grades;Process Education; Science Education*MINNEMAST; *Minnesota Mathematics and ScienceTeaching Prbject
This handbook for teachers of the primary gradessuggests a variety of means by which children can be provided withexperiences related to science and mathematics. Chapters are devotedto the classroom garden, the classroom zoo, the classroom museum,objects children bring to school, and field trips. Each chaptetdescribes preparations to be made and suggests procedures to be usedthroughout the school year. The various plants, animals, or objectswhich might be included are described, and their care is discussed.Field trip discussions suggest places ,to visit (e.g., a tree, a barn,the school yard), and questions that might be asked at each location.A bibliography related to the topics discussed is provided. The firstpart of the bibliography presents an annotated list of materials forthe teacher; the second part provides lists of children's books.Although this handbook was prepared for use by teachers using theMINNEMAST materials, it can be used independently of the ethermaterials. (SD)
******:****************************************************************Documents acquired by ERIC include many informal unpublished
* materials not available from other sources. ERIC makes every effort ** to obtain the best copy available. Nevertheless, items of marginal ** reproducibility are often encountered and this affects the quality ** of the microfiche and hardcopy reproductions ERIC makes available ** via the ERIC Document Reproduction Service (EDRS). EDRS is not* responsible for the quality of the original document. Reproductions ** supplied by EDPS are the best that can be made from the original. *****************************************A************$.*****************
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This edition of
ThirV
IS in rielca and Class;&
aulis dedicated
by the Minnernast staff
to the mem
ory ofZ
AC
SUM
RSK
Yw
ho3 wit: and ,..J 1dolis C
Th
seenn tht Idflus
<is tn
fl IIliz;
,;
LIVIN
G T
HIN
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IN1 IE
LD,
AN
D C
LAS
SR
OO
M
A M
INN
EM
AST
HA
ND
BO
OK
FOR
TE
AC
HE
RS
1
OF E
AR
LY
EL
EM
EN
TA
RY
GR
AD
ES
- By
ZA
CH
AR
IAH
SU B
AR
S KY
EL
IZA
BE
TH
W. R
EE
D
ED
WA
RD
R. L
AN
DIN
BA
RR
IE G
. KL
AIT
S
MIN
NE
SV
IM
AT
HE
MA
TIC
S A
ND
SC
IEN
CE
TE
AC
HIN
G P
RO
JEC
T
The M
innesota Mathem
atics andScience T
eaching Projectdeveloped these m
aterialsunder a grant from
theN
ational Scienc Foundation.
I
This second edition of L
iving Things in Field and
Classroom
is based on the 1967 edition, which
was designed to serve
as a supplement to the M
INN
EM
AST
curriculum units, and
toinsure that living things m
ight be available in theclassroom
when called for in the curriculum
.
Except for the rights to m
aterialsreserved by others, the publisher
and copyright owner hereby
grants permission to dom
esticpersons of
the United States and C
anada foruse of this w
ork without charge in
English language publications in the
United States and C
anada afterJuly 1, 1973, provided the publications
incorporating materials covered
by these copyrights containacknow
ledgement of them
anda statem
entthat the publication is endorsed
neither by the copyrightow
ner nor_ theN
ational Science Foundation.For conditions of
use and permission to
use materials contained herein for foreign
publications or publicationsinot4i? than the E
nglishlanguage, application m
ust be made
to: Offic
of the University A
ttorney,U
niversity of Minnesota, M
inneapolis,M
yinesota55-155.
Any opinions, findings, conclusions
or recomm
endationsexpressedherein do not necessarily reflect the
views of
the National Science Foundation
or the copyright holder.
I qr,7,Iqt,'1
Trnt-errntv
of jr noso'1.js II
ri[T
urd Printing
JAM
ES II. W
ER
NT
Z, Jr.
Director, M
INN
EM
AST
Project
RO
GE
R S. JO
NE
SA
ssociate Director for Science
ED
MU
ND
C. B
RA
YA
ssistant to Director,
Curriculum
Materials D
c7elopment
ED
ITH
R. D
AV
IS, Editor
IAM
MIT
rEN
DoR
rr, A33i:itrm
tB
EV
F,RE
Y 3011R
E, A
ssistant
somp. roR
srrii, Art D
irectorE
DW
AR
D E
A7:D
IN, Illustrator
JUD
IVI N
OR
MA
N, Illustrator andPhotographer
TA
BL
E O
F CO
NT
EN
TS
Introduction
Section 1, Your C
lassroom G
ardenSetting U
p the Garden
The T
errariumK
eeping Your Plants H
ealthyU
sing Your C
lassroom G
ardenSeeds T
ested for Classroom
Use
Collecting Plant Specim
ens[he E
no of the School Year
Section 2, Your C
lassroom Z
ooK
eeping Water A
nimals
Keeping L
and Anim
alsC
ollecting Living A
nimals
Anim
als Suitable for the Classroom
Section 3, When C
hildren Bring T
hings InA
nimals
PlantsR
ocks and FossilsSertizrn,A
, Your C
lassroom M
useumF-:hibit SuggestionsSetting U
p the E:zhibit
Museum
Related to M
INN
EM
AST
Section 5, When Y
ou Take a Field T
ripA
Sample Field T
ripO
ther Field Trip Ideas
Planninq Field Trips
5
121417222324252636?,9
4161627381856.
87U
nits 919.1
9597!7
Annotated Field T
rip Illustrations:O
n and Around a T
reeO
n a City Street
In a Vacant L
otO
n or Under a L
ogIn and A
round a Barn
At the E
dge of a PondIn a School Y
ard
Calendar A
ctivities Through the Y
ear
100102104106108110112
114
Bibliography
115A
nimals
117E
cology121
Fossils122
Plants123
Rocks and M
inerals125
Shells126
Index127
t
INT
RO
DU
CT
ION
Young children are curious by nature. T
hey are es-pecially intrigued by living things.
It they aregiven direct, firsthand experiences w
ith plants andanir,als in the early grades, their curiosity w
ill benurtured and enhanced, and they w
ill come to m
oreadvanced learning activities w
ith a background ofpleasant and instructive experiences.
So that you may best provide these experiences, w
ehave prepared this handbook to help you m
aintailiving things in your classroom
, and to help youcoordinate outdoor teaching w
ith your indoor curric-ulura.'
You w
ill find much m
ore material in the follow
ingpages...than you can possibly use during a singleschool year.
Select those activities that suityour needs and arc practical w
ithin the limitations
of your classroom and com
munity.
Itis not the
number of specim
ensin your classrootii
thatis
important.
Itis the educational use to w
hichthey are put that counts.
I
"."
CO
PRE
VIE
W O
F TH
E H
AN
DB
OO
K
awooriva"
Brow
se through the handbook toget a sense of w
hatis in it, how
it is organized, and thew
ays in which
it can help you.
At the beginnings of Sections
Iand 2 you w
ill findinform
ation about classroom gardens and
zoos thatyou -hould read at the very beginning of the schoolyear, because there are projects you
may w
ant tostart at once. each of these sections gives
practi-cal suggestions for keeping living things
in theclassroom
- what kinds. of organism
sare suitable,
and how they can be kept alive.
Section 5 offers help for those une.ipecterlr o cots
when children bring things
iii - :.-oments that -ould
leadto
excitinglearning experienccs
orto
missed opportU
nities, dependingon 1-o\:
oL,
the situation. You
find socigestions fordiscussion and activities,. and guides
to detalIedexam
ination and identification of the_-1,.(C
A:?,,"!":S,
together with suggestions about w
hatto do w
ith-them
afterwards.
Some of the things children bring
in i,,av find theirw
ay into the classroom m
useum. Section 4
suggestshow
to make the m
useum,
more than a shelf full of
lusty, ill-assorted obiects. We outline
a techniquefor organizing exhibits around
cot.imon properties or
other significant relationshipsam
ong objects.
Section 5 is a guide to field trips.T
t tells how the'i
may be used to coordinate the out-of-doors w
ithclassroom
teaching, and how to m
otivate,orcanize
and follow up field trips. W
e includem
any illus-trated suggestions of convenient places
in which
you and the children can explorethincro.
)urPibliography
includesc!-.1 1( ,t-e
refers .cam,
books and story books,as w
ell as teachers' refer-ence m
aterial.L
iving things themselves should al-
ways be the prim
e source for learning. The children
should be encouraged toexarran:-/ explore and spec-
ulate to their hearts' content before thk-.,.7are referred
to books for further information.
But at the right
time, reference books play
an important part
learning about living things.
1
IIMPO
RT
AN
CE
OF W
OR
K W
ITH
LIV
ING
TH
ING
S 1
The routine care of plants and anim
als in the class-room
can help develop sensitivity and respect forlife.
Pleasant experiences in the study of livingthings can lead to a perm
anent interest in life sci-ence and lay the foundation for the developm
ent ofA
n ecological point of view, w
hich is basic to, thesolution of m
any environmental problem
s of our timei.
AN
EC
OL
OG
ICA
L PO
INT
OF V
IEW
How
an animal or plant m
anages to stay alive ds aspecies in nature is explainable in term
s of how it
is adapted to the physical conditions in-its environ-m
ent (wet, m
oist or dirt'; dark or light; warm
or cold,etc.) and how
it is adapted to the other organisms,
harmful or beneficial, that share its environm
ent.T
he.s
fence that studies these relationshipsis
called ecology.
An ecosystem
is madc., op of all the living things in
Lorninunity, together w
ith their physical environ-m
ent.In the ecosystrr, the organism
s are in con-stant interaction w
ith :ach other and with the physi-
cal environment.
Man is an im
portant mem
ber ofth4_, ecolom
cal comm
unity. Not only does he have
tht normal effect of any other living thInci., but
some of m
an's technological developments upset
natur:os
As a city reaches into a w
ild area, or as highways
cut through a countryside,certain anim
als andplants disappear.
Others ,
such as cockroaches,
rats , dogs and cats, increase in numbers. B
odiesof w
ater such as rivers and lakes become polluted
by industrial and human w
aste, causing the deathof native fish and shorebirds.
The air over cities
becomes contam
inated by smoke from
household in-cinerators and from
factories, and by automobile
exhaust.(See B
ibliography, p. 121.)
YO
U, T
HE
TE
AC
HE
R
You are in a position to start a chain of
0::periencesfor your children that can lead then
to the increasedaw
areness and the special knoleche thatarc ,
requisitc_sfor intelligent action
1.,-s;,-ct tom
any of ,ro)zr environmental probler- S
For e: :ample; suppose
your class secs a robin pul-ling a w
orm out of 'the soil.
Questions 111:e these
will help develop an ecological
point of view:
many w
orms arc in the ground'
How
many w
arnsdoes a robin eat each day"
Suppose there were rust
enougn worm
s in the soil to feed all the rol)ins;w
hat would happen if
--oreinto
area')
Suppose your class visits a constrlctinn site.
You
might discuss ecological
questions such asplants and anim
als lived there b,fore, constriction
began and what has happenei
to then: since...*4
In :naintainpri 11-inci thingsin the classroo-
,vo.i
,,..a..
can rail attention to those conditionsun(ier w
hichthey thrtve and those under w
hic:ith,--_j eris 1.
r.4ItY
ouw
illfind
man;'
sirt..dar:alt': -itions to
Itit
p.:.,,,k,the dev lopt,ient of
an'colon cal
point of Yirw
,F-.' D
'slowi..-1.,L
e...,-; in' in today's ':.world.
We -;o_(- t:1-at this
'''31414;L
ift iboo:: will 11,-A
p70u ,Iiinn,
t1,1,m
rn Hrr,v",
',1111-.`,
71",,,direction, or in one of the
'' rin."oth,,r
)-77:Drtant
.----4
ihre -taor:-=that .-ti
? nt,T.,.-t
!.;-atara
ta',-.,- a cHld.
1-1
YO
UR
,CLA
SS
RO
OM
- GA
RD
EN
A classroom
garden can be a beautiful, interestingand useful part of your room
. Because it should be
a working garden, do not expect it to look E
ke aprofessional florist's display, and do not -strive forperm
anence.D
iscard old, unattractive or uselessplants and replace them
. Encourage the children to
help you in the planning and daily care of your gar-den.
The m
aterials and procedures in this section havebeen tried under conditions as difficult as thosein the average classroom
,if not w
orse, so thechances are that you w
ill he successful with them
.,O
n the other hand, conditions in your classroom are
different from those an,,,rw
here (Ise, and you may suc-
ceed with things that w
ould not work for another.
So do not hesitate to improvise and e:.:pelr-i-6-2nt.
AY
TIC
IPAFP:C
; TH
E SC
HO
OL
YE
AR
Before the year begins
e ::amine your classroon, to
decide on appropriate places for plants.*B
uy seedsfror- local 3tore:s.
the soil, fertilizers, insect-icid,:s or other m
aterials you n ay need.(See the
following pages.) 'locate a source for potted plants.
(.7;reenhol'ses frr,quently sel, off theLr s7,:nirr.cr stock
as fast as,p,00sible, so yol', n,ay not be tilde to find'the plants yol,! w
ant if you delay too long.)If you
have .recess to a garden, 'tal:e slips for rooting.(Sr ,' p.
It is helpful to 'keep a reeprd of yoursuc-c,esses and faitircs to (pude you ne-A
year.
SEC
TIO
N
cilrAT
NIN
G M
AT
ER
IAL
S
You
most things you need for a classroom
gardr n from tour superm
arket,variety store, or to-
rn! uret-nhouse.
POT
S
Any container that can have
a hole punched in thebottom
for drainagecan serve as a pot.
You m
ayuse m
ilk cartons, tin cans ,frozen foodcontainers,
or the more conventional plastic
or clay flowerpots.
Flowerpots com
e in many sizes and
can be pur-hased in greenhouses, but
many people have
spares to give away.
For short-term use, paper
cups are satisfactory.(C
ups for hot drinks,g
more sO
stantiai than thin ww
:edpaper cups.)
For germinating seeds,
you can even use them
olded sections of egg cartons,
SOL
I
The easiest w
ay to get soil foryour classroom
gar-den is to buy the sterili:--,:ed
d :danced sip soldin
plastic bags.T
he best soil for potted plantsis a
mi:-:ture of one-third soil, one-third
p,at- moss and
one-third sand. These m
aterialscan be obtairt d
from superm
ark6ts.
Soil dug fromgarden or yard can be used,
itis (piton contam
inated, with
organistr,s that .-_au,;(r)lant dis:,ase.
It Bray also be unsu;table
al cont.-nt or degree of acidity.
LO
TT
ED
Supermarkets and variety stores nsl:ally
cany hardyhouse plant.; and seasonal plants
such as crocus.dill and Poinsettia. G
reenhouses shouldbe ahie to
provide a. more irteresting
variety of plants,
C'Spe-
'cially early in the fall and latein the spring.
(Secp.
Iitfor recor m
ended plants.)
SET
TIN
G U
P TH
E G
AR
DE
N
You ray w
ant to start some plants
at the very be-(O
rmin I of the school year.
Otheis
i)c appro-lxiate to start as you go along. (See
7 for ways
in-1
.0111- ,larden in teacl.ur..1.)
.)):1't worry about failures, and clon't
von haveto
tplant>
vou startSor
vill be
more perm
anent, others should be discarded or senthom
e with the children as soon as their classroom
usefulness is over.
PRE
PAR
ING
curriNG
s
To m
ole cuttings of such plants as deranitnn and be-gonia,
sttrki- zter:ends three to four Ir.cheslong.
Rem
ove any flowers.
Cut the stem
on aslant Just below
a leaf.R
emove this leaf and the
ne,:t one above it.A
llow the cut ends to dry for
alaait half an hour to permit a callus to form
, andthen place the tw
o lowest leaf nodes under w
ater orin m
oist sand.Ii you are rooting the cuttings in
sand, a plastic bag placed loosely over a singleeuttina or a sheet of plastic over a tray of them
will
protect the cuttings from e :cessive w
ater loss.
Take m
ore cuttings than you need, for 001:'.0y not
root.C
uttings taken late in the season after thenights have turned cool 11;07 not root as w
elt asthose taken earlier in the sum
mer.
Florists sellchem
icals which aid root grow
th, ,arc your ightto try these.
CiR
OW
Many plants car be grow
n without ;oil.
of ivy, philodendron and Wandering
rootand grow
indefinitely in water if given
..--301;,1-e
food every few 1.V
OO
1 :L,
tdbegonia, can be rooted in
and then ntante-:pots.
(See p. 3for w
ater plants to 1,ut
PRE
PAR
AT
ION
01" 1'0 rs
All t',,pe:-; of pot:. are prepircd in the
used pots should be scrubb, d with a 1.m
.Hre
water.
rood contain4 rs should he%
%A
ter must
toalit,
oa
bob' in the' bottoll, of til* CO
W:JO
r.r
hole with
:;ton(piec.,
oflow
ir:;oti
fror,f,11
rt!--roi:(1h
r
soil and water.
(It is easier to plant in moist soil.)
You should set the pots
in saucers or pans to col-lect the excess w
ater that drainsout.
TransPhnting from
the Clard'en
It you pot plants from the gar,I4,
spray then, well
with ari all-purpose
plant insecticide beforeyou
brine them into the classroom
.U
se a trowel to dig
Itpthe plant together w
ithsom
e soil ,so as to dis-
turb the roots as littleas possible.
Place inpot
v.u.th a layer of soil over the bottom,
hold the plantupright, and add soil to fill
in around the sides.-rho :;oil 101701 in the
pot shoal,/ he the saine i-1.; the
ground level when the plant
was in the garden.
Keep the plant w
ell watered and ouV
ofdirect sun-
light for a few days.
Potting Cuttings
If you have rooted a cuttingin sand, it is ready to
pot when the cutting seem
s firmly attached
to thesand.
Use a sm
all pot, two and one-half
or threeinches in diam
eter.U
se a spoon to scoop up theplant, together w
ith some sand, w
ithoutdisturbing
the roots.Set the plant into the pot, w
hichyou
have partially filled with soil, and
add more soil to
about one-half inch from the
top of the k ot.
ifyou have rooted the cutting
in water,
it i sreadyto pot w
hen the roots arc an inch long.Put a layer
of soil in the bottom of
a small pot.
Insert theplant an(i hold it
in position with one hand w
hilew
ith th(other hand ,,,ou
,T:radually add soil
spoon or trowel so that it
arounc) the roots.Ihr pot i
half full, water it
contanqth,
roots an,i the :oil.thc,
r,st of th soil and press it down
fin, !y.
ma,
co,Ter ney:1,, potted cuttinds w
ith plastn-kli1,--. for o few
days tocon..-Icr-t '1'01,,t)Irc
until tni_roots art
firir,h, established.rhop the Pass -eau
rewo./ed and the plants can he
iurr.
Transplanting to I it g,--sr Pots
Plants should not hr, putin larder pot.:
until the.7have olytgrow
n the small
ones.
To transplant to the next larger size pot, prepare
the new pot in the usual w
ay. Put a layer of soilover the bottom
. Take your sm
all pot with the plant
in it, and hold it upside down w
ith the plant pass-ing betw
een your fingers.R
ap the pot sharply toloosen the soil.
It should drop into your hand inone chunk.
Rem
ove the pot, and carefully turn theplant right side up, place it in the new
pot, andfill in the em
pty space at the sides with m
ore soiland w
ater.Y
ou want to disturb the roots as little
as possible in this operation.
GR
OW
ING
13UL
BS
Greenhouses, variety stores and departm
ent storescarry large :itipplies of bulbs in the fall.
Mail order
seed and nursery companies can usually supply
bulbs at riny time of the year, although they have
their largest selection during the fall planting sea-son.
Paper-white narcissus
isthe only bulb that is easyto obtain and that w
ill growand bloom
in water and peb-
bles without a prelim
inarygrow
th period in the dark,though it does better w
henstarted in the dark.
Place an )rregular layer of:-;t0110,
or gravel in a pan orbow
l two or m
ore inche';eeep. A
rrange the bulbs so
they are supported by the stones but not completely
buried under them.
The bulbs should not touch
each other.A
dd water until it touches the bottG
La
of the bulbs, and keep it at this level.
Narcissus flow
er parts are Small but regular, and
if you use a small paint brush to transfer son v pol-
len to the pistil, seeds should be produced,
The hyacinth is spectacular, but
it will not produce good flow
ersw
ithout a period of several weeks
in a dark, cool place.Y
ou may
want to try grow
ing some if you
have a dark, cool cupboard. The
hyacinth will grow
in soil or overw
ater.T
here is a special hya-cinth glass that supports the bulbover but not touching the w
ater.(T
he roots grow dow
n to the water.)
Cover the top of the hyacinth
bulb with a paper cup and place
it in a cupboard.If you use soil, keep it m
oist butnot flooded. W
hen the roots are well developed,
the tips of the leaves roach the bottom of trc in-
verted cup, and the flower bud is visible, the plant
should be brought into the light.
An am
aryllis bulb will send up a flow
er otaltm
onth or si:: weeks after it is planted in soil.
Itdoes not need to be kept in the dark. T
he lecrresm
ay not come up until after the flow
er has blooTtec;.
TI»s is the only bulb com
monly grow
n indoors thatcan be successfully saved for a secoL
d
The flow
ers are spectacular and large enough for thechildren to see all the flow
er parts and to demon-
strate pollination by putting pollen from the large
stamens on the sticky central pistil.
PLA
NT
ING
SEE
DS
Greenhouses, groceries, variety stores and hard-.
ware stores carry large assortm
ents of garden seedsin spring and sum
mer.
Seed companies and biolo-
,gicalsupply
houses have seeds available allthrough the year.
It is hApiul tv lid
c c;atalogufrom
seed companies in the classroom
, for theyare
very informative and w
ell illustrated.(See riii) lio-
p,I 16, for list.)
are. gturiii-inteoci tO cp?tr,111-1.,te,
have been treated for protection against fungus dis-east_s.
You can try planting beans that you get
Irani grocery shelves, but they m,y not sprout if
they are too old or have been treated to prevent300llage.
Test a few
before you pass them out to
the children.
When you plant seeds, fill a pot or tray w
ithm
osoil to rw
out one-half inch from the top.
Arrange,
the .;,-,eds on the :1,urtac, then co'kri srthi 'In w
ith aD
ryer of soil abou, the same thichnss
; the see,I,Press the soil dov.h1 firm
ly and sprinkle with addi-
tional t-ator.veep the soil ;,,oist.
It i., helph:l toco\,or the top of the c.ontaincr w
ith ;las.; or plasti,-until the seeds sprout.
(Alw
ays lexie.3:1,111
uponnit; U) preyw
it moldina.)
of dirL,t sl;n1iht 'until the ,,ronna
Seeds will germ
inate in moist sand or on m
oist clothor paper, but they m
ust be transplanted to soil ifw
ell-developed plants are desircd.(Sce
FLow
nRs rR
cr,.1
There are not 1-er.7 m
an; plant: thatc--17-,
from seed and brought to bloom
in the classroom in
a comparatively short tim
e.D
warf m
arigolds anddw
arf zinnias v.11 bloom w
ithin three ..oathsof
their planting if given adequateScarlet runner
beans should be tried, for they show spectacular
growth and som
etimes bloom
,producing beautiful
red-orange flowers.
The fl
vers tend to abort,how
ever, and don't produce scads.M
orning glo-rie.,,
'Cr
anu Tiny rin, tom
atoesshould also blot' m
in thelassroor ,.
OT
I TE
R R
EC
OT
A,1 I\ IC
TiD
ED
PIA%
l'S
There are not m
any pla):ts wh,h
azs-room
requiret:ient3 of :ruing ea:,,y to ol:,tain,for ( lass projects, and re:.;,e3tdr.t to giluac",i;
and(,
e:of
heat and coldthat are no: t-to-ih,-lostructil
1)elo-: aro titost
keaonias,
the Clero'..:-cooted .1g,
r-..}l1
1:iore a, :
5.%.111
rot.)it
,_1,111'.r,
or ,,) ,the
:Her
Hla,r.ti,-t
;,;f7 1
)1
others.A
void varieties with w
hite flowers, since
some of these are susceptible to m
ildew.
Begonia
cuttings are excellent terrarium plants.
Coleus is easy to root in w
ater or sand.Its leaves
are beautifully variegated, rind in the short days ofw
inter the plant may put up spikes of tiny flow
ers,w
hich produce seeds that will germ
inate a few days
alter ripening. Coleus is susceptible to m
ealy buginfestation, especially if brought in from
a garden,but this is easily controlled.
(See p. 16.)T
hedistinctive square stem
is comm
on to all mints. T
heopeosite,' pairing of leaves and their color patternscan be used for sym
metry and art projects.
The
semi-transparent stem
and h'gh water-loss rate
(transpiration) make coleus useful in experim
entsdem
onstrating the movem
ent of colored water in
stems.
Geranium
s tolerate lowhum
idity and great tem-
peraturefluctuations.
They w
ill bloom if given
enoughlight
(severalhours of sunlight daily).It is better to start w
ithw
ell-rooted cuttings ornew
plants, but repottedsum
mer plants can be
used, if cut back. Slipsare slow
to root.Y
ouw
ill find that the more
comm
onplace andless
exotic varieties are more
likely to do well under
poor conditions.T
his istrue for m
ost plants andis the reason old-fashioned varieties arc still popu-lar.
Geranium
s 'are especially usefulfor giving
young children experience in observing properties.T
he leaves are -hairy to touch and have a pleasantcharacteristic odor w
hen crushed.
4, 2.1,117'.
JapIpatiens (Sultana)is easily availzible, O
r;(1 hastransparent stem
s useful for dye e:.zperimcnts.
Itw
ill bloom under poor light conditions, but it has a
tendeocy to drop its leaves and is rot as re:--istantto environm
ental fluctuations as song other plants.liov.rever, som
e teachers arc quite successful
it.A
void exotic varieties such as plants wit.h dou-
ble flowers or tangerine colors.
This plant is a
good substitute for coleus in rooting and water
transport studies.
Rhoeo
discolor
Zebrina
pendula
Tradescantia in tw
o vani-ties *
isillustrated
he:0.O
ne is a potted plant, Rhoeo
discolor, comm
only calledM
oses-in-a-boat,w
hichproduces interesting w
hiteflow
ersin
largeboat-
.
shaped bracts.T
he leaveshave beautiful purple under-sides.
The other is a rela-
tive, Zebrina pendula
,com
-m
only called Wandering Jew
.It is a vine w
ith green and
white, green and purple or all-green leaves.
This
plant roots rapidly in water, and it can continue to
grow there or it can be potted.
Ivy is always attractive
either in water or in pots.
(For growing plants
inw
ater see p. 7.)
Other potted plants, such as philodendrons,
peper-om
ias, succulents and cacti, and festival plantssuch as poinsettias and E
aster lilies, are nice to
have around for their decorative effect, theiruse-
fulness in art activities, and their general interest.
TH
E T
ER
RA
RIU
M
A terrarium
is, a covered transparentcontainer
planted with a m
iniature comm
unity of plants.It
needs little attention and is quiteeasY
to make.
Several small ones m
ay bem
ore useful than onelarge one. C
hildren enjoy making their
own terraria
in plastic boxes or peanut butterjars.
Three types
of terraria arc described here.
In order to make any terrarium
you will need:
I.
A glass or plastic container.
(Anything from
apeanut buttW
jar to a large aquarium w
ill do.A
plastic shoe box is especially handy.) Your con-
tainer should be deep enough to allow som
e head-room
for the plants to grow in.
2. A rem
ovable transparent cover.(G
lass or plas-tic w
rap will do.)
3.D
rainage material, such as sand or gravel.
4.Soil.
5.Plants and seeds.
MO
IST W
OO
DL
AN
D T
ER
RA
RIU
M
This is probably the m
ost useful kind for keepingsm
all plants such as ferns, mosses and fungi, and
for rooting cuttings.
Put a half-inch layer of sand or gravel or a mixture
of both in the bottom of your container for rainage.
Add one inch of m
oist soil.T
his should preferably.be in the proportions of one-third soil, one-thirdsand and one-third peat m
oss or humus, but ordi-
nary garden or potting soil will do. (T
he soil shouldbe m
oist enough to cling together in balls when
pressed in the hand.)
Make holes
in the soil, gently insert the rootsof the plants
,and press the soil around them
.
carpet of moss around the plant keeps the soil from
spattering. Sprinkle carefully with w
ater and coveralm
ost all the way w
ith glass or plastic.
Adjust the lid so that a little but not m
uch moisture
collects on it.W
ater only when the soil appears
dry,once. a w
eek or less. Unless the lid is open,
keep the terrarium out of direct sunlight because it
will overheat.
Appropriate plants for a w
oodland terrarium are
mosses and shelf fungi, ferns, sm
all house plantsor cuttings of ivy, begonia, coleus, or tradescantia,'or seeds of different kinds. A
s plants get too large,prune them
or replace them.
If you can get wood-
land soil and moss in your terrarium
, watch for
surprises as old woodland plants die and new
onesappear.
In early spring plant a terrarium w
ith any youngplants that are just beginning to appear.
,Trow
th In the warr. roor:
will
1-,e
Young violet plants, w
ild ginger, emerging scillas.
small w
eeds or moss a.nd young seedlings can be
:3
14
used.It is also interesting to place
a piece of oldlog or a spadeful of garden soil in
a terrariuln andw
ater it.In a few
days you will have an interesting
assortment of young plants and sm
all animals. E
n-courage the children to study them
with m
agnifiers.
DE
SER
T T
ER
RA
RIU
M
This kind is easier to keep than
a woodland terrar-
ium, but not as m
uch happens in it.U
se moist soil
mixed w
ith an equal part of sandover the -drainage
layer.Sm
all cacti and some succulents such
asjade plants, hens and chicks, and aloe w
illgrow
un-der these conditions. (H
andle the cactiw
ith tweez-
ers or gloves.)A
fter the plants are in place thesoil should be kept evenly m
oist until theroots are
established, but never add so much w
ater thatyou
can see any standing in little pools.From
then onw
ater sparingly, perhaps once a week,
so that thesurface of the soil rem
ains fairly dry.K
eep in asunny spot and do not add a lid. A
wire
screen canbe put over the top if an anim
al (suchas a horned
toad) is to be housed in the desertterrarium
.
BO
G T
ER
RA
RIU
M
The bog terrarium
is especially interestingbecause
insect-eating plants can begrow
n in it.Fut in the
drainage layer, then a layer of sphagnumm
oss. No
soil is necessary. Order m
aterials andplants for
a bog terrarium from
a biological supply house,un-
less you are near a natural bog. Keep it cool,
cov-ered alm
ost all the way, and w
ell lighted.K
eep thegravel layer under w
ater all the time.
There are m
any modifications of terraria.
Large
woodland ones can be m
ade with
a sloped drainagelayer and a bog or shallow
pool atone end. T
heypresent m
any opportunities for artistic creativityin addition L
o their biologicaluses.
FET
PIN-G
YO
UR
PLA
NT
S HE
AL
TH
Y,
To grow
well, plants require-
proper amounts of
moisture, light and heat.
Plants also require prop-er nutrition and protection from
insects and disease.
C\1
MO
ISTU
RE
All plants need w
ater; they require moisture in the
air as well as at their roots.
But the m
oisture inthe air of heated schoolroc..ls
is about equivalentto that of a desert.
There are several w
ays of deal-ing w
ith this peoblem.
Potted plants can be set on stones or gravel in leak-proof containers.
(Fiberglass window
boxes are ex-cellent for this purpose, but any large pan w
ill do.)T
he layer of stones should be kept flooded to in-crease the hum
idity around the plants.T
he plantscan be w
atered either by pouring enough water into
the pan of gravel or stones so that the water can
rise through the openings in the bottoms of the pots,
or by pouring water into the pots from
above, al-low
ing excess titer to drain out into the supportinglayer of stones.
Before holidays and w
eekends,add extra w
ater to the pans.
Water the plants w
henever the soil in the pots ap-pears dry, but do not w
ater so frequently that thesoil is alw
ays moist.
It is important to let the soil
drys out between w
aterings, because over-watering
will lead to the decay of the underground plant parts.
If this has happened, the plants will look w
iltedeven though the soil is m
oist.In this case, let the
soil dry out before watering again.
If the plant isnot able to restore its root system
, take cuttingsfrom
it to try again, and throw the rest of the plant
out.
Cold, chlorinated tap w
ater is not recomm
ended.If
you do use tap water, try to have it at room
tempera-
ture.Ideally, you should keep a container of w
aterstanding several days. to w
arm it and free it from
chlorine before you use it for watering your plants'.
Small delicate plants that need a m
oist environment
grow w
ellcontrolleralso be rc
LIG
HT
in a terrarium, w
here the humidity can be
(See p. 13.1C
uttings and slips canted in a terrarium
.
Some pints can survive in very poor light.
These
grow slow
ly and seldom, bloom
.M
ost plants needseveral hours of bright light from
a window
(prefer-ably facing south, east or w
est) or additional arti-ficial light in O
rder to grow w
ell and bloom. Seed-
lings and young plants need considerable light toC
Vkeep them
from becom
ing pale and spindly.
A sunny w
indowsill is the m
ost appropriate place forplants in the classroom
.If the natural light is poor,
as in rooms facing north or in room
s where plants
cannot be close to a window
, an additional lightsource on a table w
ill be very helpful. Small fluo-
rescent fixtures can be bought from seed com
panies
5
or biological supply houses, or can be made by
any-one handy w
ith tools. Such fixtures can be equippedw
ith timers that turn them
on and off automatically
to give a controlled amount of light.
If your window
s with the best
light have heatingunits under them
, see the following
paragraphs.
TE
MPE
RA
TU
RE
How
to keep plants from being frozen
or cooked isa constant classroom
problem. W
interclassroom
temperatures are by no m
eans ideal for plantgrow
th.H
owever, som
e plants will survive fluctuations
intem
perature on weekends and holidays if
you takea few
precautions.
If you expectvery cold w
eather over holidays,either place cardboard
or newspapers betw
een, theplants and the w
indows,
or move the plants into a
warm
er part of the room. T
emperatures
are unlikelyto i-rch freezing, since the plum
bingm
ust be pro-tected.
If you want to keep your plants
at window
s thathave heating units under them
, raise theplant trays
on blocks or bricks so that air can circulate beneaththem
. This w
ill reduce excessivetem
perature fluc-tuation w
hile allowing you to take advantage
of thelight.
If worst com
es to worst and disaster
does stril.e,rem
ember that plants are expendable and
cal. be re-placed.
16
PLA
NT
FOO
D
The natural plant nutrients found
in good soil aregradually depleted in a pot.
All plants should be
,,fertilized periodically.Solutions of essential m
in-erals are 'sold in bottles in sy3res that
carry garden-ing supplies. O
rdinarily, small
amounts of the solu-
tion are added every few w
eeksto the w
ater usedin w
atering the plants.D
irections for use are sup-plied on the containers.
PEST
CO
NT
RO
L
If aphids, scale, or mealy bugs
appear, the plantsw
ill need some treatm
ent. Aphids (plant lice)
"clus-ter on grow
ing tips of sterns. Scaleinsects appear
as flat brown oval disks on stem
sor near the veins
of leaves, especiallyon the undersurface of the
leaves.M
ealy bugs appearw
hite, cottonyclum
ps around growing tips and
at the base ofyoung leaves.
Scale and mealy hugs can be
removed 1:vith cotton-,
tipped toothpicks dippedin ruL
bing alcohol or witch
hazel.Plants w
ith aphids should be sprayed with
,
an all-purpose plant insecticide.Several kinds are
carried in stores which supply other m
aterials forgardening.
If the plants have too many insects, dis-
card the plants to protect your healthy ones from in-
festation. A w
eekly rinsing of the leaves will be
very helpful in discouraging insects and will im
provethe appearance of the plants. H
old plants under fau-cet or spray and rinse both sides of leaves.
USIN
G Y
OU
R C
LA
SSRO
OM
GA
RD
EN
1
Specific uses of plants for teaching are suggestedbelow
, but general daily care is also important.
Daily care can bring out the facts that plants grow
(measure thorn and record the m
easurements), bend
toward the light (keep turning them
each day), andneed w
ater regularly.
PLA
NT
STR
UC
TU
RE
S
Let the children exam
ine whole plants, roots in-
cluded, by uprooting and washing the soil aw
ayfrom
a plant that is to be discarded. To gain som
e
appreciation of ..the extent of the root system pro-
duced by a plant, have the children carefully re-m
ove and untangle all roots, lay them end to
end,and m
easure the distance they stretch,
Supermarkets offer a great variety of plant m
aterialsthat are useful for classroom
activities.T
here areseeds to grow
, fruits to dis'Sect, vegetables andflow
ers to examine.. W
hole vegetables are seldomseen by .m
any children brought. upandfrozen or
canned food. Use unshelled peas aria. green beans
to show fruit structure and seed arrangem
ent.D
is-cuss the uses of the structures you see
(the pod,'the seeds
,the attachm
ent %points of the seeds).
Cut cross - sections of cucum
bers, peppers, toma-
toes, apple's and oranges to see the structures.C
ount the seeds in a single orange, plant them and
find out how m
any orange trees you could get.C
ount the seeds in your Hallow
een pumpkin, dry
them and use them
in germination experim
ents.
Take apart, leaf by leaf, a head of lettuce, a brus-
se s _grout, a cabbage or a bunch ofcelery. N
otecolor difference betw
een inside alit outside leaves.L
ook for small buds at the base df each separated
part.T
ry counting the leaves on a brussels sprout.
Much of e plant is w
ater. You can dem
onstrate thisby m
easuring water loss. W
eigh individual fruits,vegetables or leaves. A
llow them
to dry out, weiah-
ing at intervals (daily or less freciuently, depcndinaon the rate of loss) .
Com
pare water loss under var-
ied conditions (on a radiator, on an open shelf, ina plastic bag) .
I 7
SEE
D PA
RT
S
Large seeds, such as beans,
corn kernels and pump-
kin seeds, are good fordem
onstrating seed struc-ture and em
bryo plantparts, and for experim
entsw
ith seedlings.Pum
pkin seeds can often betaken
directly from the H
alloween
pumpkin and germ
inated.L
ima and w
ax beansare useful for show
ing seedparts (geed coat, stored food,
young plant). Soakthem
overnight before takingthem
apart.
As large seeds germ
inate,the parts of the
youngplant are easy to identify.
The bean .halves
arecalled cotyledons. T
heycan be observed to shrink
as the young plants develop.T
ry removing one or
both cotyledons from a
young plant, and compare
this plant after a few days w
ithone that still has
its cotyledons.
GE
RM
INA
TIO
N
Only a few
kinds of seedsgerm
inate rapidly underordinary conditions. T
he seedslisted above should
germinate w
ithin two days to
a' week.
Overnight
soaking of large seeds will speed
germination.
Seeds can be germinated
in sand, in soil,or be-
tween layers of m
oist blottersor paper tow
elling.Y
ou can also linea tum
bler or glass jarwith
a,blotter or tow
elling andplace seeds 'betw
een theglass and the paper.
Crum
ple more tow
ellingto
fill the center of theglass and put a little
water
in the bottom of the
container.A
n index cardplaced aver the top w
ill reduceevaporation.
Start
18
enough seeds so that the childrencan take apart
and examine the seeds at
various stages of germi-
nation.
PLA
NT
GR
OW
TH
Germ
inate seeds between blotting
paper and glass toshow
the effects of gravityon plant grow
th.T
heroots w
ill grow dow
n and the stern will
grow up re-
gardless of, the position of theseed.
If the glass istilted, the seedling w
ill adjust:-its growth so that
the roots keep growing dow
nand the stem
keepsgrow
ing up.
CQ
all seeds such as radish and grass seeds produceseedlings that are sm
all but respond rapidly to en-vironm
ental changes in light, temperature,
oistureand gravity. Y
ong radish seedlings resp3"nd tochange in light.direction in only an hour lox so.
Ifth4=
-* plants are leaning toward the, w
indow in the.-
morning, turn the pot around, and, long before the
.end of the day the children w
ill be able to see thatthe Seedlings are again leaning tow
ard the light.Such seedlings W
ilt and recover rapidly from loss of
water.
They lose their green color after a few
days in the dark nand regain it afi.day or tw
o inthe light.
When
take. cuttings, the effect on the parentplants
will
be interesting to watch.
Grow
th ofpl5ntb can be m
odified by pinching out the terminal -
Suds on the shoots to allow the side buds to develop.
'Plant the ,tops of carrots, beets and radishes inm
oist sand to get a new grow
th of leaves.
Grow
an onion in a glass over water that just
touches the bottom of the bulb. T
he roots will grow
very rapidly. 'The leaves are especially interesting
because they are tubular.
Plant growth, is affected by crow
ded conditions.T
ake two pots of the sam
e size and plant one with
twice as .m
any seeds as the other. 'Note the differ-
: ences betweeh the grow
th of the plants in the two
pots as the plants get bigger and bigger.
PRO
PAG
AT
ION
Many m
ethods of plant propagation can be demon-
strated in the classroom.
Cuttings
Cuttings taken from
classroom plant can be rooted
in water or sand.
Rooted cuttinjp are excellent for
children to plant in paper cups /to take home and
watch.
Show the, children how
Ito transplant tolarger pots.
(See.p. 7 and 8.)
Seeds
See Germ
ination, (p. 18), and Life C
ycles (p.21)
,
for propagation by seed.T
o demonstrate fertiliza-
tion, try to find &Potted lily or potted tulips w
ithStam
ens that have not been removed.
(If you can'tfind them
, get some w
ith buds and wait for them
toopen.)
The children can put pollen on the sticky
central pistil and observe how, .w
hile the flower
dried up, the central ovary enlarges as many young
seeds develop in itA
lso see Narcissus and A
ma-
ryllis, p. 9.
gs.19
Tubers
A w
hole white potato
can beplanted,
with a portion of it
above the soil.O
bserve howonly som
e of the eyes (buds)sprout.
If these are removed,
others will sprout.
This is
parallel to the situation inleafy plants w
here removing
the top bud allbws the side
ones to develop.T
he white
potato is a stem, botanically
speaking, since it bears buds(the eyes).
20
Try cutting up a
potatoleaving an
'eyein each sec-
tion and plantingthem
.(T
his is thew
aythe
farmer
plantshis' 'pota-
toes.) Several po-tatoes w
ill furnishenough eyes foreach child to haveone.
Allow
oneuncut potato to lieon a shelf, andcom
pareit
with
the planted piecesover a period ofseveral w
eeks.
rZ
Sweet potatoes* and yarns w
ill grow in w
ater andpro-
duce beautiful vines.(Som
e potatoes have beentreated to prevent sprouting, so start several.)
Im-
merse the end of the sw
eet potato or yam that has
no purple buds to about one-third of Its length ina
jar of water.
It thay 'be necessary to support thepotato above the m
outh of an unusually large jarw
ith toothpicks. Itis difficult to predicthow
longit w
ill take to sprout.It m
ay take a month or even
more, so do not givd up unless It begins to decay.
It is also possible to grow w
hite potatoesin w
aterin the sam
e way.
Leaf Propagation
The leaves of A
frican violets andgloxinias
rootin w
ater or sand.(T
hese sometim
es takea long
time.)
ti
Rex (angel w
ing) begonia can be propagated by cut-ting across the rib of a leaf that has been laid onm
oist sand. A new
plant will grow
from the cut.
New
plants will grow
from the notches of B
ryophyl-lum
(maternity plant). D
rop a leaf, or even just partof a leaf, on dam
p soil, and watch for a circle of
new plants sprouting, one from
each notch.(T
hisw
orks very well in a terrarium
.)
Layering
Layering is a m
ethod of propagation that works w
ithm
ost vinesivy, philodendron, tradescantia.
Italso w
orks with a jade plant that is long enough to
lean over.If the stem
is held in such a positionthat a leaf node touches the soil, it w
ill root thereand can be cut aw
ay from the parent plant. Y
ou may
anchor the stern down w
ith a bent paper clip or cov-er it w
ith some soil.
LIFE
CY
CL
ES
Morning glories and w
ax beans are two of the very
few plants that w
ill complete a life cycle w
ithin thecourse of the school year.
If strings are put up at a sunny win-
dow, m
orning glories will clim
b themrapidly.
Morning glories w
ill bloomin tw
o months and produce seeds,
which in turn w
ill germinate as soon
as they are ripe. As soon as the pa-
pery covers on the seeds open, plantthe seeds.
They w
ill germinate in
three to five days and produce an-other generation.
(Be sure to get a
mixed variety. Sucli special types as
Heavenly B
lue may not produce seeds.)
Plant some w
ax beans in soil, and grow in good
light. Some should bloom
and produce pods. Beans
from the ripe pods w
ill germinate in a w
eek or less.T
his provides a very nice example of the life cycle
of a plant.
Coleus m
ay produce seed that will germ
inate quick-ly.
(See p. 11.)
Tiny T
im tom
ato plants will grow
from seed and pro-
duce little tomatoes. T
he seed from these w
ill ger-m
inate if the ripe tomatoes are opened so that the'
seeds can drop on the soil.C
ucumber vines w
illbloom
and produce miniature cucum
bers, but thesew
ill not mature.
2.1
SEE
DS T
EST
ED
FOR
CL
ASSR
OO
M U
SE
Kind of Seed
Beans:
mung
kidney, lima
scarlet runner
Days to
Germ
ination
I35
Days to
Flowering
30-4048
Com
ments
Excellent for experim
ents.M
ay produce seeds in well-lighted
window
.Spectacular grow
th, beautifulflow
ers.C
itrus fruits (grape-fruit, lem
on, lime,
orange, tangerine)
30G
ermination tim
e very uncertain;depends on
condition of fruit.
Corn
4E
xcellent for growth :neasurem
ent.C
ucumber
360
Beautiful vine w
ill producetiny cucum
bers.G
rape30
Interesting vine.M
arigold (dwarf)
,,,3
60W
ill flower in good light.
Morning glory
360
Will produce ripe seeds in 90 days.
Pea4
20D
oes not do well in overheated
rooms.
Pumpkin
4B
eautiful vine.
Radish
ISeedlings are excellent for experim
ents.Squash (acorn)
8B
eautiful vine.
Tom
ato (Tiny T
im)
374
Produces young fruitin 85 days.
CV
Seeds from m
ature fruit will
grow.
Zinnia (dw
arf)2
60N
ice flowering plant w
hengiven adequate light.
CO
LL
EC
TIN
G PL
AN
TSPE
CIM
EN
F]
You m
ay want to collect w
hole plants or plant ma-
terials for special uses in your classroom.
Fruits,seeds and colorful leaves are abundant in the fall.V
acant lots and unmow
ed rights-of-way along high-
ways and railroad tracks are excellent sources of
varied and interesting specimens.
(See Warnings
below and on p. 24.)
Dorm
ant branches of shrubs and trees can be broughtinto the classroom
in late winter or early spring.
Put them in w
ater in good light and watch for the
opening of flowers and leaf buds.
These m
aterialsm
ust not be collected until prolonged cold has bru-4.011 L
ii..11pea-kips by the ond of .1,111U
di y.
A single spadeful of w
oodland or bog soil can pro-vide the m
akings for many terraria.
(See p. 12.)
CO
LL
EC
TIO
N A
ND
TR
AN
SPOR
TA
TIO
N
Dried fruits and seeds such as m
ilkweed pods or
bare twigs can be carried in the hand or put in pa-
per bags or other containers.
Colorful leaves and other plant parts that you w
antto m
ount and display in some w
ay are easiest to car-ry if you insert them
between pages of an old m
aga-zine.
Identification and notes as to place of col-lection can be w
ritten in the margins of the pages.
Many specim
ens can be collected this way and
transported without orushing or w
rinkling.
Leafy branches and flow
ers should be cut with a
knife or pruner and placed in plastic bags.Inflate
the bags and close with w
ire twists to keep the
specimens m
oist and cushioned against injury.
Whole plants should be carefully
dug up with a trow
el or largeknife,
keeping as much soil
around the roots as possible.Put the plant w
ith its soil into aplastic bag at once.
Inflate thebag by blow
ing into it, and then fasten it.In the
case of moss, sm
all ferns or other tiny plants grow-
ing on wood or rocks, try to collect a piece of w
oodor stone along w
ith the plant growing on it, and
enclose the whole specim
en in a plastic bag as d-scribed above.
WA
RN
ING
S
When collecting, try to leave the area as undis-
turbed as possible.N
ever take more m
aterial thenyou can use.
Needless to say, you w
ill not collectplants on private or park prqperty w
ithout permis-
sion.Y
ou should familiarize yourself w
ith the rarcspecies of plants protected in your state.
Enov., how
to recognize poi-son ivy.
("Leaves three,
quickly flee! ")If sonic is
touched accidently , wash
the skin thoroughly with
teak-
24
,,
-P.-
.
Be careful w
ith fungi.Y
ou can safely collectany
dried and leathery fr,rms of shelf
fungi which- appear
on tree trunks, most odd-shaped fungi,
and puff-balls,
Avoid those that look like toadstools
or theedible m
ushrooms sold in
grocery stores.T
here isa slim
chance that you might pick a
poisonous onew
hich resembles these harm
lessform
s, and it isbettor to leave questionable
ones alone.
rHL
LN
Dnu:
HU
OL
You, your friends,
or the school children may
want
to keep the potted plants thathave survived the
school year.D
iscard plants thatare in poor condi-
tion.
Em
pty and scrub pots, terrariaand w
indow boxes.
store unused soil, sandand gravel.
It is better notto store used soil,
since it may be contam
inatedw
ith fungus diseases andharm
ful insect pests.
Leftover seeds should be
discarded, since thechance that they w
ill germinate
W4 ,3,1,
Plan to get new seeds
in the fall.
Store dried specimens in boxes.
YO
UR
CLA
SS
RO
OM
ZO
O
Many living things w
iggle. Many are soft and furry.
This m
akes them fascinating for children and w
instheir greatest interest and attention.
On the other
hand, to the teacher, the care of animals in a class-
room presents problem
s such as weekend and vaca-
tion care, and is sometim
es thought more trouble
than it is worth.
But do not underestim
ate thew
orth of direct experience with living things in ex-
citing interest and in developing humane attitudes.
It is possible to find animals that you can feel com
-fortable w
ith in almost any individual classroom
sit-uation. T
he animals and procedures described here
have all been tried successfully in classrooms w
ithaverage to poor conditions. Som
e animals require
less wor; than others, but all th()..,4-,
(-1;)11,.
A nu
.
This section discusses procedures for keeping w
ateranim
als and land animals. W
e give details about agroup of selected anim
als that have Proved especial-ly u.,:tai
ti,6ruoin.
Water anim
als are simple to care for.
They need
water, air, a reasonably constant tem
perature, andfood in the right am
ounts.'
Land anim
als need more w
atching and more cleaning-
up-after.H
owever, land anim
als are also more fun.
Children can have rew
arding experiences takingcare of w
ater fleas in a jar of pond water, but they
26
usually like the bigger, fuzzier animals that
are alittle harder to take care of.
Pick the ones thatsuit your :conditions as w
ell asyour preferences.
KE
EPIN
G W
AT
ER
AN
IMA
LS
An aquarium
is any kind ofcontainer in w
hich con-ditions are right for w
aterorganism
s to remain alive.
Much fuss is usually m
ade aboutpreparing an aquar-
ium.
Fuss may ne necessary w
hen the aquariumis
to be a permanent establishm
ent intendedto last for
several years and to containm
any kinds of fish. But
this kind of aquarium is not recom
mended'
for theclassroom
. Not very m
uch happens in it.A
lso, toom
any special requirements result in too m
uch lossw
hen you have inevitable classroomcatastrophies
such as too much food,
inapgropriete food,too
cold over weekends, too hot
over weekends, cover
left off, too much chlorinated w
ateradded, and so
on.
A sm
all aquarium can be
set* up with
an under-standing that
itw
ill be changed or removed
intw
o weeks.
Several small aquaria w
ith differentcontents can be m
ort f.interesting than one big
one.L
arger aquaria set up for long periodscan
be used to study life cycles of fishand snails ,knu
ti 'L vi
n.rnyiny ,_:onditions un population.
SET
TIN
G U
P AN
D C
AR
ING
FOR
AN
AQ
UA
RIU
M
Fish need a great deal ofoxygen and a fairly con-
stant temperature. T
hey also need clearw
ater (wa-
ter without too m
any suspended particles),and they
need food.T
hese needs are simple to provide
inan aquarium
.
If the aquarium is to be set
up for any length of time,
put some clean coarse sand
or gravel in the bottombefore you fill the container.
This w
ill trap particlesof dead plants,
excrement,
etc., and help preventfloating particles from
being stirredup from
the bot-tom
of the aquarium by the fish.
Sand should bew
ashed absolutely clean(free of clay, dust, soil,
and chemicals) before being
put into the aquarium.
If the sand is not cleanit m
ay contribute more
con-tam
ination than it takes out.Plants can be rooted
in the sand.
CO
NT
AIN
ER
S
Any transparent container
can serve as an aquarium.
Aquaria can ra.ige in size from
a peanut butter jar toa 10- or 20-gallon tank. A
n aquarium should
not behigher than it is w
ide,to insure an adequate oxy-
gen supply.If by chance you have
an aquarium w
itha constricted top,
be sure not to fill it above thew
idest portion.
t."D
CO
It is wise to keep a cover on an aquarium
. A cover
keeps animals in (and keeps intruders out).
Italso prevents excessive evaporation of w
ater. The
cover should be loose-fitting or have a couple ofholes to allow
air to circulate.Y
ou might use
loose plastic wrap over a sm
all container, anda sheet of glass or heavier plastic over a largecontainer.
Leaky aquaria can be sealed by brushing epoxy glue
onto the inside joints. Take the w
ater out first andbe sure all the inside joints are thoroughly dry be-fore you apply the glue.
Allow
to set for 24 hoursbefore refilling w
ith water.
OX
YG
EN
Most dissolved oxygen com
es from the surface of
the water. T
herefore, use a container with a w
ater -'air surface at least as w
ide as the depth of the wa-
ter.Plants do relatively little good as oxygenators
in small containcT
s (10 gallons and under) unlessthey are w
ell illuminated 24 hours a day.
Plantsin
n aquarium of this size are m
ainly for decora-tion.
Bubblers are not necessary unless conditions
are crowded.
Fish that come to the surface and gulp are not trying
to be friendly or to show you that they are hungry.
They are suffocating.
This m
eans that there is notenough surface area, or that there are too m
any fish.It m
ay also mean that the w
hole tank has gone foul.(Y
ou should know if it is foul from
other indications,such as the odor,)
TE
MPE
RA
TU
RE
Heaters can be obtained to keep tropical fish from
being chilled by temperatures below
68F.
But w
hynot use native fish that can take cooler w
ater' (Seep. 35.)
Avoid too m
uch heat.O
ver 80° F.is hard on m
ostfish. A
high temperature low
ers the amount of oxy-
gen in the water and also increases the m
etabolic-rate of the fish, and thus heightens oxygen require-m
ents.'
Rapid tem
perature changes can kill or weaken a fish\
This usually happens w
hen a fish is first put into an"cti
aquarium.
For safety, float a container with the
fish and some of its previous w
ater in the newaquarium
water for an hour before dum
ping the fishinto its new
environment. T
his permits the tem
per-atures to equalize.
WA
TE
R
Chlorine is often present in tap vtater (drinking w
a-ter) in large enough am
ounts to kill water plants
and animals. T
he water m
ay be freed of chlorine byletting it stand tw
o cloys in an open wide-m
outhedcontainer; or by boiling it 20 m
inutes, letting itcool, and then stirring it vigorously for 5 m
inutes;or by treating the w
ater with a few
crystals of pho-tographic hypo.
(Hypo is obtained cheaply from
photo supply stores.It is essentially w
hat you netin expensive sm
all amounts front pet shops undcr
the label of chlorine neutralizer.)
27
Distilled w
ater will not m
aintain lifevery long. L
iv-ing things need m
inerals, and the osmotic balance
of living cells is upset by distilled water.
Cloudy w
ater is most often caused by bacteria, sin-
gle-celled animals, or algae grow
ing in great abun-dance and suspended in the w
ater.T
his happensw
hen there is too much organic m
atterin the w
ater,w
hich in turn is probably due to too much
fish food,contam
inants dropped in by children(gum
, candy,glue, paper), or dead w
ater plants and animals
thathave not been rem
oved.
The quickest cure for cloudy w
ater isto_ start over
again.T
he easiest cure is to add nothing to thecontainer until it clears up.
But there is a chance
that everything will die before the w
aterclears.
Inany case, be sure to look at the cloudy w
ater with
a microscope or m
agnifier.
Do not m
i;stake algae-coated gl:'ss for cloudyw
ater.T
o have algae in the tank, especiallygreen algae,
is a healthy condition. Algae
serve as vegetablesand protection for a population of m
icroscopicani-
mals.
Rem
ove excess algae from the front glass by
scraping. Look at the scrapings under
a microscope.
If you go exploring, you will find
a multitude of tiny
animals living on the sides of the
aquarium.
FEE
DIN
G T
HE
INH
AB
ITA
NT
S
The food you use should depend
on what anim
alsare in your aquarium
.Standard tropical fish food
is a good mixture for m
any forms of life.
Crum
bled
28
dry dog or cat food is similar.
Since different fishhave different eating habits, find out w
hatyour par-
ticular fish need to avoid contaminating the tank
with the w
rong food.(See B
ibliography.)
The healthiest and m
ost interesting fish are slightlyhungry ones.
Never feed m
ore food at any one time
than the fish will eat up com
pletely rightaw
ay. The
water then w
ill not get cloudy. It will be'm
ore inter-esting to w
atch the fish being fed if there is not al-w
ays excess food around.
Most aquarium
animals need to be fed
at most once
a day; some m
ight need feeding onlyonce a w
eek.O
bserve yours to see how m
uch,they need.G
en-erally, large fish and cold-w
ater fisheat m
ore thansm
aller fish and those that live naturallyin w
armer
water.
WH
AT
TO
KE
EP IN
YO
UR
AQ
UA
RIU
M
You m
ay stock your aquarium from
a pet shop, a baitshop, or pond or stream
.Y
our choice will be gov-
1CY
D
erned by the area you live in and the time of year,
as well as by your ow
n inclinations.
A N
AT
UR
AL
PON
D A
QU
AR
IUM
This is the sim
plest and perhaps the most interest-
ing kind of aquarium to set up.
It involves gettingsom
e material from
a pond or lake and dumping it in-
to an empty transparent container or standard glass
aquarium. T
his is called the bucket technique ofcollecting.
No preparation is necessary.
Some
judgment in selection of m
aterials will increase
your chances of success.
At the pond
Take along a bucket or tw
o. It is important to bring
back as much w
ater as possible, but do not fill abucket m
ore than half full.If you fill it full it w
illbe too heavy, and it w
ill spill all over the back ofyour car.
Dip half a bucket of clear w
ater.T
hen pick outsom
e bushy, bunched water plants and plop them
quickly into the bucket of water.
Avoid too m
uchm
ud and bottom silt, as
clouds the water exces-
sively. Tear out som
e algae from rocks or posts and
dump it in.
Take only a little.
Too m
uch plantm
aterial will start a chain reaction of decay that
will foul the w
ater.A
handful or two of plants in a
plastic pail of water should be enough.
Also collect a
ff.-_,wsam
ples of submerged dead
leaves, twigs, and algae-covered rocks.
-
If you have fire, featheryplaits
that are healthylooking, the job of collecting is finished.
You w
illfind that you have collected anim
als* along with the
plants.If you w
ish to spend more tim
e, search andpoke for special anim
als under leaves, in the mud,
or swim
ming about. A
small jar or net or kitchen
strainer may be of help here. Fish, frogs, and sala-
manders are not recom
mended for this collection,
for, as you might have guessed by now
, most of
your aquarium dw
ellers will be sm
all invertebrateform
s easily eaten or disturbed by giants.A
gain,take only a few
.Y
our aquarium w
ill only representa very sm
all fraction of the pond.O
ften one speci-m
en will live w
ell, but several may cause the death
of all.
Transportation
"mr
The faster you get hom
e, the better. The cooler you
keep the water, the better. T
he smaller your collec-
tion of organic material, the longer it %
il, stay alive.
If there is a chance that'the water tem
perature will
rise considerably during transportation, ice cubesshould be dropped into the pail.
the greritcst suc-cess w
ith this kind of collecting can be had in the
29
wintertim
e.- Iregions w
here ponds freeze over inw
inter, the icean be C
hopped to get at plants andanim
als, and some of the ice can be saved to keep
the water from
warm
ing too quickly in thecar or
classroom.
(You w
ill find fewer plants in w
inter,but life is still abundant enough to stock
your aquar-'ium
.)
In the Classroom
Tip the bucket and pour its contents into
your aquar-ium
.If there is a lot of m
ud, shake the plants offin the w
ater and let them float free w
hile them
udsettles at the bottom
of the aquarium.
This is to
insure that the plants aet enough light.It is diffi-
cult to root the plants in soft mud,
so you can justlet them
float.
Keep the containers as cool as possible, and allow
good light for the plants.Put on a lid but allow
anopening,for air circulation.
Let the w
hole thing situntil
the mud has
settled.T
hen your pondaquarium
is ready for observation.T
he animals
make them
selves known by their m
ovement. B
ut bealert. T
hey are small and subtle.
A natural pond aquarium
shoUld not be fed
more than
once a week.
Use just a pinch of fish food.
The
animals eat each other and the plants, and also the
bacteria that decompose dead plants and anim
als.B
y helping the food cycle a little, you can maintain
larger populations, butoo much feeding w
ill usual-ly increase grow
th of bacteria and algae to sucha
degree that the tank will
go foul.
30
Expect the population to change as tim
epasses.
This is all very unpredictable but interesting. Sam
-ple m
aterials can be transferred with
a medicine
dropper or tweezers to m
icro-aquaria (small
con-tainers such as plastic cups or sm
all jars),one for
each child.
The pond aquarium
may run dow
n aftera tim
e.If
active populations are wanted, it is best to
startagain in a few
weeks w
ith a fresh supply ofw
ater,plants and anim
als.
The natural pond aquarium
offersan opportunity to
study the effects of pollution.U
se several con-tainers filled from
the same pond.
Care for one as
,described aboVe, to serve as a control. A
ddto thi
others an assortment of pollutants such
as might be
found iri lakes- nearby.D
etergent is a comm
on pol-lutant_ See w
hat happens when a little is added
toa natural pond aquarium
. Another pollutant is natu-
ral wastes. W
astes serve as food for bacteria,bacteria serve as food for pretozoa, and
so or .Y
oucan sim
ulate this effect by adding too much fish
food to the aquarium and w
atching tosee w
hat hap-pens.
Plants you find in a pond aquarium w
ill includesom
e of those shown on p. 33.
In addition, youw
ill find algae.
Filamentous
algae
Anim
als will be found in m
any sizes.Som
e can beseem
with the naked eye, som
e with a hand lens ,
and some w
ith a microscope.
11"
11
C73
Protozoa (seen througha m
icroscope, 100x)
Flatworm
s(to m
ore thanl-irr.)
Roundw
orms
1
(to4
in.)
Bristle w
orm1
(to i in.).
Tube w
orms
(aboutI
in.)
------,
-'------
-___---i--- -----
'''''.4.7....-...---.
_/"
/...-
..---
,,-.
--...----
-----
Hydras
(less thanI
in.)
Rotifers (seen through
a microscope, 100x)
.p...'54,---..._
Leech
( Iin. to 10 in.)
°DCO
(about5
10in.)
Crustaceans -- C
opepods and Water
fleas(seen through a hand lens)
3I
This group of anim
alscan be seen w
ithouta m
icroFcope. You should find.som
e ofthem
in your natural pond aquarium.
Mosquito larva
II
( in. to 2 in.)5
Giant w
ater bug(to 3 in.)
32
Z.'
Dragonfly larva
1
(to 2 in.)2
Springtail(on surfacep"w
a ter)(to
5in.)
'Water m
ite(to
in.)5
Mayfly larva
(I in.)
Water L
oatman
(1 in.)
Water beetl..
(adult)(larva)
(to I in.)2
(toI
in.)
Dam
selfly larva(to
Iin.)
3Snails (I in. to-4 in.)
CY
'D
SEL
EC
TIN
G PL
AN
TS FO
R T
HE
AQ
UA
RIU
M
Plants serve several pUrposes in an aquarium
be-sides being decorative.
They add to the com
fort ofsom
e fish who like to hide in them
. They help keep
the aquarium clean by absorbing som
e trapped excre-m
ent. They m
ay also help supply oxygen in largetanks. A
pinch of garden fertilizer sprinkled intothe W
ater will m
ake the plant growth m
ore lush.
Plants need light if they are to live.D
on't keep theaquarium
in direct sunlight, but it should be in aw
ell-lighted spot or have its own light source./
Some aquarium
plants float near the surface of thew
ater; others live suspended between the surface
and the bottom.
Still others are rooted.T
he illus-trations on this and the next page are of "tried andtrue" aquarium
plants of all three kinds.T
hey canbe found in m
ost freshwater environm
ents, or inyour nezest pet shop.
Surface PlantsDuckw
eed
Ivy- leaved duckweed
Suspended Plants
Water m
oss
Water m
ilfoil
Stonewort
Bladderw
ort
33
Rooted Plants
Pondweed
(small
species)
Vallisneria
SEL
EC
TIN
G FISH
FOR
TH
E A
QU
AR
IUM
Some fish w
ill' ndt remairralive in captivity.
Others
.
are very delicate and therefore are difficult to ,kealive.
Fish.that can be kept alivee sily in
o'classroom
are illustrated here.Som
can b- ob-tained from
pet shops, some from
pondsand s
earns,E
ach locality has different representativespecies
which m
ight be.used in thesam
e way.
Be sure to
obtain small, young fish. Y
oung fish thatgrow
toglarge should be-rt-turned to their natural habitats.
You can get.m
innows and perhaps freshw
aterpraw
nsin bait stores.
Children in your class--aan go net-
ting in 'Shallow w
ater, with their
parents, to stockyour aguaribm
.
You m
ay choose to keep a single, largefish in a
container without plants or sand.
This m
akes thecontainer easier to clean.
(Just draw dirt off the
bottom'w
ith a large baster syringeor siphon it off
-with a hose.) A
few large rocks
can be used forhiding places or to relieve the visual
monotony for
humans. Som
e animals (such
as sunfish) that orientto thi.eir surroundings in specialw
ays are interestingto /vatch
if you change the"furniture" around.
Cr6yfisn need sand w
hen theyshed their shells.
-Snails sometim
es helpan aquarium
by cleaning ex-cess algae off the sides and by picking
up excessfood.
They can also be a nuisance. T
heym
ay eatplants, carry fish diseases and
parasites (this istrue especially of native snails), becom
eover-abun-
,
./.?ctvSagittaria
dant, or die. They are interesting
to watch, but
34
they are not necessary in an aquarium and they do
not eat fish excrement.
If anything, when num
erousthey m
ake mare L
itter than the fiih.(See p. 44 for
more about snails.)
CO
LD
WA
TE
R E
GG
-LA
YE
RS
50° -.75° F.G
ar eats only live fish.D
ogfish and darter eat meat. O
therseat fishfood as w
ell as meat.
Carp (12-15 in.)
Minnow
(4 in.)
Dogfis h
(30 in.)
Sunfish(6-8 in.)
Goldfish (to 18 in.)
Prawn (to 4 in.)
4
Bullhead
(to 18 in.)
Zebra
(2 in.)
Crayfish (to 5 in.)
Catfish
(2 in. to several ft.)
Gar
(5-6 ft.)
Darter (3 in.)
C\1
WA
RM
WA
TE
R L
IVE
-BE
AR
ER
S
750- 85° F.
Eat fish food.
(These draw
ings are life-sized.)
(t)
(male)
(female)
Guppies
frC4
9(fem
ale)
(male)
Mosquito fish
Moons
WA
RM
WA
TE
R E
GG
-LA
YE
RS
750-
,oF.
Eat fish food.
(These draw
ings are life-sized.)
Tropical catfish
36
Mollie
(male)
LK
EE
PING
LA
ND
AN
IMA
LS
There are tim
es when
you will plan to bring an ani-
mal into the classroom
.T
here are other times w
henchildren w
ill bring themunexpectedly.
It is a goodidea to be prepared in
advance with
appropriate con-tainers for them
.
CA
GE
S
A land anim
al that iskept in the classroom
shouldhave a cage that resem
bles itsnatural environm
entat least in a few
essentials.A
n insect or a warm
-blooded anim
al needsa dry cage; a
Ianclsnail,
salamander, toad or earthw
orm needs
a moist cage.
If you are in doubtas to w
hat kind ofcage a parti-
cular animal needs,
see pp. 41-60 or the Bibliogra-
phy.
A D
RY
CA
GE
This is m
ostly for insects.U
se a piepan, cake
pan or can lidfor the
bottom, and a piece of
glass, plastic or screenfor the too.
The sides
are made of a roll
ofscreen.
You can
tie,hook, sew
or solder itdow
n the seam.
Wire
or tie the bottom to the
sides.
C.D
) j
ForeaI.sy
easy access ,you m
ay want to m
ake a sleevetop' for the ca(ie. U
se a plastic bag with the bottom
slit open, a cotton stocking with the foot cut off,
or any other sleeve you might devise of cloth or
plastic.
Attach it to the top of the cage by sew
ing, or with
glue, string, or binder. The open end of the sleeve
should be closed with a w
ire twist or rubber band
that can be removed and replaced easily.
Providing Water
Even in a dry cage you
will have to provide
water for the anim
als.Insects usually fallinto open containersof w
ater, but almost
all insects are able to sip water out of a piece of
wet absorbent cotton or paper tow
el.T
he best way
to keep cotton we'. continuously is to stick a tight
wad into the m
outh of a bottle of water and then tip
the 1.1ottie on its side. Trim
the fluffy edges of thecotton w
ad with scissors so the insects can reach
the wet fibers.
In nature insects get water from
rain or dewdrops,
from plant juices, from
what they eat, or from
thesoil.
Therefore, if it is convenient you can sprin-
kle the inside of the cage lightly with drops of w
a-ter once or tw
ice a day.
A M
OIST
CA
GE
Any glass or plastic container w
ith a wide top can
serve as a moist cage.
72m777.--,
A. screen lid w
ill keep aninials iron, escaping. Am
eta! or plastic lid will help retain m
ore moisture
than will a screen lid.
But if you use a solid lid,
you must he sure that it is punched w
ith many holes
for good air circulation, or everything in the con-tainer w
ill go eitheAnoldy or sour.
37
Plastic shoe boxes are ideal for medium
-sizedm
oistcages.
To m
ake a transparent container of othersizes, you
can use glass or plastic sheets. Acrylic plastic
canbe glued w
ith model airplane
glue or other appro-priate cem
ent to make a box.
Other plastics or sheets of glass
can be put to-gether w
ith tape to make
a box. Water -seal it w
ithm
elted pitch (tar) or beeswax. (Paraffin
is not tackyenough.) T
o seal, heatthe sealer in a tin can w
ith
38
a pinched lip. Tip the box and pour
a stream of m
elt-ed sealer along each joint
on the inside.E
poxyglue can be used as a sealer.
This kind of cage is not strong
enough to hold to-gether if filled to the brim
with
water.
But if you
do a good job,it should be able to hold
up to aninch of w
ater without leaking.
Place rocks, water-soaked w
ood, andm
oss in thebottom
of the moist cage. D
onot use soil or sand,
Any plants you w
ant to include shouldbe potted in
their own sm
all containers.follow
ing this generaloutline, you should have a
cage that can be cleanedeasily and w
ill not contain materials
that will rot or
decompose in the w
et conditions.
Cleaning
When keeping larger anim
als suchas frogs, sala-
manders, turtles, or snakes, clean
out the cage and
..1A
,.,
CI
wash w
ith soap once a week. For m
ore details, seethe directions for keeping special anim
als, begin-ning on p'. 47.
Tem
perature
You can control tem
perature in a moist cage botri by
selecting a proper location in the classroom and by
adjusting the opening at the top of the cage to pro-vide m
ore or less ventilation.,T
he cover of a moist
gage should never be sealed tight.
Use a therm
ometer to keep a careful check on the
temperature in the cage, especially
if the cageis in the sun, because sunlight (or even an incan-descent lam
p) can quickly raise the heat insideto a lethal level.
To cool the cage, increase
the cover opening. When you need a w
ider open-ing for ventilation to allow
the escape of theheated air, w
atch that the cage doesnot
dryout.
The heat over a radiator is usually too erratic for
good living conditions.If the cage is to be w
armall the tim
e, d shelf or table in an inside corner ofthe room
is the best location. An incandescent lam
pcan be adjusted to ptovide both heat and light.
Ifonly light is w
anted,1 a fluorescent lamp is better
because it is cooler.
To keep a cage cool, set it on a w
indowsill.
The
downdraft of cool air, even w
hen the window
isclosed, w
ill keep the cage cool. But be careful not
to let it freeze in winter.
CO
LL
EC
TIN
G L
IVIN
G A
NIM
AL
S
Special animals for your classroom
zoo can be pur-chased, but in order to encourage the students tofeel involved and to be know
ledgeable about what
lives in their own com
munity it is im
portant to col-lect som
e local animal life
the kinds of thingsthat the children often com
e upon when they go ex-
ploring or when they are playing close to the ground.
An anim
al is fascinating in itself, but itis im
por-tant to realize the relation betw
een the animal's
needs and behavior and tiv place where it lives.
Only an anim
al that is found and collected near itsow
n home can be observed, at least briefly, in its
natural conditions.T
hen you can see whether it
lives in a wet or dry place, if it eats leaves, etc.
It is important for the children to be aw
are of theserelations betw
een the animal and its environm
ent,and they w
ill be more likely to notice them
if theydo their ow
n collecting.
Following are som
e simple w
ays of capturing livingthings successfully and transferring them
to theclassroom
for study.
SMA
LL
AN
IMA
LS T
HA
T M
OV
E Q
UIC
KL
Y
If the animal is not m
oving too fast, you can usuallysneak up on it w
ith a small jar in one hand and a
cover in the other.G
et the animal betw
een the jarand the cover, and w
hen you are close enough to besure of your aim
, quickly close the lid.
39
Many anim
als (especially insects)detect your m
ove-m
ents easily, but it is possibleto sneak up on them
if you move slow
ly.M
any insects can be caughtw
hile they are busyon plants and flow
ers.
If the insect is both alertand a good flier (as is the
butterfly),it m
ay be necessary touse a net. B
utit takes a lot of leg w
orkto chase insects w
itha
net, and we recom
mend this
kind of collecting onlyto those w
ith sufficient time
and energy.
An easy w
ay of collectinginsects w
ith a net iscalled "sw
eeping." Swish
the net back and forththrough the tops of long
grass and weeds, alw
ayskeeping the opening of the
net moving forw
ard. You
collect a lot of weed seeds this
way (w
hich may be
interesting too) but you alsocan get several hundred
insects of different kinds thatyou can see craw
lingand leaping about in all
directions when you invert
the net on the ground.If you w
ish to keepsom
e ofthe'insects, invert the
net over the mouth of a large
plastic bag or jar and shakethe insects out of the
net.
SMA
LL
AN
IMA
LS T
HA
T C
RA
WL
OR
HO
P
mails
,shags
,eaithw
orms, caterpillars
and small
toads can he pickedup w
ith the fingers.If you are
squeamish about this sort of thing,
they can be
iiVC
:067Arr
1,:r -Ma
...L111,11: 1;1.40 r'"''''''"4t4i:;11,
4,44
4
coaxed into a jar or plastic bagw
ith a stick or apiece of stiff paper.
When.using a plastic bag
as a container, blow it up
before tying off thetop.
This insures that there
wil1 be enough oxygen (even from
your breath)to
last the animal for an hour
or two.
The cushion of
air also keeps it from getting
squashed.B
e sureto keep closed containers
out of the sun, as theyheat up very rapidly by collecting
the sun's heatenergy.
(This is called the greenhouse
effect.)
SMA
LL
AN
IMA
LS T
HA
T SW
IMO
R C
LIN
G
If you hunt and pick in small
spring ponds or aroundrocks and w
eeds in streams and
lakes, you may turn
up many interesting creatures that
give themselves
away to a careful observer by their
movem
ent. Bend
down close to the w
ater,because m
any creaturesare sm
all and inconspicuous.
The handiest catching device
is a small aquarium
net. You could also use
a tea strainer or a small
plastic cup. Carry several
plastic bags along tchold your collection.
Put some w
ater in a bag andadd a couple of specim
ens.B
low in about three
times as m
uch air as you havew
ater, and tie a knotin the top of the bag.
This package can be carried
in a pocket (if you dori't siton it) or in a pail, box,
or shoulder bag.
Back in the classroom
, theseanim
als can be put tem-
porarily in a small container
for observation,or they
can be placed in an aquarium.
(See p. 26.)
di
SAM
PLE
S FRO
M N
AT
UR
AL
HA
BIT
AT
S
There is an am
azing variety of tiny living creaturesthat are usually difficult to collect individual.ly butbecom
e evident a few days after a sam
ple of theirnatural habitat is brought into the classroom
.
Here are som
e such samples that can be collected,
carried back in a box or plastic bag, and placed ina m
oist cage for class observation:
I.
Moist and half-rotted dead leaves.
2.Soil from
the woods.
3.Soil from
a swam
py place.
4. Garden soil.
5. Sandy soil and plant debris from a vacant lot.
6.D
ry rotted wood or a m
oist piece of rotted log;
7.D
ry animal dung.
LA
RG
ER
AN
IMA
LS
It is not recomm
ended that you collect native ani-m
als larger than those you can pick up with your
fingers.It is difficult to care for them
, and class-room
conditions may be a hardship and can result in
death. The death of a larger anim
al may be m
oredistressing to the children than that of sim
plerform
s of life.In addition, m
oderation in collecting,
exhibited by leaving more easily identifiable ani-
mals in their proper places in the w
ild, is goodconservation education.
Large anim
als such as rabbits or ducks should be en-couraged in the classroom
in the form of tam
e petsvisiting for a day and then returning hom
e with their
owners. Pets are easier to handle and observe and
are far easier to care for.
IAN
IMA
LS SU
ITA
BL
E FO
R T
HE
CL
ASSR
OO
MI
An anim
al that serves a -special demonstration or
observation purpose or i3 to be kept as a classroompet should be carefully selected for its suitabilityto classroom
conditions.T
here are many anim
alsother than the recom
mended ones that the children
03
41
are likely to bring to school (for example,
turtles,chipm
unks, white m
ice) :M
any of these are eithertoo difficult to keep healthy in the
classroom or are
messy or undesirable for som
e otherreason.
If thechildren bring in anim
als thatare not included in
the groups on the following
pages, it is usuallybest to w
elcome them
,as visitors for the day, andthen have the children take
them back to their
nat-.
ural habitats.
We give here a num
berof anim
als suitable forkeeping in the classroom
,directions for their
care,and suggestions for
activities and observation.
PAR
AM
EC
IUM
200x
The param
ecium is
a single-celled, almost m
icro-scopic anim
al that lives inpond w
ater.It is w
ell-suited to classroom
use because it is easy to cul-ture, it show
s how tiny life
can be, and it demon-
strates interesting and clear-cutreactions to cer-
tain stimuli.
42
If you hold the glasscontainer up to a strong back
or side light, you can barelysee param
ecia with
the naked eye.T
hey appear as small
pinpoints oflight, and can be detected by
their movem
ents.
Small cultures of
Paramecium
caudatum can be
pur-chased from
biologicalsupply houses. T
heycan be
cultured in great numbers if
you provide proper food.Y
ou can also usea dropper to isolate individual
animals from
pond water, and
use them to start your
cultures.
To provide a grow
ing medium
for the paramecia, put
some hay, long dry grass,
or lettuce into enoughpond or lake or aquarium
water to half-fill six
orm
ore jars. Sterilize the water and the
plant material
by boiling for 20 minutes.
This w
ill make a tea that
provides food for bacteriaon w
hich the paramecia
'feed.(B
acteria spores will
get into the jar from the
air after the culturew
ater cools.) When the
water
is cool, pour it into thejars together w
ith a fewpieces of the boiled
grass or lettuce, add thepara-
mecia, and let it sit for
a week or m
ore. Paramecia
grow best in a dark or dim
place.
Use loose covers or glass
plates slightly ajarover
the containers to avoidevaporation of w
ater.K
eepin a cool place.
If any mold grow
son grass stick-
ing out of the water,
remove the pieces of grass.
Stir up the culture occasionallyto break the surface
scum.
The culture w
ill dieout as the param
eciause up the
food, so every two
weeks new
cultures should be
Qi1
made. T
o do this simply transfer som
e of thepara-
mecia from
the old culture to a fresh supply of thegrow
ing medium
.
Observe the culture under a m
icroscope or hand mag-
nifier.T
o prevent rapid movem
ent under the micro-
scope, mix a drop of culture w
ater with a drop of
methyl cellulose paste and cover w
ith a cower glass.
(Methyl cellulose can be obtained from
biologicalsupply houses or from
wallpaper stores.)
You can see m
any organisms w
ith the naked-tye ifyou 'spread a few
drops of culture on a glass plateand .hold it over a dark surface.
Illuminate this
from the side.
Iritroduce weak salt, acid, base'and
other solutions (vinegar, soap, soda pop, etc.) atone end of the glass plate, to show
patterns ofattraction or repulsion.
Observe responses duo to
temperature or light-intensity differences betw
eenthe tw
o ends.
OT
HE
R T
INY
OR
GA
NISM
S
Many kinds of tiny anithals can be cultured by just
adding grass or lettuce to pond or aquarium w
ater.In this case do not boil the w
ater, becauseyou
want to culture the organism
s in it.T
o get agreater variety of life, scrape the side of the aquar-ium
or pick up a small am
ount of debris from the
bottom. T
he population in this culture will change
in time as the food supply or predator population
favors' one or another kind of animal.
Observe
these organisms as you did the param
ecia.(See
above.)
PLA
NA
RIA
4x
A planarian is a sm
all freshwater flatw
orm that lives
in streams.
It is 'between one-fourth and one-half
inch long.It is easy to keep, it has interesting be-
havior, and it exhibits regeneration of parts of thebody.
You can obtain planaria from
biological supplyhouses. T
o collect your own specim
ens, to .0 some
water w
ith plants and debris from a lakv,i-or stream
.L
e:-.ve it in a shallow pan to settle.
In allay or two,
planaria should crawl on the side of the pan or com
eto the surface of the w
ater. They can then be trans-
ferrec: to a jar or a culture dish half-filled with
clear c,quarium w
ater, where they w
ill grow w
ell.
Feed your culture twice a w
eek with one or tw
o tinypieces of raw
beef liver for.,each container.It is
easy to cut small bits from
liver that you keep fro-zen.
Leave bits of liver in the container w
ith theplanaria for ai-out an hour.
Then rem
ove the
4 3
Replace all the w
ater_ with fresh aquarium
water.
(It is easy to pour the water off, because the
worm
sstick to the jar.)
It is important to do this after
each feeding.Y
ou must rem
ove the meat juices
that seep out of the liver, in orderto prevent the
water from
becoming foul.
The container w
ith its planaria cultureshould be
kept in a cool and dimly lit place.
When a planarian gets large enough, it
splits inhalf, usually across the .m
iddle, to producetw
oindividuals. A
healthy culture ofw
orms w
ill multi-
ply rapidly.
Some activities your class can do w
ith planariaare suggested here:
I.O
bserve how a resting planaria w
ill respondto liver that is put gently into illte
container. The
planaria detect food by asense of "taste" in the
head region.
2.Planaria w
ill move aw
ay from strong
light.T
hey will detect the light w
itheye spots.
These
are not true eyes that see images.
They are
light-sensitive nerve endings connectedto the
brain.
3.O
bs.erve the gliding movem
ent of the planaria.glide by m
eans of muscle contractions and
lso by the movem
ent of cilia (microscopic
hairlextensions of cells).
The w
orms can glide ("i'the
surface film of the w
ater.
44
SNA
ILS
Local freshw
ater pond snailsare easiest to keep.
European red ram
shorn snails can be purchasedat
aquarfurn shops.L
arge exotic snails are interest-ing but they are harder to keep alive, and
when they
die they make a larger m
ess.
Snails will do best in algae-coated
containers. To
prepare one, let a container of pond water
sit inthe sun or bright light until
its sides are coatedw
ith algae. The snails
eat the algae and_micro-
scopic organisms. Y
oucan also give them
a pinchof fish food every tw
o daysand a piece of lettuce
every week. If you do not use pond
water, prepare
the water as for an aquarium
.(See p. 27.) D
o notuse untreated tap w
ater.
Fish will often eat
or bothernails.
The snails
exhibit the most interesting
ehavior when they
are kept without fish.
Snails are useful in the classroom because they can
be picked out of the aquarium and placed in a sm
alljar for children to observe.
Children can w
atchclosely to see the use of feelers, m
uscular move-
ments of the foot and the action of the m
outh on thesurfacezof the glass.
Many snails breathe air from
the surface,.althoughsom
e snails have giils.T
hey may be seen at the
surface, opening a sac-like lung on the side of thebody to exchange air. Som
e snails havea long tube
that is stretched up for air when the snail
ap-proaches the surface.
Snails are interesting in that they demonstrate
re-production by eggs. M
ost pond snails are herma-
phroditicthat is, an individual anim
al has organsfor producing both eggs and sperm
.O
ften snailscan be seen side by side and attached to each other,trading sperm
through short tubes.Follow
ing this,both snails w
ill lay many eggs over a period of
several days.T
he 'eggs will be,laichon the glass
and on the plants.
The eggs can be scraped 'off the glass and placed
under a microscope to observe successive stages
of the embryo's grw
th inside.T
he most striking
observation is one that can be made w
itha strong
hand lens.T
he small snail can be seen craw
li.round and round
insidethe
eggjust
beforehatching.
,Soon you should have m
ore snails than you need,and the children can take som
e home fol- pets.
SCU
DS
Scuds, or Am
phipods, are crustaceans related tocrayfish, lobsters, and fairy shrim
p.T
he easiestA
mphipods to raise are G
amm
arus and similar
freshwater species. T
hese animals are com
monly
called scuds; or sideswim
mers.
They are sm
allbut active creatures.
They have m
any legs which
are used for swim
ming, 'grasping ,and respiration.
Place them in a drop or tw
o of water and look
atthem
with a m
agnifier.
Scuds are most easily kept alone or w
ith snailsin a sm
all aquariiuni or large jar.'friey can be col-
lected from pdnd, lake or stream
by the "bucket"m
ethod.(See p', 29.)
Feed them fish food once
a week.
Scuds laylarvae. T
ralulatiocontain=
ris late estsee
the
tiny eggs which hatch into m
icroscopicarvae grow
slowly into the adult form
.vill reproduce to form
a stable pop-num
ber depends upon the size of thethe food supply and other conditions.
Itng to change one condition at a tim
e toopulation can be increased.
45
SOW
BU
GS
Sow buts (A
tmadillidium
or PorcelliOb
are small
isopods that live inmoist soil.
They feed-on de-
.caying plant m
aterial, and so are found in placesw
,here there are decaying leaves and wood.
They can be collected outdoors by turning
over logsand boards that are lying on the soil,
or by separa-ting leaves and hum
us on the ground. Dam
p base-m
ents provide enough food and moisture for them
.
Sow. bugs C
an be baited in a damp basem
ent bycut-
ting two thick slices of raw
, potato ana-layingone
over the edge of the other in a dark corner.Sow
bugs will collect on the underside of the
potatos lice .
1
Place sow bugs in a cottage cheese
carton, half-gallon plastic ice cream
container,or plastic shoe
46
box that has been washed and half filled w
ith soil.M
ix broken up or rotting leaves with the soil to
keep it loose. Sand can also be used instead ofleaves to keep the soil loose. (A
dding sand will'
allow you to find the sow
bugs more easily.)
Keep the soil m
oist and cover the container with
aperforated lid to retard drying but to allow
some air
circulation.
Feed sow bud's on rotting leaves, slices of potato
or carrot, or" a few pieces of unsw
eetened breakfastcereal.
Provide some flat slices of potato, leaves O
r stones=
for the sow bugs to hide under.
ow bugs that are collected in early autum
n shouldreproduce by m
idwinter at the latest. T
hey layeggs
in the debris in their cage, and theyoung look just
-like the adults.
Things to observe:
I.T
hey avoid light.If they m
ust search for foodin a lighted place, they w
ill run froma suddenly
moving sfiadow
.
2.R
esponse to moist and dry objects:
See which
they will C
ling to, of hide under.
3. Note tesponsd to carbon dioxide. B
lowsom
e ofthe gas tow
ard them from
soda water
or a mixture of
vinegar and baking soda.
CY
i
)
4.Put a sow
bug in a box and see if there is anypattern to its response to edges and corners.
5. Observe how
the legs move.
6. See how the feelers m
ove. What can they
sense? Do they detect chem
icals?T
ry touchingthe feelers w
ith toothpicks that have been dippedin different substances.
CR
ICK
ET
S
A continuously reproducing collection of crickets
(Gryllus) can be m
aintained id the classroom. W
ithlittle effort at least tw
o generations can be raised'%
over a period of three to six months.
The best w
ayto start is to purchase a m
inimum
supply of live
crickets from a biologicals O
ply hoUse. T
he crick-ets they usually supply are tdropean house crickets.i,T
hese are the easiest to keep alive under classroomconditions. It is also possible to find native crick-ets in basem
ents and fields, but it is necessary toget one to tw
o dozen to insure that you haire enoughof both sexes and that m
ating will take place.
This should result in the laying of fertile eggs.
Place crickets in a dry cage for insects. (See p. 36.)T
ransferring crickets from one container to another
is much easier if you put the caged crickets in a re-
frigerator for 10 to 20 minutes to slow
them dow
'n.
Supply many. surfaces in the cage for the crickets to
crawl on, cling to and hide under. T
his will-elim
i-nate stress'due to overcrow
ding.. Coarse excelsior
or crumpled paper tow
els % are good for this .
To feed th
crickets, place dry dog food in the cageand supplem
enis w
ith small bits of fresh apple,
celery, and other vegetables.Supply the cage
with 'a w
ater bottle arid also sprinkle the cagetw
ice a day.(See p. 37.)
It:Will not be easy to
clean the cage because of the crickets' activity,but the crickets do riot m
ake much m
ess if a layerof coarse sand or saw
dust is put at the bottomof the cage.
Males w
ill "chirp" to attis internal.
Females can
ovipositor on the rear of teggs in m
oist soil.T
hew
eeks, depending on temp
ct females. Fertiliz *aeon
be identified by the longe body.
They lay_their
ggs hatch in one to two
-rature.
47
To receive the eggs
, place a bowl or box containing
at least an inch of soil into the cricketcage.
Sprinkle the soil each time the cage is sprinkled.
(The soil that 'receives the
eggs should be keptm
oist but not wet.)
Females w
ill be observedrepeatedly inserting the ovipositor into the soilto lay eggs.
The young crickets are m
iniaturecopies of the adult.
There is no com
plete metam
orphosisin this insect.
The young are. called nym
phs.
The young crickets can be left w
ith the adultseven
though some cannibalism
will take place.
Loss
of--Ing is also likely to result because thetiny
young crickets will craw
l out through the screen ofthe cage.
If you wish, you can transfer the
con-tainer of soil to a glass container, to retain theyoung m
ore effectively.If you do this, be sure to
provide thadults w
ith more soil for egg-laying.
Care for the young the sam
ew
ay as for adults. The
young undergo a series of moults (skin-shedding)
during growth. A
fter each moult they
appear whit-
ish in color; they darken to brown
or black in abouta day. C
rickets live an average of two to four
months. C
ooler temperatures (60°
to 700) prolonga cricket's life, but then the life activities
are al-so slow
ed up.
Each child can be provided w
itha sm
all coveredplastic container containing
one cricket, a largepinch of saw
dust, a wet w
ad ofabsorbent cotton,
and tl.ve kernels of dry puppy-sizeddog food.
48
cricket
dog food
absorbentcotton
sawdust
The cricket w
ill live in this small cage for several
weeks if food and w
ater are provided regularly.B
esure to keep the dog food aw
ay from the w
et cottonand avoid getting the saw
dust wet, or m
old will take
over. If mold is seen grow
ing, remove the contents,
wash the container and start again. W
hen changingcontainers, rem
ember that cool crickets jum
p nei-ther so fast nor so far as w
armones.
Observe these things abotit crickets:
I.rinds of food consum
ed.
2. Response to light.
3. Use of antennae.
4.L
ocomotion.
5.M
ating behavior.----
6.Production of chirping.
r7.
Eating and drinking behavior.
GR
ASSH
OPPE
RS
Grasshoppers can be kept in the sam
e way as crick-
ets (see p. 47), but only a few can be kept in each
cage.Fem
ales already fertilized will lay eggs un-
der the same conditions as crickets.
It is more
difficult to get grasshoppers to mate in
a cage.
Grasshoppers need sunlight to rem
ain vigorous.T
hey are more m
essy than crickets, and thecage
should be cleaned once a week. G
rasshopperscan
be cooled for transfer.(See C
rickets.)T
hey eata variety of foods including lettuce, sliced apple,tall grasses, clover, new
ly sproutedgrass seed
(which can be planted,right in the cage) and
bran(bran flakes breakfast cereal). T
hey also needw
a-ter.
To provide it, use a w
ater bottle and periodicsprinkling.
Meadow
grasshopper
Migrato.y grasshopper
Chrysalis of giant sw
allowtail
Cocoon of ailanthus silk m
oth
CO
CO
ON
S AN
D C
HR
YSA
LID
S
The bodies of m
any insects undergo a complete
change or metam
orphosis during theirlife cycle.
They go from
egg to larva to pupa to adult.A
cat-erpillar is a larval stage.
A cocoon is a protective case of silken thread
woven
by some larvae.
Inside it, the insect goes throughits pupal stage, protected from
its natural enemies
and from the w
eather.T
hen it emerges. as an adult.
(Most m
oths make cocoons.)
A chrysalis is the pupa of a butterfly.
The larva
fastens itself to a branch or 1)oard,
hancm\cs
down.
Then it sheds its caterpillar skin, and the
next skin forms a hard protective covering for the
pupal stage. This form
of pupa" is calleda chrysalis.
After a period varying from
days to months,
an adultbutterfly em
erges from the chrysalis.
j-1 4 9'
You are m
ost likely to find cocoons and chrysalidsin the late fall or early spring.
Look in sheltered
spotsunder boards and rocks, on the ground in
debris or lightly covered with soil, on fences or
houses, on bushes, on tree branches or between
ridges on the bark.M
ost caterpillars eat one par-ticular kind of plant as the m
ain part of their diet,so you are likely to find the cocoons or chrysalidsof a particular species near particular kinds ofplants.
(See Field Book of Insects by Frank E
.L
utzfor a list of plant-insect associates.)
When you find a cocoon or .chryszlis,
you will w
antto keep it under conditions sim
ilar to those outdoors.K
eep it in a gallon jar, so that when the m
othor
butterfly emerges it w
ill have plenty ofroom
tospread its w
ings.Put a one-inch layer of m
oistsoil or sphagnum
moss on the bottom
of thejar, and
then add a few sticks of w
ood for the adult tocraw
lon w
hen it emerges.
Place the pupa in the jar,above the soil but not touching it, and
cover the jarw
ith a piece of screening. Sprirkle lightly.
The tem
peraturg at which you keep the
cocoon orchrysalis w
ill determine how
long the adult takesto
emerge.
If the pupa is kept ina w
arm room
the adult will usually em
erge in abouttw
o months'
time.
If you keep the jar in the classroom during
the winter, do not let the pupa dry
out.Sprinkle
the soil regularly, but be carefulnot to overw
ater,or the pupa w
ill become m
oldy.
A pupa found and brought indoors in late fall
would
become an adult in m
id-winter. Som
eadults norm
al-
;30
ly reproduce and die without feeding.
Mating w
ouldof course be im
possible in winter.
Othen w
ouldnorm
ally live longer, but you may find it difficult to
provide the kind of food they would usually eat.
Therefore prepare to kill the insect painlessly by
exposing it to vapor from nail polish rem
over (ethylacetate) in a closed jar for one-half hour.
The in-
sect can then be displayed.(A
lso see Lutz's Field
Book of Insects.)
To allow
a pupa to follow its natural
course of devel-opm
ent, keep its jar outdoors in a well- ventilated,
sheltered spot. An unheated garage
or porch isideal.
Do not let the sun shine on the jar; or it w
illoverheat it.
If no. suitable outdoor spot is available,you can delay em
ergence until the normal tim
e bykeeping the jar in the refrigerator.
You can have the children w
atch forem
ergencew
here the pupa has wintered, if convenient,
orbring it into the classroom
as spring approaches.T
here is no "need to sprinkle the soil ina jar 1:cpt
outdoors:
After everyone in the class has had
an opportunityto look at the adult insect, encourage them
to letit go outdoors.
If you wish to keep it in the class-
room, see the B
ibliography (p.17) to 1,i nt)f-
moth or butterfly and find out w
hat itoats.Som
eadult insects live for only a few
days, butothers,
such as the Monarch butterfly, m
ay live fora year.
If the merging adult is a fem
ale itm
ay la,?but these w
ill not develot unless a male is
pres-ent also.
You m
ay want to try keeping a caterpillar to w
atchit go into the pupal stage of its life cycle, and thenw
atch for the adult insect to emerge. Y
our chancesfor success are best if you find a large caterpillarthat m
ay be ready to pupate within a few
days.For food for the caterpillar you w
ill need to gatherfresh leaves of the kind of plant you find the cater-pillar on.
These m
ust be gathered fresh daily, oryou m
ay try storing some in a plastic bag in the re-
frigerator.
ME
AL
WO
RM
S
The m
ealworm
(Tenebrio m
olitor) is the larval formof a beetle that is found in stored grain.
Meal-
worm
s can be purchased in pet shops in lots of 25or. 50, or from
bis)logical supply houses.
To culture, put the larvae in a low
plastic container,box or jar of about one quart capacity.
(A plastic
shoe box is ideal.) Cover the larvae w
ith about 2cups of w
hole-grain corn or wheat. G
ood substitutefoods are cornm
eal, a mixture of unsugared corn
flakes and bran breakfast cereals,
or dry enrichedbaby cereal.
Add thick slices of potato, apple
or carrot, or apple cores, to the top to providem
oisture. Replace these w
hen dry or moldy.
Crum
ple some paper tow
elling and place over thefood to provide cover and hiding places for theadults. W
eigh the paper down w
ith a stone sothat it is not higher than the sides of the container,or the adults w
ill crawl out. A
cover is not neededif the container has sm
ooth sides, because theadult beetles rarely fly, especially if there isenough food and m
oisture provided.
Mealw
orm larvae hatch from
tiny eggs that are hardto see because they get covered w
ith dust and de-bris. T
he eggs hatch about a week after they are
laid. The young are sm
all and difficult to find.T
hey grow slow
ly, shedding their skins severaltim
es. They are shiny, dry, a yellow
-brown color,
and fairly plump w
hen healthy. They grow
to aboutone inch long before they pupate.
The pupa is w
hitish in color and is shorter and wider
than the larva.. looks like a sm
all, shrouded mum
-m
y form. T
he pupa changes to the adult form in one
to three weeks.
The adult beetle is w
hite at first,then gradually
turns brown, and finally black.
The adults need
,5) C
JIn
moisture in order to m
ate and layeggs.
Be sure to
continue to provide slices of vegetableor fruit on
the cereal.
The w
hole cycle will take fror
three to six months,
depending upon temperature, food
and moisture.
Itis ordinarily possible, how
ever,to find a tim
e when
larvae, pupae, and adultsare present at once.
Surplus larvae can be fed to toads,salam
anders, orother insect-eaters in
your classroom zoo.
The individual insects
can be handled by childrenon their desks or in sm
all boxesor plastic contain-
ers.(Paper boxes provide
a better crawling surface
than plastic.)
Observations of m
ealworm
sm
ay include the follow-
ing:
I.L
ife stages and metam
orphosis.
2.R
esponse to moisture
or dryness.
3.M
eans of locomotion.
4.R
esponse to barriers.
5.R
esponse to light.
6.R
esponse to a lharcl surfaceas com
pared with a
pile of bran.
7.B
ehavior of adults as compared w
ith behaviorof
larvae.
52
Other things to observe
are included in Elem
entaryScience Study, B
ehavior of D./lea 'w
orms, listed in
the Bibliography.
FRU
IT FL
IES
Fruit flies (Drosophila)
can be attracted to ripeor
decaying fruit duringsum
mer and autum
n.Y
ou may
be successful in winter
too if the flies have hiber-nated in the building.
It is also possible, butrare,
to get fruit which has fruit fly
eggs or larvae on it.
To prepare a bottle for fruit flies,
place a piece ofbanana in it, sprinkle the banana
with a little dry
ysast, add a piece ofpaper tow
el for the larvae toclim
b on, and tape apaper funnel into the m
outh ofthe bottle so that
a small opening (about an eighth
of an inch across) extendsinto the bottle.
The flies w
ill follow the odor
into the trap, but will
not be able to find the small
When several
flies have been caught, plug theopening of the fun-
nel with absorbent cotton. Y
ou may w
ant tl replacethe funnel w
ith cotton, but if so, you have to move
very quickly to keep the fruit flies from escaping.
The captured adults w
ill lay eggs on the banana, andthe larvae w
ill hatch and feed on the yeast. Then
they climb on the paper tow
el and pupate there. The
complete life cycle takes about tw
o weeks.
More generations of flies can be bred by transfer-
ring adults to bottles with fresh yeast and banana.
If the banana is mashed into the new
bottle so thatit w
ill not fall out, the new bottle can be inverted
quickly over the old after removing the cotton plug,
and the flies will fly upw
ard into their new cage.
You m
ay find it easier to observe flies in a smaller
bottle without food in it.
Transfer them
in the same
way.
For more elaborate fruit fly culturing, refer
paper cone
tape
piece ofpaper tow
el
banana
to Drosophila G
uide by Dem
erec and Kaufm
an, pub-lished by C
arnegie Institution of Washington,
D.C
., 1967, 50 cents.
Observe:
I.L
ife stages of fly:egg, larva, pupa, adult.
2. Response to light:
See how the flies behave
when you shine a light on one side of the bottle or
slip the bottle into a construction-paper sleevew
ith a window
cut in it.
3. Response to odors: Put spots of different odors
in a large container.(T
ry fruits, perfumes, flavor-
ings.) Transfer som
e flies to the container and seeif they are attracted by particular odors.
4. Response to vibration: T
ap the bottle in differ-ent w
ays.
5. Craw
ling behavior: Watch w
ith a magnifier.
6. Eye color.
BE
ES
A dem
onstration hive of bees, including a queen andw
orkers,
may be obtainable from
your biologicalsupply house.
If not, the supply house should beable to suggest a source for a hive.
The dem
onstration hive is a very handy unit de-signed to be set inside a w
indow. T
he beesgo in
53
and out through a plastic tube insertedin a hole
bored through the window
frame.
The hive has
transparent plastic sides. The com
b is inside,and
all the activity of the hivecan be observed. N
ohandling of bees is necessary.
The hive is sm
all andm
ay need extra feeding with
honey to maintain it.
(A container is provided.)
The m
ost important consideration
for a healthy hiveis to install it in the spring
so that the bees cancollect pollen actively during the
summ
er. A hive
installed in the fall in cold climates
will not show
much activity.
Theoretically, the hive should continue
indefinitely,but keeping the bees alive through
the winter poses
special problems of fueding and heating.
It is bestto replace the bees each spring.
*Sod.ips Papeof
:4_14 s.Z4.1'
"')1
.if)!
r -0
Th
N.
)S.
1
(-2in.)
54
1'
GU
PPIES
Guppies (L
ebistes reticulatus)are sm
all minnow
snative to C
entral Am
erica. They
are easily kept inthe classroom
because theycan stand variations
in temperature from
65° to 900 F.,
if the changesare not too rapid. G
uppies eat a variety of food.T
hey mate readily under alm
ostany circum
stances.T
he eggs are hatched internally, and theyoung are
retained within the fem
ale's body.T
he young areborn fully able to sw
im and feed.
Obtain guppies from
pet storesor from
the children.(Som
eone almost alw
ays has too many.)
Keep them
in an aquarium.
(See p. 26.)If you have just tw
oguppies, they can be kept in a quart jar. Feed themstandard fish food or special guppy food bought
ata pot shop. A
dults sometim
es eat the young,so it
is best to provide plants as hiding places.
Observe;
I.H
ow fins and tail w
ork.
2.D
ifferences between m
ale and female:
The pres-
ence of the gonopodium indicates a m
ature male fish.
CID
The gonopodium
is a modified fin used for transfer-
ring sperm. M
ales are usually smaller and m
orebrightly colored than fem
ales.
3.M
ating behavior: The m
ale transfers a spermpacket to the opening in the fem
ale's body neer theanal fin.
4.B
reathing: Note increase in respiration rate
with w
armer w
ater and lack of oxygen.
5.Feeding habits: Fish can be trained to com
e toa particular spot to be fed if the food is alw
ays putin the sam
e place. They usually becom
e condition-ed to seek food w
hen they perceive motion of large
objects (people).See if they w
ill respond in thesam
e way if they are not hungry.
6.T
he flow of blood in the tail of a young guppie
can be easily seen with a m
icroscope.C
atch thecjuppie in a net and w
rap it in wet tissue, leaving
its tail sticking out on a wet m
icroscope slide.T
his shouldn't harm the guppie if you unw
rap andreplace it in the aquarium
within 5 m
inutes.
Gow
ns H
The goldfish (C
arassius auratus) sold in varietystores and pet shops are sturdy and easy to keep inthe classroom
.Y
pu will not need aerators or
heaters for them.
To prepare your aquarium
, set the empty tank w
hereyou w
ill want to keep it, in a cool place and out of
direct sunlight.Sand or gravel is not necessary,
unless you want it for anchoring plants.
Fill the aquarium w
ith tap water.
The w
ater shouldrem
ain in the aquarium at least 24 hours, preferably
long.er, before the fish are added, so that the chlo-rine w
ill have disappeared. At this tim
e also fill aplastic bucket or open jug w
ith water w
hich will be
"aged" and ready to replenish the supply in theaquarium
as it evaporates.Y
ou can use a fewdrops of hypo or the w
ater dechlorinator sold in petshops to age the w
ater more quickly.
After the w
ater in the aquarium has cleared and has
aged for several days, purchase your fish, a dip net,and a supply of 'fish food.
Select lively, mcclium
-sized fish.
Check to see that there are no dead or
sluggish fish in the tank at the store.If there are,
there is a greater likelihood that the fish you buyw
ill also be diseased.,
The fish w
ill be given to you in a plastic bag. Floatthe unopened bag in the aquarium
for about an hour
CD
55
56
before releasing the fish.T
his allows the tem
pera-ture of the w
ater inside and outsidethe bag to equal-
ize.T
he shock of rapidtem
perature change will
kill a fish.
The usual difficulties w
ithkeeping goldfish result
from keeping the aquarium
too warm
, having thefish in too sm
all containers,or overfeeding. Feed
the fish only a small pinch
of food every other day.Pet shops m
ay recomm
endenough food to be eaten
in five minutes every day,
but ordinarily a feedingevery other day w
ill be sufficient.It is easy to
train goldfish tocom
e for food if you always feed
them at the
same tim
e and in the same portion of
the tank. You can also
tap lightly on the aquariumjust before you add the food.
If much debris accum
ulatesat the bottom
of the tank,siphon it off.
If the. fish come to the surface
andgasp for air, either they are overcrow
dedor the
water has becom
e foul.For the first situation,
pro-vide an additional container; for
the second, siphonm
ost of the water out and replace it from
your agedw
ater supply.
Observe:
I.H
ow does a goldfish use fins and tail
for move-
ment? W
hich fins are used form
oving up and down,
which for m
oving forward?
Does, the fish
move
backwards?
2.N
oce rate of gill movem
ent incom
parison totem
perature of water.
3. Observe fish from
a distance so as not to dis-turb them
, and note the region ofthe container in
which they are m
ost oftenseen.
Observations
,-m
ig'ht be made at five-m
inuteintervals. D
o all fishbehave this w
ay?
-4.N
ote feeding habits. What
makes fish com
e tobe fed?
5.T
est for favorite kinds of food.T
ransfer a fishto a sm
all container, and cleanout food that is not
eaten. Try sm
all bits of the following:
plastic,nails, oatm
eal, carrot, wood,
insects, hamburger,
cheese, cracker, lettuce.
TO
AD
The com
mon toad (B
ufo americanus)
makes an excel-
lent pet for the classroom.
It will often live for
many years.
Keep the toad in a m
oist cage and provideit w
ith adish of w
ater to sit in occasionally.(T
ap water
does not seem to harm
toads.)C
lean the cageevery w
eek with soapy w
ater and rinse thoroughly.Provide som
e sunshine.
Feed a toad with m
ealworm
s, earthworm
s, cridketsand other insects tw
ice a week or m
ore.T
he more
a toad eats, the faster it grows. D
uring the winter
beef liver or chicken liver can be dangled fromtw
eezers in front of the toad. If you can dangle thefood so as to sim
ulate the movem
ent of a livingthing, the toad should eat it.
Keep the cage betw
een SO° and 65° F.
(See p. 39.)T
he toad will then eat less and live longer.
It may
be necessary to warm
the toad to get it to eat.It
can be warm
ed by holding it in your hand.W
henyou pick it up, it m
ay elimate w
ater,but this is
harmless.
It is an interesting behavior characteris-tic for protection.
The liquid tastes bad and w
ouldm
ake an animal drop the toad from
its mouth.
Obseive:
I.E
ating behavior:T
his is dependent upon thetoad's seeing m
ovement.
Place a hungry toad onthe table and set m
ealworm
s in front of it.W
atchthe use of the tongue to catch food. O
bserve thetoad's use of the front feet to position food in them
outh.
2. Movem
ent and use of legs.
3.T
hat quality of the skin which prevents the. toad
from drying out. C
ompare w
ith frog or salamander.
4. Sex differences: Males w
ill usually croak orpeep w
hen grasped with fingers behind the front
legs, and females w
ill not.T
he male has large
thumbs on the front feet. T
here is no other simple
way of telling sex.
S.E
yes: Eye sockets extend into roof of m
outh.E
yes are used to force food down w
hen swallow
ing.
6. Where are the toad's nerds (nostrils)?
7.D
oes it have teeth?(Y
es.)
8.D
oes it have toenails?(N
o.)
SAL
AM
AN
DE
RS
Tiger salam
anders and their relatives arc easiest tokeep, but other salam
anders also live well in the
classroom. L
ike toads, they require little attentionand eat w
ell. They m
ay be kept even cooler thantoads (35° F.)
just don't change the temperature
very rapidly: Salamanders require up to one inch
k-14
CID57
of water in the bottom
of the moist
cage, but other-w
ise should be treated exactly liketoads.
(Seep. 56.) Salam
anders are usuallya little m
ore ag-gressive. T
hey will eat liver better than toads
andthey m
ay learn to take food without
its being dan-gled.
RA
TS
The laboratory rat is one of the
tamest and m
ostpredictable of classroom
pets foryoung children.
For school use they are much better
than mice.
Their soft fur invites
handling, and their largesize m
akes them less vulnerable
to injury.A
lso,they have far less odor than m
ice.T
hey arerarely inclined to nip, as
a hamster does,, and
they do not move w
ith quick,unpredictable
motions.
A cage for rats should have
a removable tray and a
hinged top.U
nless you are especially handyat
making things
, you would do best to buy a standard
laboratory cage. Cleaning m
ust be doneevery day,
or odor will build up. A
proper cage for 'easyclean-
ing has a wire grid bottom
that allows
droppings andurine to fall through. W
ash thecage w
ith soap ev-ery w
eek. Provide the rats with
a water bottle, not
/(
58
a dish of water.
This can be m
ade according to thediagram
below or bought from
a pet shop.Provide
shreds of paper for bedding.
Test tube a
Glass O
r
One-holed
rubberstopper
copper tubeW
atering Bottle
for Mam
mals
Feed rats standard rat food, called "labchow
."T
his is a balanced diet, and since itis a dry, pel-
leted food,it w
ill keep cage mess at
a minim
um.
Rats w
ill eat almost anything
a human w
ill (and afew
other things besides),so other food can be of-
fered occasionally as a treat.
The rats you obtain from
a pet shot'f biological
supply house should be youngones.
,Rats m
ature atthree to four m
onths andare old at one and one-half
to two years.) T
o tame
young rats, you should han-dle them
every day.If you handle them
gently and
CC
)
never tease or hurt them,
they will enjoy com
ingout of their cages , especially if they are given asm
all treat each time. R
ats, especially young ones,m
ay occasionally leave droppings when taken out
of their cages and handled, but they are much better
about this than mice.
A m
ale and a female rat can be kept together in one
cage successfully.B
ut the male should be rem
ovedw
hen the female has given birth and during the tim
eshe is caring for the young. B
e sure to handle them
ale daily to keep him tam
e.D
o not handle the fe-m
ale until the young have their eyes open and arescam
pering about.
The cage is the rat's hom
e territory.If anything
is poked into the cage, the rat, like most rodents,
will bite it.
He thinks that it is food, or he as-
sociates it with an irritant.
Be sure that the chil-
dren do not poke anything, whether fingers or food
or pencils or sticks, through the wire, to avoid
training the rat to respond in ways that m
ight make
the animal unsafe to handle. T
each the rat to come
to the door when you open it, by offering a treat
each time.
Then w
hen you want to take it out you
won't have to reach into the cage to grab for it.
GE
RB
ILS
The easiest laboratory m
amm
al to keep is the gerbil,a desert rat from
Asia.
Gerbils have very lim
itedliquid w
aste, and their droppings are dry and verysm
all and have almost no odor. "T
herefore, the cageneeds cleaning only once a m
onth.
One draw
back for young children is that gerbils arcvery quick, active anim
als, and are hard for cnil-.-dren to handle. B
ut they are Bch m
ore fun to watch
than most rodents.
They ar-- never still a m
inute,and they are extrem
ely curious.
Gerbils are m
ost easily caged in an unused or leakyaquarium
or terrarium fitted w
ith a screen top.In
this way they can be easily w
atched but are protect-ed from
teasing. The m
ore room they have, the hap-
pier they will be.' Put an inch of w
ood shavings onthe bottom
and provide paper or cloth for bedding.(T
hey will shred it them
selves.)G
erbils like toclam
ber over and under objects such as paper tubes,tin cans or boxes.'
Provide the animals w
ithE a w
atering bottle, not aw
ater dish.(See p. 58.) K
eep the cage dry. Feedthem
"lab chow" (see p. 58.) and supplem
ent itw
ith a mixture of seeds such as ham
ster food. Give
59
,occasional treats of other foods suchas potato chips
and dry breakfast cereals.
Buy gerbils from
a reputable dealer,of.pets,w
ho will
guara -itee that he has sold you ayoung m
ale and fe-m
ale.(It is hard to tell the.sex w
henthey are
young.) At three m
onths ofage, gerbils are ready
to mate.
It takes 24 days after mating for the
youngto be born. T
he male m
ay be leftin the cage w
henthe young are born.
He w
ill not bother them.
Do
not handle the females
or the young during the peri-od of nursing, w
hich lasts aboutsi., w
eeks. Tile
family group m
ay be kept togetherindefinitely if the
cage is large enough.A
gerbil may live one and
ono-half to two years.
-OT
HE
R A
NIM
AL
S
Several other animals
may also prove to be good
classroom riots.
If you wish to experim
ent,w
e sug-gest you find out about
some of th62 follow
ing:ti
hydrasW
ater fleas (daphnia)Spiders (w
eb weavers)
Blow
fliesB
rine shrimp
Parakeets (budgerigars)Z
ebra finchesA
merican cham
eleons (anole)1
nestersS nn
60
TE
MPO
RA
RY
HO
USIN
G FO
R T
RA
,k1SIEN
TS
There-are anim
als that youT
ay want to keep' for +
afew
days for a particular lessone'en thous h they
are not suitable for extended staysin the classroom
.T
he general rule is to keep theircages as rruch
their natural habitatsas possible.
Ants:
Keep in-a jar filled w
ith n,.oist soil.Sot the
jar in a basin of waterso that ants
cannot escape.
Beetles:
Keep in m
oist soil. Cover the container
with w
ire screen, or with a.v,rell-punctured
jar lid.
Earthw
orms:
Put in flov.'or pots oc terraria.T
heyw
ill burrow dow
n, but shouldcol-f,e to the surface
again if you water the pot.
l'rogs:U
se a largo container,in w
hich jou ca:-:place w
ater ancla rockor other (Iry silrface for the
frog to .sit on. Cover w
ithscreen.
Tadpoles:
Keep in pondw
ator or aged .'ater.T
heycan be put in your aquarium
with your fish.
Feedw
ith boiled lettuce.(Sec under Parw
:eciucn,3 -..%
)
I
WH
EN
CH
ILDR
EN
BR
ING
TH
ING
S IN
Chi ldfen often bring things to show
at school, eitheron their ow
n or with som
e encouragement.
These
are often living thingsa butterfly, an unusual
seedpod, a cocoon, a leather.Shells and rocks
are often collected by childr.en, and a -child may
bring to school all or part of his personal collec-tion.
When a child brings a specim
en to class, how m
ightyou take full advantage of the situation for the edu-cational benefit of both the child and his class-7rnates?
This section contains specific suggestions
on how to guide the child in m
aking his report to theclass, how
to stimulate class., discussion and=
spec-ulation about the specim
en, and how to help'the
children get further :information about it.
The section deals separately w
ith animals: plants,
and racks and fossili.
t
El M
I 3CD
WH
EN
CH
ILD
RE
N B
RIN
G A
NIM
AL
S INT
O T
HE
CL
ASSR
OO
M
When a child brings a living anim
alspecim
en toschool, the follow
ing questionscan serve as the
framew
ork of his report to the class:
IN W
HA
T K
IND
OF PL
AC
E W
AS T
HE
AN
IMA
LFO
UN
D? (W
et, dry, sunny, shady, etc.)W
HA
T W
AS IT
DO
ING
WH
EN
YO
UFIR
ST SA
W IT
?
WE
RE
TH
ER
E O
TH
ER
S LIK
E IT
TH
ER
E?
Have the child take the specim
en aroundso that
every mem
ber of the class can have a close look atit.
If the specimen is very sm
all, providea m
agni-fying glass. W
hen the children have hadtim
e tow
atcn how the anim
al breathes,m
oves, etc. , ask:
HO
W D
O W
E K
NO
W T
HIS A
NIM
AL
IS .):AiL
IVE
?
WH
AT
IS TH
E N
AM
E O
F TH
E A
NIM
AL
?
On p. 63 you w
ill find a key to picture chartsthat
may help identify the anim
al.If it is still unidenti-
fied, see the Bibliography for, further help.
Bear in
mind that identification is not
a goal in itself butserves as a load to further inform
ation.
WH
AT
OT
HE
R T
HIN
GS W
OU
LD
WE
LIK
E T
O K
NO
WA
BO
UT
OU
R SPE
CIM
EN
? (How
it eats, how it
cioans itself, how it spins
a web, how
it laysec)qs, how
it builds a nest.)
If part of an animal, such as a feather,
a bone, theskin shed by a snake, a pupa case,
or a shell isbrought in, ask:
62
WH
AT
PAR
T O
F TH
E A
NIM
AL
IS TH
IS SPEC
IME
N?
WH
AT
IS ITS JO
B?
These questions should generate activity
of two
kinds:farther observation and reading.
Observation and experim
entationm
ay be canied onin the classroom
.(See p. 90 for
museum
exhibitsof living things, and pp. 42-60 for
discussions ofspecific anim
als.),, To obtain certain inform
ation,further observation in the anim
al's natural habitatm
ay be necessary. In this case have ti.child w
hobrought the anim
al take it back to where it
was
found and observe it and others likeit there.
(This
might be an assignm
ent for a comm
ittee.)
The B
ibliography syggest$sources for further infor-
mation about anim
als the childrenare m
ost likely dobring into the classroom
.A
lso check the index forother references in this handbook.
If the animal.brought in is a pet, classroom
discus-sion m
ight follow this pattern:_
WH
AT
BR
EE
D O
F AN
IMA
L IS IT
?
HO
W O
LD
IS IT?
WH
AT
DO
ES IT
EA
T? H
OW
IS IT C
AR
ED
FOR
DO
ES IT
HA
VE
SPEC
IAL
usr.6?
See p.to help von decide w
hether 'iou want to
}:cep a partcular animal in the classroom
s, or send ithom
e.
KE
Y: W
HIC
H A
NIM
AL
IS IT?
CO
UN
T T
HE
LE
GS
.
See Index forinform
ation andbibliographical references
Illustratcti onD
oes it have no legs?par:es
If its body is covered with scales it is probably
..
a snake71
If its body is naked (no hair, no scales) it is probably.
a worm
69
If it has no legs but does have one "foot" it isa m
ollusc70
Does it have tw
o legs and feathers?If so, it is
a bird
Does it have tw
o legs and hair?If so, it is
a mam
mal
Does it have four legs?If its body :135 hair, it is
.a m
amm
al72
If its body is covered with scales, it is
a reptile--71
If its body has neither hair nor scales, it isan am
phibian71
Does it have si%
legs?If so, it is
an insect64-t,8
Does it have eight legs?
If so, it is probablya spider
69
Does it have fourteen legs?
If so, it may be
a sov., bug. h9
Does it-have m
any legs and does it look like a worm
?If so, it m
ay beor it m
ay beor it Ina Y
be
a centipedea
n illipedean insect larva
6(1
-:a
63
1-71\TS7T
LIrrC
YC
LE
S 1
Egg
Larva
PupaA
dult
Golden-eye
Lacei.vind
)
1
(.- t IF;in.)
,(
,,
in.)li
,_ ,.-.-
in.)
'''
.,1/4\_
,
...
44.
i
1;1.)
NIonarch B
utterfly
(1 i 1 . )
f,(t t>
2 in.)
,.14.
...Pie
f1
1
((
'1
1:.),
1.
....-%,
.;:i 1.4411111iiii.
.1. ;1
ta1 it.
..7t":111ilikk 1/4\
''''cVIIPillt,
0tili
iAlat:Pilibk,N
ik,,.%
,ipp.-__...edillills.k794..-4-....18.%
0.......
.
'.1,-)c;p,4%
)
-,'.i .:,'
AO
/4A°
tit..,
li.
,' ti
42t..
.&'..'
(tj1
Ir..)
+,
%
0K
.gr,."''
\ ".?,4,1.., ../
/..,
,
y/:fr.:: ......
C''.
'1
,
. -..
-,
1 ri . )
1
/:.
ill'/
ik i
,.
1.i t
f -12li".
6'1* N
o nie,wurem
ent
Ci;
Larva
Pupa
Tent C
aterpillar
,....,,,,
,X
e',; .s,
"../%
.-'
*-$1!
.
.,.1
(J n. ; .I.
'g,,--
in.)
,
, 'A
' ...t...,
i't:-_,2 in.)
,,..
V
i.
/...,,. ,
----:a,
--
'.
...,' -,."
--::̂,
....:-
L..
in.)
.... --.,z.- c
..----
.....--.-4.--..,
\ -, ,1'- q\N)
''....
-i.--)ni l'..
1;0,-trf
-.''t''''I'll'i' 44'
I`1.
'' P1
".
.
' V
( t.
'
I
i :: . )
...
--.
,,,....
,...
..
,..
-_
,..
.
;;:441k.4,- '''"..:.--
t:\444
l,
V704),
r-il!.
,,
,)
s t%
M.::,..4
:.. 0 I.
S..A
..., I.'°/..f...,*(.'"
41j...,
. '
,..v
..
-..
.. .
, -
/ ..°. s/.e
*---.....-.....-.....
.V
........-..r.1
........c...-:..-...__t_,,........
..
.-i",.
, ' :'
-1-
.......-1-,f,
, /2
',...;
...
e
'.(
,,.....,....-..--..
...!..
0 U.
I. Ul
11011
.
Egg
Larva
PupaA
dult
Mosquito
Mill N
il 1111111t
......-.4
.k : 4i4.11-;
\ 1. 44,....--:--,4: x-ii....-----
...
r.-
......
_(toin.)
1)
'440W0t*
(toin.)
in.)(-tingle egg _5
in.)3
House Fly
c.-- ..............,----
( -i-1)
..,
in.)
-4
1
in.)
---7(
.v.,.13---,...1
-.. --7:-.1
AIL
-1/4.,,,,,.,,p,,,,,,,
6,422:-:7-qiii:4114,-,
,,
1
in.)
-__..---1'
..
low.-
.-gliK
aillalalliPift611Z
alpM
OO
111111W:1
4 Lk7-?'
in)
Caterpillar
,
llunter,
,o
.* 4
.
/_......,
,....`,":1
"--..
.
(t 0 2 in.)
r,,,
1''4
r
(to1
in.)
,
.--ie.
\
1
(1-41 ri . )
,,
'%
\-
.
66* N
o moa3ureniont
Egg
Larva
PupaA
dult
Ladybird B
eetle
*
- ,....7:4.1411,*,.-
,. .,1
1
q''. in.)
,
(1,
S.,
( 1in.)
4
.
(1 in.)8
_...
. . ..-- . .....--.%
--.
_-"-
.,,,..%;_
June Bug
'-:-.4.: A. ,1, .-
01,"14/1/1/',:
.44
/10141l
1 ' 44% .,
--.
*
likir
1
( ;7-
!in)
0N.:, 40
"eliSAV
I ..0'..40411W
(toIin.)
.
(to1
in.)
, / -,
...71,I
OP
Carpenter A
nt
Cat
Iin.)
S 0 0i
G---%
-F(to
in.)1
(tc.in.)
(tcin.)
.\1.4X
0,-,,,
Vtr-.I
* No m
easurement available.
the insects on this page donot go through lar-
val and pupal stages. The
young are callednym
phs.T
hey usually resemble the
adults,but are often w
ithoutw
ings. We show
nymph
stages here only if theyare very different
from the adult form
s.
LA
ND
INSE
CT
S
i.phid (toin.)
I 0
Wing i(-2,:;
fcsifia lev.'intt(,(1 ft-;: ,t1(
:; hoppf
&.,"'
ill..,,k..,
47 V:.
i
I.)
)
FOU
ND
IN O
R A
RO
UN
D PO
ND
S
ii71,1r11
V: tx r
(-=-:
SPIDE
RS
(WIT
H 8 L
EG
S)W
OR
MS A
ND
WO
RM
-LIK
E A
NIM
AL
S
--.............. ,-1
ii
)'
Crab Spider
/\/Ilar.Testrnan
(Daddy T
onaleqs)
Spiders' scale:life-siz.e
\1-
.
.t 7
"riT
arantula
.4.
4 .4\ \
'4 /\ IV
/1(.01\.
Garden Spider
0'
'h
.-11/ 2/
-...
i---
'.
.,
kl&c,
.1\i'
Earthw
orm(up to 11 in.)
IP
Pond Leech
1
(-2to 4 in.)
t'__...
4?5: -4
t
,,tt....--r,
.
...,......\
MA
NY
-LE
GG
ED
AN
IMA
LS
SoB
I1C1 S
.,3
(toin.)
5
g'--.A
_----
Millipedes//I
,
I
I 1;,,,..::::, \
1-1-9015 17.-.'
'10,-P---.:-.
Tiou.,
ccriti )c.f:,(1 Ir.)
70
Quadrula(9 in.)
MO
LL
USC
S
White-lipped L
and Snail(I
in.)
7
Garden Slug (3 in.)
-,..;;L v.; ;-
Disc Pond Snails (I
in.)
Mystery Snail(I-28
in.)
Tadpole Snails (4 in.)
Fingernail Clam
s (4 in.)
Croat
S,:na iI
(
AM
PHIB
IAN
S AN
D R
EPT
ILE
SSale : life-size
Leopard Frog
Tiger Salam
ander
Painted Turtle
7f
72
San Bernardino
Chipm
unk
MA
MM
AL
S
Thirteen-lined G
round Squirrel
Am
erican Harvest M
ouse
Golden H
amster
Guinea Pig
( Scale : one-half life-size )i'"
WH
EN
CH
ILD
RE
N bR
iNG
PLA
NT
S INT
O T
HE
CL
ASSR
OO
M
When a child brings in a plant or part ofa plant,
the following questions can serve
as the framew
orkof his report to the class:
WH
ER
E W
AS IT
FOU
ND
?.0*
WE
RT
SOR
T or PL
AC
E W
AS IT
?(Sun
,shady,
moist, dry.)
WE
RE
TH
EI1E
OT
HE
R PL
AN
TS L
IKE
IT IN
TH
ESA
ME
PLA
CE
?,
Have the children take the specim
en around so thatevery m
ember of the class can have a close look at
it.(A
magnifying glass is often helpful.) T
he chil-dren *lay be curious about w
hat is insidea speci-
men. Fou should have 'a knife available to cut open
fruitsto peel stem
s or cut across them. A
sk:
WH
AT
DO
YO
U T
HIN
K T
HIS IS?
WH
AT
JOB
DO
YO
U T
HIN
K T
HIS PA
RT
OF T
IMPL
AN
T D
OE
S-(A
bsorb; water, carries seeds,
attract:, insects, etc.)
Pages 71-0 contain questiohs pertaining to particu-lar specim
ens. These questions m
ay helpyou auide
class c'iscussion.
After the child has m
ade hisrc-cf)ort and after tin,class has observed -zrtid discussed the speci;:;en,1.'oti m
ight_
HO
W C
AN
WE
FIND
OU
T l\lO
RT
: AB
OU
T O
UR
SPEC
IME
N?
The reference colum
ns on pp. 74-80 suggest kooksthat m
ay help identify the specimen or give
rrore 3 n--form
ation about it.If the specim
en brought in is aotincluded aroonci the item
s listed, consult the Biblio-
qraphy.
Eventually you an
the class will face this problem
:
W !lr\ i
(-11TI,D
WE
DO
WIT
H T
HIS SPE
C,IN
IET
\YP
HA
WK
I:NA
T:II:Y
ET
-) 177_\: Dcr?
If it is in suitable condition for keeping alre,you
may'w
ant to 1:eop it inyour classroom
garden;)
.It m
ay he a ciood specimen for your m
useuiqIt 1.av he appropriate to send it bacl: hone w
ith thechild, or it m
ay be ready for discard.
While children should be encouraged to brine th,y1,-;
to school, they should he cautioned a-lainstrfq- y shonld alw
ays asper-
ission to collect fs,omproperty.
should not.::ol-1,-et sPecin,ensin public each:.;.
r-_taiu IrlT
n ts, such asippi. n-7
cot..,ct4law
and should never he piled. Oth(_rs .-;T
h(mld
rut:ollected hec.ua;e th&
are poisonous
in all collectini, children shoal d helood con.lervation halats.
.
Plant or Plant Part.
Questions to G
uide Observation
Maintenance
(
References
Cones
IWL7
-way,V
.
-',\ yN
.,-......,,......;,
11-
--V.-
itfoeIttiv,604,71140
-ii.
lot,4412,
At-III s\i,/f...
rk,. '
7,/Y
igaili
zelt''
lttk!../
.,:..i,
_,.
Where w
as it attached?A
re there shiny lumps on it?
What are they?
(Resin.)
Trace w
ith your finger the patternm
ade by the scales.(T
heyform
a spiral.)C
an you find seeds?(Y
ou cansee seeds or places w
hereseeds w
ere on insides ofscales.)
Store dry inbags or boxes,
G.4
Corm
ack: The First
Book of T
rees
Zim
: Trees
4
c.pr?i-ris
\4
II
.., Na'
, *:.,N; i
1 71)1,1111.?"
4.?'4
t%
S.,),ifW
>>
1 4%1
;ilk. s''-:3.1-.."
i.''i.
\-
,-..,,-*.-.1=
--- -;',>"
)i
\`
--l \,...,'
-itN
>,
di''..,"'(.`
.111'
:x4;,-,,-;
It .Iloalof,.
,
Describe the leaves.
(Cut, irreg-
ular, curled, etc.)W
hat sort of a place was it
grow-
ing in?(D
amp, cool, etc.)
What is on the backs of theleaves?
(Brow
n spots.)W
hat do you think they are? (Look
through a magnifier; consult
areference book.)
z/
If fronds, putin w
ater.
If whole plant,
put in terra-rium
.
Encyclopedia
Dickinson: T
he Firstbook of Plants
Sterling: The Story of
Mosses, Ferns
and Mushroom
s
Zim
: Non-flow
eringPlants
iM
owers
VP
Pr
,.,',.9
.,.
IW,, N
.,4.
1111P1
.-,--...-..,t
-- de.1
141. -,
,s
14,41 1 et
ki
f,,
0,,
t ,-i -* Is'%
',..
.0;4.,,,,,.
4, 1=
----...V
Is it a single flower, a spike, a.
head, or a cluster of flowers?
What color is the flow
er?A
re all parts the same color?
What kind of odor does it have?
Do you find som
e yellow dust'
Do you find a sticky place in the
middle?
Cut dow
n the center. Do you find
tiny seeds?you find?
What other parts do
1\,lake now cut
across sternand place inw
ater.
If whole plant,
pot or put interrarium
.
Seed or Nursery cam
-logues for identifica-tion.L
ane: All A
bout theFlow
ering World
Parker: Flowers,
Fruits ar..d Seeds
Zim
: Flowers
74
Plant or Plant PartQ
uestions to Guide O
bservation 4M
aintenanceR
eferences
Fruits
....t...
--,_0
_ip.
/\dlig,
',7iitc, ,4
,- 4.e.,
`,,,,x,,,,
.
/:!)
.
it:'/'`1-111'.
,./
Ilea,:1,...:
.1
What is it?
(Apple, orange, etc.)
How
was it attached to the plant?
(Look for a sm
all stem.)
hat do you think a fruit is?"'(T
heW
-,.
part of a plant that containsthe seeds.
Note that this in-
eludes nuts, cereal grains, andsuch "vegetables" as tom
atoes,
squash, etc.)W
hat is inside?- How
many parts
can you find?(C
ut it open tosee skin or shell, flesn, seeds.
,
.
Refrigerate.
Seed cataloguesFenton and K
itchen:Plants that FeedU
s--
Selsarn:: Plants We
Eat
Fungivie
,t
.,.x/1
V",
,-..
ilN
.-..s.:j
7''',
-V
""1,4-N
tLi
....,
.--
..,--,-
I»-
.,i,f,i
.i
,9/":
,49c, a., .
Ili-:.
--.4.--,
-----7---,..,;..1.-
...f...-
.
.
What kind of place w
as it growing
in?(C
ool, dark, etc.)W
hat was it grol.ving on?
What is it like inside?
.."(N
C>
te V, C
i rung on p. 2.1.)
Refrigerate or
keep as dryspecim
en.
Ifa
mold,
transfer tobread or fruitand
keepm
oist anddark
.
Encl.clopeclia
Dickinson: T
he FirstB
ook of Plants.
Parker: Dependent
Plants
ofM
osses, Ferns
:i and T\riushroO
r.'.s
N1
Zit
o:n-T
fl 11 oev.: et ro ir 1:-
Plant-
Galls
1,..
17
-..)i
,
\.1".,,
0W
hat is ItsaLtached to?
Is there anything inside?(L
ookfor larva or w
inged insect atvery center.)
0
Is there a hole in it?(T
he inscrthas com
e out.).....
/leo!) as dryspecim
en.
F.ncyclopecha
Parker: Depenc't
Plants
.-3Z
il:: Ictctns
75
Plant or Plant PartQ
uestions to.Guide O
bservationM
aintenancec
:'}t-'...k rci c.,-,L:
Leaves
...-
I'L-'1-
::,....../
-
-,
Is it Ileedle-i,haped or wif1,-
Are the edges sm
ooth or wa 'y''
Does the leaf have lobes orpoints',
Arc there hairs on the leaf.'
Trace the pattern of the veins.
Are there spots or holes on the
leaf",W
hat do you think made ther:','
(Insects, disease, injury.)W
hat tree is the leaf from?
(Seereferences.)
Soriletimes leaf :-:1,-letorw
>aers
fOU
nd.ri-H
,!,1-, dre the v.,u(-_-,d,,parts of the .,vater c ongnot i pasy,:;teili w
hich appear:, an
;ntric :it's,y.%
toin of vein:;.
Keey in w
titer,
orPr<2.3:3 and dry,
orTrG
ri 1.Act".'.'(.211
sh.;:f.ts ofi.:j..:
p ,;;
T.Jal-r leaf rui-
Lij(;!,,,i
i A -
L,,
i
2,i :, ,:
I, ref.
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it1A
10,,-;,,
I
1
_it-tq.1
IiI(
1
i1i
What kind of placu w
as itgrottang
in"'(D
amp, dry, shady, slit,-
ny.)W
hat color is it"C
an yon see growth rings
on it 'C
an you see tittic cups or (11'1'.;;on it?
(Psi, dilagnifi, T
.).
et, a:-,, gc,':A
itsci t,in,
oy
PIA ili
0,:;tt..norii::(:-:;,-,, :,
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76
Plart or Plant PartC
)nestrons t) Cinide O
hser-atl'on:alt
-,
Mosses and I iverv:orts
AlcN
146E.
I),,g,
.....-.."(..11 '
.'7114,..4..--,
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,I..t
...vlie
0.,Irs.,..
k,,1":e f
',
'-04r
',left
..-,...
..-
.
2
What kind of place w
as it carov:inoin-
(Dam
p, shaded, etc.)W
hat v:a :-..at orov:ino on
(Soil,
hark, rock.)T
tov: a..aric,7 parts can you find-(M
):.:.1=3:
tiny leaflets and roots,,-dp:illie.
l Pu.erwort: tiny roots,
Ircer. 1:23fv stnactures.)
-.
plita-.a H
O :t
tcTrariul.:.
(See 1').i 1.)
ri,c-c1,-,!..,.ila
1..)i'cLinson:
i'cli..P...r..-1t.
Pool.: of Fla -.ts
Sterlir,(1:ink.
Str..4.. o,I\.:osses. Fer.--.::,..u:11,,-oo:.
:r4t,',:7:sor - H
oy:,Plal.t.,-;
Pon(. -itor Plants.
14Q
V.4. ,
f o o ! : for:T
iny floatin(a pPun; (duc'i.v.fee(l *,...O
.': ii.t.,(1.
dr.,,T
.l..a;I.,.,,).
\'O5- Ii
pl.int.; Hiniaiii(i to rock ;;.
and wood (akido).
Roo lJd. lodf,, pldnts (-dttail:;,
sel-
.
,l t 1, O
h1,/' Iriii!
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,d, ;i'o?
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Plant or Plant PartQ
uestions to Guide,O
bservationM
aintenance
_ -eds A
ttached to Plants
2,4
Some plant parts that are techni-
cally classified as fruits arecom
monly called seeds and
are included on this page.
Are
they 'attachedrow
s`'(G
rass1 corn.)A
rethey iattached
heads?(D
andelion, sunflower.)
Ilow are tl ray attached"
(Pullsom
e ofof.
Note tiny stem
;scar.)
Stare tir.: or
Do they; ha,,e attache,Isuch his dow
n or hooks"W
hatcola,-
arethey''
Can you L
ind patterns on the,,, -W
hatis
thirW
hat parts can you flnii"(17a1,*'
apart to see seed coat,plant, stored food.)
%%
That shape
it-does
itopen
De3ci W
e the oJitsIde:-
ture,hurdnes.3.
:;(*rIH. thf
V. ,A
tI:,
co L_)1
,t*' ;t110,'"
Art.
th, r.tr,inr."
1:An
tot:t,
I %H
opatta4-htfi
:=;tor.,
.7',)1+h .
tat
;1
nc.csS
Pat r:
ci);-
76
Plant or Plant PartQ
uestions to Guide O
bserationM
aintenancer;,_fk rt
,
.....-- ScornsW
ith
killi
s,...
and Ti.vigs
Leaves
/0411IINN
/1",....
9.. \
if),..01.3'..w
. NO
r:.f.
How
arc,the
lecy?
'es arranged(opposite,
alternate,
Detach a leaf.
Loo': at the scar
itleft.
look for thcI,ud
aho"e the sear.A
lso secL
oalic;:,,,,, P. 7()..
Keep fresh in
water, or
Press, dry, orN
I tk,e rubisiritr,.or -zp.itt e!print,,,_
r_________---
Pio',-,it,
1
(il,:,.1
:wn),
4);
.;t,,;(it
.
l',
kmoi1.0 g
1.,__.,..
4;ti.0lir(
and Tw
igsL
eaves
1
)1,
I
.,1
,1
--e
4111W
SternsW
ithoutW
hut IllaiL, do ','0,4
St " ' "A
r,, th( se 1'i/-1
:-:In a pattet H
unthe
.:;t.,.;)''
(0111k)-;ite, alt,,t-nit,
v.'h,-)1 h,i ,)
''.at ,11,' t-}."''
(1) .411
,;.,--11-.1.1
V.Ilat (o_lier
,iflo.sale. theo,-
(,(.1-.-it,hs,little
p.)i, - .,.vril[:,1(
,.)V
. hit 1. atof e
4;,i:
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V.:1, ce -1:..
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1,n
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s:,:he1
;t 11,
1,1i:
Plant or Plant PartQ
uestions to Guide O
bservationM
aintenanceR
.-14- renccs
Ilk
A.tfitl
kWNbi4,
Iltb
11l
4
1
i I I\, ,i(-A
ablt: s
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co-'
tif refV
4,15:.
":,.r:...,I
4tti-4,4..
.:
....,
,';-`,..,
.
What
partof
theplant
isit?
("Vegetabik" is a gener..ii t, c'..
'Including fruit L-,,, leaV
Q:3
,StctliS. ,
roots, seeds and btill.s.)W
hat is inside?(Slice across to
see seeds, nosh,/ parts or .I....a-ter ducts.)
Mink O
f SOIne leaV
eS %70
(',:it.(L
ettuce, cabbage, spinach.)W
hat fruits do vicusi.ally
callV
C.(10t31)1C
;:,' ?( r(T
h at0(:;_i1,41 ,-.
pers, Cltellr,hcl-L
,, (-aril, :cluash,et.:.
Se('l`ruits, p. 7 ;.)
What
:.;,( 44 4IL; do w
4-44 ',it '
(k, 'WI:,
,4.4'1;; ,
l'4.14:; ,4 I_C
.),\.,,,:,,. :, ,,I.,:,...,,
,si.ti,_ir_
pins, (4,-1,:r.,/, ,....,H1, potat,,,,)
Viiiat r:)ut:; (i,') v:o (',It."
0 :Art-t..
1-1,.,-,1,,.,,:.;'..'.',,t
tio*,_,_11-_,..w.,,
't'-'.)w
hat i,, b):; d-.,.%
'.,,,at '
((h.), i:,.)
R,--friar,rat,..
A slic,:, fro
tl,, t.)!.of
,.<icrot,3,b.,,
(n..ra, ':,.; 'I
:-,
,...iii-n,r0 ,t
If,;,4
1
,01' _,,
s,-.,,(tcat,110-y,cz;
l',,-r,toi, arir'. -itclo-n:Plants that
r(-_,criU
s....._
S-Hatl :
Plant::: V,",
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Et
:,
...,-,',,,,,
11,1
I
yi
'/r
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lit;
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et
,
III.r.
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(V.ou,i ,-1,
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I iar, ;,,)'1.)
rt,i,,t I," 1),Itfil tn.
1,-Y
, )1,tkit- ,C
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f1,,t-
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I
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:-----
(01
WH
EN
CH
ILD
RE
N B
RIN
G IN
RO
CK
S OR
FOSSIL
S
A child w
ho brings a rock or a fossil to class shows
it off proudly and is an:-:ious to know w
hat it is.A
n adult with som
e knowledge of the subject m
ighttell him
, "Quartz," but in nam
ing the specimen the
adult runs the risk of closing off the child's curiosi-ty about it.
It is important not to do this.
The
child should ho stimulated to focus on the prop-
erties of the specimen, because the properties of a
rock or a fossil reveal its history.
A particular
of conditions produced the ..pecircenand m
ade it look uit does.
ilov: can tlise condi-tions be determ
ined':V
ast, the properties ot a rockobserPed.
l'he place inhich it vs,a;..i found
play pro.:ide additional clues. Men im
agination mud
be brought into play in trying to Ireconstruct the con-ditions that produced the specifficln.
The follow
inh questions are for an initil discusston
s e the hAenttfication guide on the follow
ing paie:to help e::tond observation.
WI !E
RE
1)11) YO
U PIN
) YO
UR
SPEC
INIE
7,.'.'(Peach,
C V
I dhottot; of a cliff., etc.)
t IOW
1)0 YC
Y17 Il iii; 11' t1oT
TE
L1. T
HE
, ciAss w
il/vr YO
U T
IITT
\LI,
I.I'ST
EcIA
I-L
v Ps: l'CR
LSFIN
C, A
BO
UT
IT
c.:AN
VO
IT 1/I:SC
,Rw
r voirp spucroElvs fo U
S'
o 11L1 C
t.-40r; prcenco IJi .411,1rpSpeck.ieF,
A very effective w
ay to help the c'ailjfocus G
nproperties is to have him
corupai-'hi
:;!,._c11; (1,w
ith another you already have in the classroo!'.
Have the specim
en taken around the cla:-;s for :\?.(r '-one to see.
Proslide a r.agnityirg alas..
rncol'r-acm
e the children to speculate on what !I ?gilt accou-`,:.
for each of the properties that are nottO
trquestions they m
ay asl: can :-zer,,c as I)a:n;; for frr-tiler ,stilO
y.['or
IS IT V
AL
UA
B1,1;
r AR
CsroT
s-
HO
W 01,1) IS IT
"
WI lA
r IS I(' (71:1-)1-OR
''
1{0\71't I
ial;;.;ii sa
th+!t,t
tlini no on, to a 1[.()rea :-Isitar
iSon the H
entilicatiol; uuvle on thel't n..1117 refer L
I),c.hildren to 1.0(,1.:;
to
'};thc Jr
(Se(' hibbograohy.)"or; Iftely to a3:. qui:sti.ous tor %
.:h)ch1,r,11L
11,01tal...1";:, but .1i. cit, H
` a :;o1,1(1.:,-
10111,. rather f.hali tri,strAtitkn for H
olo tl,fr
1,f
IDE
NT
IFICA
TIO
N G
UID
E FO
R R
OC
KS A
ND
FOSSIL
S I
Children should feel free to pick
up a rock, tosqueeze it, scratch it, try to w
rite with it on a side-
walk, look at it under w
ater, and (with perm
ission)try to shatter it.
(See p. 84 for precautions.)T
heyshould find how
different the surfaces ofbreakage
can look in different rocks.T
hey should discoverthe different w
ays that different rocks soundw
henclicked w
ith a fingernailor another rock. ,T
heyshould look and touch r:nd test and
compare freely
to discover all the properties they can.O
n the following
pages we describe several typos
of rocks and the kinds ofenvironm
ents that producedthem
. The discussion is focused
on easily observ-able properties.
Traditional term
inology in rockclassification is intentionally om
itted here.T
erms
such as igneous, metam
orphicor sedim
entary dodescribe the environm
ent thatproduced a rock.
But
when a child learns first to
identify observable prop-erties and then to interpret their significance, he
isequipped w
ith a process that is more reliable than
mem
ory of terminology. T
hus, the "right answer" to
a question about a rock is not so important
as thesteps of observation, interpretation and speculation.A
reference book will finally give the
rock a name,
but it is the child's prior observationsand analysis
that gives the name a m
eaning.
SMO
OT
H, R
OU
ND
ED
RO
CK
S
These rocks have been subjected to the action of
water, tee, w
ind, or ill of these.If you w
atch wa-
82
ter flowing in a brook br tow
ard a sewer after
a rain,you can see how
the water lifts and carries pebbles
and grains of sand, bumping
one against the otherin the process. Suggest that the next tim
e the chil-dren see w
ater carrying pebblesor grains of sand,
they try to find out where the pebbles or sand
carpxfrom
, and where the w
ater is taking them.
Roc; s
roc_: I
If:,:t_.))
If the rock has layers and looks like hardenedniud
or clay, it is probably part of what vas once
a mud-
dy bottom of a lake, or the m
ud at the mouth of
ariver. T
he body of water has long
s.nce disappeared,and the m
ud has become stone.
The children should think about w
here the ri.,udcam
efrom
and try to imagine the result of
many tons of
mud piling
up over many ages. Suggest to the chil-
dren that the next time they
sec' a Fond or brook, orw
ater flowing Iron; a drain spout, they should w
atchhow
the tiny grains of mud arc churned about
thew
ater and then dropped along the bottom and sides.
SMO
OT
H, SPIN
Y R
OC
KS
If the rock has smooth and shin;'
.3 heets orplates,
it3s form
ed deep within the earth as great
:)res-surf s force(i cr,;tals
a.ninstother.
Chil-
dren t-ali try to showyou the
dir'ction of the pres-sures that m
ade the crystals flat hy }ni-L;sir:q
therock v!ith their fists.
RO
CK
S WIT
H C
RY
STA
LS
You m
ay recognize crystals by their regular and re-peated angular form
s.H
ave the children look forall the different crystals in their specim
en and ob-serve their shapes, colors, and sizes.
More than
ono kind of crystal may be found in a single rock,
and crystals of the same shape com
e in differentsizes.
You can easily grow
alum crystals and other crys-
tals in the classroom.
(See Heller, G
eology andE
arth Sciences Source Book.)
You m
ayfind
arecipe for rock candy in your cookbook. R
ock candyis nothing m
ore than large sugar crystals.
RO
CK
S MA
DE
OF PE
BB
LE
S
If the rock looks like a mass of individual stones
cemented together,
it may be natural or m
an-made
concrete.T
he broken pieces of sidewalk a child
may bring in are m
an-made specim
ens of rock. Itm
ay not always be easy to tell if a m
ass of ce-m
ented pebbles of various sizes or shapes is nat-ural or m
an-made.
RO
CK
S MA
DE
OF SA
ND
GR
AIN
S
If the rock seems to be m
ade of grains of sand itm
ay be part of what w
as once a beach.A
fter many
years the sand grains were cem
ented into stone.M
any children will have seen sand in its natural lo-
cation. Have them
speculate as to where the grains
of sand came from
and why they are found near the
water.
A class visit to a beach w
o,,ld help all the childrento a better understanding of the kind of place w
herethe specim
en originated.
FOSSIL
S
If the rock looks like a shell, leaf or animal track,
it is probably a fossil. When you see a shoe print
in a sidewalk, you ';now
that a person stepped thesebefore the concrete hardened.
You can infer that
the person was w
alking, not crawling, and that the
climate or fashion required that he w
ear shoes ofthe outline you can see in the concrete. Sim
ilarly,w
hen you see a fossil shell, bone, or egg, youknow
that a living thing was there before the rock
hardened around the animal's track or around the
plant or animal itself.
The fossil is a clue just as the shoe print is a clue.
Each tells you som
ething about the living thing thatm
ade it and about the environment. T
o find out what
left the clue, and to learn ..3omething about its en-
vironment, you can do tvo things:
I)
Consult the
works listed in the B
ibliography (p.122), or 2)
Con-.-
pare the fossil with sim
ilar living animals or plants.
Notice, for e.:al;:rile, v,:hrth4 r
livesin w
ater or on land, or compare the shape of the
fossil bone with bones that you can find at the
butcher shop.C
ompare the shape and size of im
-printed plants and plant parts w
ith similar
things. Such comparisons can help you co ir.al:e in-
ferences about the fossil and itenvironn,ent.
Some of the processes that preserved the
livingthing as a fossil can be dem
onstrated in th.
Moss A
nimal
Petrified Wood
I amp Shell
Coral
Seed Fern
room.
These are described in G
eologyand E
arthSciences Sourcebook, edited by R
obert B.
Heller.
RO
CK
S WIT
HO
UT
SPEC
IAL
CH
AR
AC
TE
RIST
ICS
If a rock has no crystals andno special color pat-
terns or structures, if it looks glassyor greasy O
rnondescript, give the child a m
agnifying glas3 andhave him
look closely forany trace of a repeated
pattern such as short ribbingsor regular bum
ps. An
obscure repeated pattern may represent
crystals thathave been w
orn smooth.
If lie finds nothing that re-m
otely resembles a repeated- pattern,
one of two
things is possible: either the crystalshave been
complotely w
eathered away,
or there never were any
crystals.
;
Ask the child if he thinks the rock
looks the same
on the insideas it does on the outsioe.
Then, if
you trust him w
ith a harnn=L
er, have him. check his
answer. (T
he rock should be wrapped in a piece of
cloth or tough paper to prevent pieces fromflying
and causing injury.It should be laid on a board for
hamm
ering. )T
he child should think about what he
finds. What m
akes the inside and theoctside of
the same rock look different?
RO
CK
S OF D
IFFER
EN
T SIZ
ES
If there arc two sim
ilar rocks of differentsizes, ask
the children how the rocks
got to be the size: theyare.
Do the childr, n think that the
smaller roc l:
will one day grow
up to lookl)kc the larger one')
Will the larger rock break
up to look like the 6r-,..D !-
ler one? What could m
akea rock break''
If there are cracks in sidewalks,
potholes in ro:1,-is,or pebbles or boulders at the foot of a hill, (-11,1yrenhave evidence that little rocks
come from
bioH
ow does this happen') H
ave the'childrensneculate
on what m
akes one slab of concretenear a
treehigher than another beside it.
Or ask then;
,"l7oN
vdid so m
any pebblescom
e to be so close tothe
hole in the road?H
ow could stones
ha..e,uecn
scattered z.rounci the hill') "them
to see :sowtree roots break rocks and concrete, how
movno
water w
ashes away m
ud or stones,
and hoe. wtr
picks up sand and dust.W
ind, water, glaciers,
plant roots, and alternate freezingand
allhelp to breve, rocks and
o,7c the:,
L1C
c-)0.11';zuririk-c-, to el:m
(Ic
YO
UR
CLA
SS
RO
OM
MU
SE
UM
A m
useum exhibit is a special kind of display that
tells a story with a group of real objects. T
he storylies in the relationship am
ong the objects,and
series to clarify and enrich a topic being studied.In the approach to the classroom
museurr, w
e devel-op in this h:Inclhoo::, these relationships arc calledthem
es for c:xhibits.
A m
iscellaneous collection of objects on displayenables children to learn a few
facts about eachof the objects.
but when som
e of these same ob-
jects are grouped with a num
ber of others arounda central idea, the children have additional oppor-tunities for learning.
In the process of groupingthe objects, children are railed upon to thinl: analy-tically.
They com
pare, order, cleneralie, etc.,as they decide how
objects are related and .howeach new
object fits in with the theine of the exhibit.
For e::ample, you
ight set up an acorn and thebranch of an oa:: tree as the core of an exhibit.Suppose the class agrees that the them
e of the e::-htbit should be "Parts of an oak tree."
f'hr?lil-
tren shouldthel, be
!i-f4".(i to thin': .ahor t v hat otherthing: they m
iciht find that are also parts of an oal:tree, such as buds., bark, a block of cut w
ood, etc.rilev should then try to find 0-:alldes of these oL
.pets to a(ld to the e::hihtt.
Suppose for thecore
+JeC
't3(the w
orn andthe oak branch)
,the class agrees or 1 (h
thee- e, nine liferof u, o,ak tree."
rile p
SEC
TIO
N
ysAfil)
PF/Aoh,
OF
47
FIN
DIF
ILS
(;;Q
C'D
have to think about the oak tree ina different w
ay.In this case, additional objects that fit the exhibitinclude an oak seedling, oak flow
ers, and a' photo-'rm
h of a-:ature oak tree or forest.
iThis sort of involvem
ent of the children in theset-
.r11 /tp --oLe.T
hibits increases the educational valueof a classroom
museum
s.A
n exhibit might begin
ith a single object a child brings in.In this case
the class can.decide on what characteristic they
would like to ,use as the them
e foran exhibit.
Or an
e.,:hibit might start w
ith more than
one object, among
which the children discover a relationship.
In eithercase, once the them
e has been decided on, the chil-dren should l:,v encourageeto think about and findother things that w
ill fit the exhibit.E
verythingpossible should be done to m
ake them
useum a pro-
duct of children working under teacher guidance,
and not a product of the teacher alone.
EX
IIMIT
SUG
GE
STIO
NS
We give here several exam
ples ofrelationships that
can be themes around w
hich objects can be groupedin an exhibit. Y
ou and your children will be
able tothink of m
any other themes, depending
on what you
are studying, what' season of the year it is, and
soon.
In addition to the themes suggested below
,you
will
find on pp. 91-93 alist of appropriate ex-
hibit themes for each of the M
INN
EM
AST
units.
If exhibits are changed periodically, theclass can
have the opportunity to explorea variety of relation-
ships.
86
GO
MIV
ION
PRO
PER
TIE
S
A sm
ooth rock, a smooth leaf and a bird's
egg canbe the core of an exhibit.
The relationship that
makes them
suitable as an exhibit is theircom
mon
property, smoothness.
Other properties around
which exhibits can be built are color (assorted red
objects), a comm
on number of parts, softness,
pointedness, etc.
OR
DE
R O
R G
RA
DA
TIO
N
An exhibitdan illustrate diffe'rences of Jraciation
for example, a 'series of shells ordered by size, or
a group of objects ordered by texture, from sm
ooth-est to roughest.
LIFE
CY
CL
ES
Select objects that represent different stagesin the
life cycle of a particular plantor anim
al (caterpillar,chrysalis and butterfly; or seed, seedling,
mature
plant and dried-out plant).
You m
ight `start the ex-hibit w
ith an example of one of these life
stages',and discuss w
ith the children what the anim
alor
plant would look like at other tim
es in its life.T
ocom
plete the exhibit encourage the childrento look
for specimens of the anim
al or plant in otherstages
of its life cycle.(Y
ou may w
ish to locate examples
of all the life stages ahead of time to hold in
re-serV
r, so you can assist the children if they havedifficulty in finding any of them
.) Pictures and dis-cussion of hum
an life stages set an interesting back-around for considering life stages of other
livingthings
.D
Cr..)
PLA
NT
OR
AN
IMA
L PA
RT
S
Exhibits of parts of plants or anim
als can beorgan-
ized in several ways.
You or the children m
ightcollect leaves, tw
igs and bark of a particular kindof tree, or you m
ight set up a display that enablesthe class to com
pare similar parts of different
liv-ing things, such as leaves from
different kinds oftrees. A
n animal parts exhibit m
ight show feathers
from m
any kinds of birds, or it might include
sam-
ples of the feet,..sy.111, and teeth of a single >
And
of anirzal, together with ,a picture of its footprints,
and a picture of the whole anim
al and its naturalhabitat.
Another type of c_,:;hibit in this category is related
tosocial studies. Y
ou might classify as anim
al,veg-
etable or mineral the various m
aterials used in mak-
ing clothingm
etal buckles; cotton, wool and ny-
lon cloth; wo )(len heels on leather shoes,
etc. Ma-
terials used in building a house could be classifiedand e%
thibite.d in the -:ame
OT
HE
R T
HE
ME
S
1.Vhat if a child brings in an object that does
notto relate t--)
.1; .tof thJ.it the ',t
alt.rt to his originality in reasoning.A
ss: him to
tell 7011 the relationship he is thinking of,.311(1 you
rind'.w
ith a new theiL
e for ane-.;hibit.
Forsuppo3c an
r 0.* hi hit, buntaround the' (-01T
AT
:ongreenness
a;reel-,
qroori,col a green (and,.t hall.
!Hight brill I
in an ()range and .;ay. itfit.; in-
to the eill thin is
in th-
round.T
his may not be w
hat you intended, but itis valid. Y
ou might let the class decide to change
the basis ofthe exhibit to roundness, arM
includethe orange; .you m
ight set up another exhibit oforange objects; you m
ight develop an exhibit ofround objects' w
ith subsets of different colors.
suppose a child brings in an object that is inter-esting, but he arid the class are unable to establisha relationship betw
een it and the other objects al-ready on exhibit.
In this case the object can belabeled and included ina separate group of m
is-cellaneous objects, som
e of which m
ay at some fu-
tUre tim
e be related to other things to make
ap antexhibit.
In this case, of course, the "How
it fits"item
on the label see p.s?,) w
ould be left blankuntil a them
e is decided on.
SET
TIN
G' U
P UP T
HE
EX
HIB
IT
The best location for an exhibit depends
on the na-ture of the exhibit and the convenience for teaching.E
xhibits may be put on display on a table, w
inciow-
sill, bulletin board or counter top.
Rules for exhibits should be set by the children and
teacher, according to the needs ofa particular dis-
play.T
he'children should be free to handlee:thi-
bits whenever possible.
If something is perishable
the class should be made
aware of this, and they
should share in setting up appropriaterestrictions.
if a specimen is brought in by
a particular child,his feelings as to how
it is to be treated shouldbe
respeFtecl.
87
a -4
_1_
1.1;
'
,U
V_1
0S
ILI
IG ..-
16.\ It 4
1.A
PIL
N"b
-
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CN
-
k I
1
f)1
1 11
0 j
CIL
' U .J
A O
') 72
%-.
4V..
iq1L
p., ,
,q4
itjs;
)01)
f
.1, a
qs
x.4
St' :
6'1
13. A
LiV
k
SS I
NA
'3, L
H. t
ivi
pc n
oj1.
!
tit9
aG
UM
OJC
If
...0
111p
OW
S 4.
.49C
(911
5-f
iodo
ld
:1,1
'1
\I:D
:1d
)
=-
-W
T.*
rK1
Exhibits should usually be m
ade up of natural ob-jects, but pictures can som
etimes be used to en-
hance the exhibits.Pictures m
ight show living\
things in their natural environment, or they m
ightshow
stages of a life cycle that are difficult toinclude in their natural state.
LA
BE
LS
According to good m
useum procedure, you w
ill want
your exhibits to be clearly labeled. Even if the chil-
dren cannot read the label, they should help supply,the inform
ation you put on it.
We suggest that you reproduce standard labels.
Tw
o kinds will be needed:
I.
The exhibit should be labeled according to the
relationship around which it is built --4for exam
ple,"Sm
ooth things," or "The life of a butterfly."
2.E
ach specimen in an exhibit should also have
its own label giving the- inform
ation listed below.
Properties
Take the specim
en around for close obseYcrattori,ayd
let the children suggest what should be entered ne: :t
to this question on the label.
Where w
as it found'.-
This labeled item
should asthe specim
en to its naturalthe source o-1 11
specimen
far as possiblo relateenvironm
ent.Ideally,
should be given as
from the w
oods, a field, a lake, an empty lot
construction site:, ett.a
Such information can help explain som
e of the char-acteristics the children w
ill observe about spcci-m
erit:- For example, tlie difference betw
een two
plants of the same variety m
ay be traced to the factthat one cam
e from the m
iddle of a 'field and theother cam
e from a crack in -the sidew
alk.A
rockfound on a beach w
ill probably look different fromone found at the 'bottom
of a cliff, and this differ-ence also m
ay be explained by the differences be-tw
een the two environm
ents; one rock may be
roundedth_. ,action of w
ater, and the other may
be sharp nrs ,jecl, new
ly broken off from a larger
rock.(1)
The height4 above the around at w
hich a specin-ienw
as found is also important.
For many specim
ensthis helps in identification or tells -sornethina aboutthe natural habitat.
For eample, the locatton of
a bird's nest helps tell %I.hat kind of bird built it.
<A
label 1.vould specify that a specimen w
as foundon the ground, at knee level, at shoulder"over m
y head," etc.-
Objects from
distant places r,inht also be labeledw
ith the name of the tow
n.If the tox...m
is locatedon a m
ap or globe, the children con haN,c
sonicsense of its distance, its clim
ate, etc.
1,Vlien w
as it found')
The tim
e1,0 clesorthe'd 11.
;eason,tim
e, of da; Or nioht
cr whatel,er
.1pp-ornate.1
How
does It fit in the exhibit?
This entry should be included on each label for,indi-
victual specimens, as w
ell as on trio general exhibitlabel, because it conditions the children
to focustheir attention on the relationship that
serves asthem
e for the e::hibit.B
efore they bring a specimen
in, they should have thought about how it fits.
V.liat ;3 it ?
the chances are that sOnle child
ill come up w
ith ause
name such as a leaf, a caterpillar, or a spi-
der.T
o make this entry m
ore specific, ask what
kind of leaf it is.het the children use the identifi-
cation keys (pp. 63-31) and reference books toar-
rive at a more lefinite nam
e if possible. OcL
asion-ally agreem
ent on even a very generalnam
e for aspecim
en cannot be reached.In this case leave
the space on the label blank until such time
as thennaille is fouw
i.
This, item
is placed here, ratlic,r than first on thylabel, in order to help focus the childr( n's m
ainattention on properties and relationships.
The
name of the abject should be looked on as n:;efnl
for getting mare inform
ation, but not asan (n(:
in itself.
found it''
of thev:ho broloiht the ;;;,-11!,01, in
shal11,1bc.
;eru)ned
rill's the entry ,higlitread, "Polly.; unc.
,
Rem
arks
This is a catch-all space in w
hich to enter anythingspecial about the specim
en you wish to call to at-
tention.H
ere are some exam
ples: One leg w
aslost from
this grasshopper.Is this shell an anim
alor the rem
ains of an animal?
Is this dandelion cneflow
er or a group of many individual flow
ers"
EX
HIB
ITS O
F LIV
INC
, TH
ING
S
Often an exhibit is set up in w
hich something
is c.:-pectedto happen
a spider is e :pcctcd to spin aw
eb, a moth m
ay emerge Iron-,
a cocoon, cricketsm
ay mate, a bulb shoulc.I A
n-tint, etc.Such an
liibit requires someone to provide suitable
care,such as food, w
ater, and proper temperature.
i'heexhibit also m
ust be cnecked atproper intervals so
as not to miss the event the class is w
aiting for.
Appoint a responsible child to be the exhibit's care-
ta.ker.Show
him how
to care for the living chinaand tell him
what to look for and bow
often he isto :ake his observations, so that he m
ay alert youat the proper tim
e
MU
SEU
M E
XH
IBIT
S RE
LA
TE
D T
O M
INN
EM
AST
UN
ITS
Below
are some suggestions for developing m
useumexhibits related to topics in M
INN
EM
AST
units.
Unit
Watching and W
ondering
Things w
e wonder about.
Things that float; things that sink.
Things collected in the grass, in the w
ciods, in asw
amp.
Things that change.
Things that live in our school yard.
Kinds of soil and rocks in our school farea.
Unit 2: C
urves and Shapes
Things that have curves on them
(leaves, butterflyw
ings , some rocks).
Things w
ith corners or points (rocks, leal7es, pinecones or pine needles).
Things that are thick and things that are thin (a
branch and a twig; tw
o flat rocks) .T
hings that have a rectangular shape.T
hings that have a triangular shape.T
hings that have a circular shape.T
hings that are bumpy.
Unit 3:
D,.n3cribing and C
lassifying
Leaves 4,ith toothed eclq(;,; leases
;;;-Hootl.
edi;es.
Plant parts that are green, brown, red, blue, etc.
Plants that we eat.
Unit 4: U
sing Our Senses
Things that are green, red, brow
n, etc.T
hings that rattle when you :,,hake them
(leaves in asack, seeds in a pod).
Things that have stripes ;
things that have spots.T
hings that make sounds w
hen you rub then; (sand-paper)
.T
hings that smell w
hen you squeeze or rob thew(onion, m
int leaf, orange peel) .T
hings that feel rough, swooth, soft, hard, etc.
Things that have the sam
e shape but differenttore (roc-71: and leaf, furry initten and knit /..itten.)
Units 5 and 12:
Mcasur(!u.tA
lt
Things having about tw
ice the area of soave refer-ence object.
Things having about tw
ice the volui::e of son-e ref-erence object.
Pictures of things that wove guic1:1
things thattilakr ,11}0V
17.T
hings that tartthree (or five,
t" o, etc.)14Ir,:r
loncfT
hinorder -'d iccordi-,0 to 11 n 1th,
ri_,
seric;,pctnre:: shov.iu ;
.;t11-.;an event
,,;eedling,
tar' :',r hut vs-ith
lfrnd, flower, fruit).
co
Units 6 and 9: N
umeration
Things that show
direction (signposts, weather
vanes, compasses).
Similar things having different num
bers of parts(flow
ers with different num
bers of petals, stem
sw
ith different numbers of leaves; peas in pods).
Different things having five (tw
o, si::, etc.) parts.T
hings that are useful for coaniing or tallying (peb-bles, beans, shells).
Different sets of objects w
ith same num
ber property.
Units 7 and 1,1: Sym
metry
Things that show
bilateral symm
etry (a leaf with
similar halves
, a pair of clam shells) .
Things that have a repeated pattern
trainslationalsym
metry.
Things that rem
ain the same w
hen they are turnedrotational sym
metri.
Ii nit 8: Observing Properties
Things that e : :hibit any given property.
'Minis that have a hidden prooerty (nuts
seedpods).
filings with properties that w
ill ,.hange (`.valor, Hr1,1 thi
Unit 9:
:31."0 lint iJ
liencrlbing Location:;
Interesting maps (tow
ns, pari:s, nature trails).Im
aginary .,iaps dral...'n to illustrate L:t0ri1.;.
Units
I1 and 13: Addition and Subtraction
Things from
which parts can be taken aw
ay (leavesfrom
a branch, branches or buds from a t's*:ig
peas from a pod, petals from
a flower).
Things w
ith parts that add up to ae::am
plo, two 3-leaf H
o *(A*
0:-,,flow
er add up toI I),
iirit 12: See Unit ;.
Unit 13: Sue U
nit 11.
Unit 11:
Unit 7.
Unit 15: Investigating System
s
Things that can be used to connect a bulb -,ith
battery so that the bulb lights up.T
hings that roll.T
hings that a magnet picks up.
Fruits:3 cods.
3(,eds vith burrs;
seeds that are an-borncor to. th of different anim
als.
Unit It,:
and hiea:,,i)rtncT
rhin(m v..e Ilse in m
easi'rewont (rl)lr-r:3,
clock3, halancos).a-
Pictures or drawings of different kinds of num
ericalnotation (G
reek, Egyptian, etc.).
Collections of different kinds of m
oney(foreign
coins, barter objects such as shells, wam
pum).
Different w
eighing devices.O
bjects ordered by weight.
Moist and dried objects show
ing weight change.
Unit 17: Introducing M
ultiplication and Division
Natural objects (seeds, shells, leaves) arranged in
all possible arrays for a given number.
Unit 18: Scaling and R
epresentation
Birds' nests show
ing the relation of the size of eachnest to the size of a particular bird.
Similar bones of different anim
als (wings of C
ornishhen, chicken and turkey).
Unit 19: C
omparing C
hanges
Pictures of infant and adult stages Of anim
als.B
aby pictures of the children.Pictures of eggs , chicks and adult birds.Stages in a plant's life cyclo_-.rho sam
e variety of seeds planted at intervals.Pict nre of different kinds of tim
e' -;.eeping devices.
Unit
Using L
arger iv.a!rb-r.;
Weather .;tation records (nev.,.-,paper,
re,ords).W
eather instrui:lents.
Unit 21: A
ngles and Space
Things that have right angles (leaves on stem
s,legs on anim
als).T
hings that have the property of congruence (leavesfrom
the same plant).
solidi that have faces in the shapetriars,!lc:
quadril.,;3terals, etc.Flow
ers whose petals form
poli.,w);1:- w
ith a givennum
ber of sides.
Unit 22:
Parts and Pieces
Sections of fruits.C
:ellections of objects (leaves, rocks) (1P,Iried intoequivalent subsets.
Cancelled postage stam
ps showing equivalent val-
ues (e.g., one 6stam
ptw
o 3e stamps) .
I1nitC
onditiops Affecting life
Kinds of anim
als living in different rlir:lates.C
lothing worn in different ero,ironw
entS.C
rops grown in different
Way.; that plantsand anim
als get rcady !orinti- r.
Maps of bird n igration ro!ttes.
grade units are still under (ie:A/0101.1-10-.iit Z
1S!1,1;1, H
__!i)
t\V
r are therefore unableto T
:k-14'.t.rcorm
endations for e :hiHt t hk_
es.,rer, the third ra.14' te.n.her shonid ha..Pe no dif-
twilit,' in devising a; propriatk
thelafter a brief
stud of tho;:e go7unlay t"
SEC
TIO
N5
WH
EN
YO
U T
AK
E A
FIE
LD T
RIP
94
Field trips can he fun for bothchildren and thu teacher.
abe as sim
ple and easy as aate visit to the pla!,,ground to ,:n7est.-gatu a specific question, or the;
a;be longer and hiahlyeither case they areable.
Reaclin t
aboutat H
ool:s,
,A
1.,aria:aots
ta..0 tkcT
;--;L
I(rel;
s-ro.:r,ft1n,1-,.
!)C1111
th(i,-arn
afoci:
;a;i-a-idtd
,..hatthe': art- :irol.,(1-1;
provilicdI
tripsar.-
adt_quatel,conta inn m
an;to
you .;,.
flt "r,y,0,,; 114
I,'_r1;,`:-.7
%.'2;tit
,,
f,t-tr
t'ttic.
"i 1,!.%
)T
_.)"
tint',thy
trip:() pr.J"1,i'
IndM
t,art o7-
rr),.1.1;
.
er-1
WA
TC
HIN
G A
ND
WO
ND
ER
ING
This type of loosely structured field trip is especi-
ally appropriate for kindergarteners.Y
ou and .thechildren m
ight e.%plore an area to discover the sur-
prising number of living things that can be found al-
most ,anyw
here.O
n pages ion- iI
3ire pictih
)fspecific locations show
ing some of the things you
might find, together w
ith numerous eN
amplE
.s of thekinds of questions you 'right ask
questions thataro sp,--scially designed
to arouse ,uriosity arid tolea I to itirt'noT
rffE Q
UE
ST.10:\.-O
RIE
NT
ED
TR
IP
Chi's type of trip m
ay develop out (,)1L
ineAion.-; that
unse 3pOntafirO
LISly ifa C
laSS ,or it w
ay 1)( nlannelin connection w
ith,? snecifir occasion.['or
someonr. m
ight as'i. what,ants oat, )r 301tIeO
nt.m
ight wonder how
he :-. the sidewalk '40,3' w
hoa th:tun shine--; O
il it.T
he answers to sucii questions
cantoupd
field11
tells o:ii,eoin,f
i'01»11 OK
: the Way to
the Ha ;;-; tiaaht
trui to fild out how m
any other 1,-in(is of :Ards
311 thy" 3C11001 H
OC
}..
Spc_,cial-oc,_asion field trips (an Irrf.aL
l or the firstday of spring, after the first :7nov:fall, on a (lyw
hen ,,:eu notice unusual ciond forin.-itions, etc:.
We discus.; (piestion-orJent,,d f1,
li
trips-;0.-11"ely
On the follotving paaos.
HIG
HL
Y ST
RU
CT
UR
ED
FIEL
D T
RIPS
Sometim
es a curriculum calls for a particular lesson
to be taught outdoors.T
he preparation, proceduresin the field, and classroom
follov..-up will depend
on the purpose of the lesson.A
n c:tarnple of thistype of field trip can be found in
I:nitI
(lessons on seed dispersal systercs).
A SA
MPL
E FIE
LD
TR
IP
it:;chool ,,ard I, the :a.;iest ula,-.0
so on a .11,2' Itrip.
Y'ou :A
na the cd-iildren..111
rpris.e,,''rot...
,(1.1fire
hay4,;1.1;C
otic-q:
,,ot.).-ito the )ourne,,.' o e<ploratio;
,3tar
Foraftcr a rain, ask ,11,
1;1:3';110V
:T
r,C111'.1 things they car
of in th.-.yard that -th, rain
ha:-e charcsc Urhov
aioittchaneles
Ind :`.'y if*-!
,rttf'
,.
,a11 tea"ot
out loA
rranciei:.eetiie.
"t-i
riot:'
tcw
t.1;to
11-t1lf1r;();.
,v-
the places they thought about in the classroom.
They w
ill of course find evidence of change in many
other places too.a
After a w
hile, blow your w
histle for the class to as-sem
ble. Give each team
a chance to tell what they
have found, and then have the teams lead the rest
of the class to see their discoveries.A
sk ques-tions to encourage speculation.
We give here som
e of the things that might be found,
together with som
e appropriate questions.
Puddles: Why is the puddle located in that particu-
lar spot"flow
long will it last?
Is it in the sun orshade?
Dow
nspout and curbs:L
ook for washed-out areas
surrounded by debris. Where did branches, lea'ies,
sand and gravel come from
? Why is the debris in
the particular position that the children see?Is
water still running out from
the spout? Where does
it cbme from
? Where does it go? W
he're are theplants from
which tv,igs and leaves w
ere washed"
How
far were the tw
igs and leaves carried by thew
ater'
Patterns in .canal and gravel.Splash patterns, rivu-
lets, channels, deltas awl sued bars
r,Ay b
,;(1,0/1,1inci on ho': hard it niined.
Plant!'.''dl
loot: rh-an and lre::h.ek' it
anyone recalls a(ia.,
plart.11001:4,i
wilted. D
o they look wilted today? See i; soil has
been washed aw
ay to expose plant roots.
Earthw
orms: T
hey are often all over the ground aftera heavy rain.
Where do they stay on dry days')
Why did they com
e out now?
Dam
aged spider web: W
here is the spider? Will it
repair the web?
Weather: W
hat does the sky look like today? What
did it look like yesterday?Is it w
armer or cooler
today than yesterday?
Do not feel that you have to answ
er all the chil-dren's questions or that they have to
answer all of
yours. Encourage them
to come back to the sam
espot another tim
e to verify a hypothesis; show them
how to look up answ
ers to Some question:3.
You can keep this sort of field trip open-ended. T
hew
hole class or individual childrenm
ay li';e to returnto the sam
e area another time to check, on particular
questions that interest then.
Sustained interest should be encouraged whenever
possible.Several trips for one specific outdoor in-
vestigation is a better invest:-,ent of tin e and enercvthan several superficial investigations of an assort-:-nt of disconnected que:_->
tiots.A
co:Am
...lir-1 m-
viestiaation helps the children lean- how to fo;low
throo.ah, r7,31uater:;D
ro-47:-0thof!:-; .--)r the ne:t trip.
SOM
E O
TH
ER
FIEL
D T
RIP ID
EA
S
There are alm
ost unlimited opportunities to observe
living things in their natural environment, things
as simple as a dandelion grow
ing out of the crum-
bling crack in a sidewalk, or a flock of E
nglishsparrow
s or starlings in the school yard. The fol-
lowing few
suggestions may help you to develop
field trip ideas of your own.
Adopt a tree. H
ave the class visit it periodicallyand record observations. O
bserve its growth. rate
seasonal changes.D
raw the anim
als that live inthe tree.
Nlake leaf rubbings.
Are the leaves the
same as those on the tree next to it?
How
many dif-
ferent kinds of trees can you find in the area?
Visit a desert
to hot, dry area such as the play-ground)
What lives in your desert?
(Weeds, ants,
st.klers.) How
hot is the ground surface in the sun"In the shade?
Exarr.in:>
graY( 1. H
ow m
any kinds of stone are there?O
bserve their colors and other properties. Order the
pieces by roughness, by size, by size of crystal.
Observe plant gravid:. T
ake a winter w
alk to see ifanything is grow
ing yet.B
ring a branch in after theJanuary cold has broken its dorm
ancy. Put it in wa-
ter and watch it.
The buds m
ay open.(W
hat is in-side a bnd'') A
phids may appear.
(Where did they
come frorc) W
hen do plants start to grow outdoors''
Go out again on the first spring day to see w
hetherany plants have started to grow
yet.If not,
again a week later.
Do all plants start at the sam
etim
e?K
eep a chart showing the sizes of different
plants each week.
Visit an ant hill.
How
high is it?H
Ow
fast do theants m
ove?D
o they move faster w
hen there arem
any people around? What do ants eat?
(Leave
samples of different foods and see w
hich they carryaw
ay.) How
many ants go into the hole in a m
inute?H
ow m
any come out?
PLA
NN
ING
AN
Y T
YPE
OF T
RIP
Some trips are m
ore complex than others, but all re-
quire some degree of planning. A
dapt what you need
from this general outline.,
Where to go: 61 course, the first prerequisite for a
site is that it provile what you w
ant the children tosee or do.
The closer it is and the easier it is
to got to, the better.Is there room
for your thirtyactive children?
Are there problem
s of access'W
ill the children be ablesee? Y
ou should obtainperm
ission in advance, if you plan to bring yourclass into a private area.
What to look for:
You should know
what you w
antthe children to look for before you start out, evenif it is stated in only the m
ost genk:ral terms
Seethe s 0;10 ;t,
.fit ld trip
arci
97
the pictures of living things in various locations(pp. 100- H
3)
Motivation: D
iscuss thepurpose of the trip w
ith theclass beforehand.
If the children don't know w
hatto look for they w
ill become bored and restless
quickly.If they are absorbed in a problem
they may
maintain interest for a long tim
e.
Pre-trip:V
isit the site yourself first in order tohave the best control of the situation and anticipatesom
e of the difficulties or questions that couldarise.
Exam
ine the area carefully.T
his one stepcan m
ake the difference between a successful and
a chaotic trip.
Materials: T
ake as little as possible along with you.
What you decide to take depends on the purpose of
the trip. You m
ay want the children to have pencils
and notepads. Pieces of yarn can serve as markers
for interesting discoveries.M
agnifiers might be
very useful, but you risk loss.;If you w
ant to havethem
along, take as few as you can and put each one
in he specific care of a responsible child.If you
intend to collect specimens (see below
), you will
need appropriate equipment such as plaStic bags,
etc.Y
ou may also w
ant to carry a camera.
Rules: B
efore the trip, have the children join you indeciding on a set of ruls.
Try to keep the rules
"do" rather than "do not."T
hey should includem
ost of the follol.vinri:
Alw
ays keep the te,acher in soht.
2.T
iy to leave the placeas you find it.
Replace
anything you move. A
void stepping on plants when-
ever possible.
3.B
e quiet and move slow
ly so that you do not dis-turb the creatures that live there.
4. When you find som
ething interesting, tie a pieceof yarn near it to help you find it again w
hen youw
ant to show it to the rest of the class.
5. When you hear the w
histle, gather around theteacher.
Precautions:If you teach in an area W
here thereare poisonous snakes or insects, be sure that thechildren know
how to recognize the poisonous spe-
cies. They should also be w
arned that they are toavoid picking up any anim
al about which they
arein doubt.
Collecting specim
ens:T
he field trip may lay the
groundwork for activities you w
ill want to do in the
classroom.
Collect only such things as are abso-
lutely necessary for such follow-up, because it is
important that the children learn good conservation
habits. The basic rule is to leave a natural habitat
undisturbed.If an anim
al is caught and observed,it should then be put back w
here it was found
al-low
ed to "go home." T
he field trip should be distin-guished from
a collecting expedition, which w
ouldbe better carried out by you alone or w
ith a fcw se-
PI7tnt collection is (11,scusscd on.
cin,!collection on p.
r-1
EN
CO
UR
AG
ING
CU
RIO
SITY
AN
D IN
VE
STIG
AT
ION
So many thing's that can initiate learning out-of-
,doors are sometim
es overlookedbuds on tw
igs,
abird w
ith something in its beak, an ant dragging a
caterpillar along the ground, the direction in which
Iclandelion.fluffis blow
ing, the position and phase ofthe daytim
e moon.
Any single observation can be the beginning of
exciting exploration and lead to the joy of furtherdiscovery.
If you become the eyes and ears of
your inexperienced charges, you will soon find
that your sensitized Students will serve as addi-
tional eyes and ears for you.T
hey will call to
your attention things that you ;would ordinarily
overlook.r
Every observation leads to 'a question: W
hat is in-side buds? W
hy doesn't the bird swallow
the worm
it is 'carrying in its beak? Where is the ant drag-
ging the caterpillar" What happens to the cande-
lion seeds after they. low aw
ay''
The m
ost interesting questions often do not haveneat, precise answ
ers, but this should not .pre-,:rent your investigating tlibm
anyway.
The out -of --
doorsis
so fullof interacting things, that an-
swers are alw
aysnes,v and interesting and
ferent, depending on when; w
here and what you
are observing.
HO
W T
O U
SE T
HE
PICT
UR
ES A
ND
QU
EST
ION
S
The draw
ings on paaes 100-113 show typical places
where living things can be found:
(a)on and
around atree,
(b) on acity street,
(c) in a va-cant lot or abandoned law
n or field,(d)
on andunder a log, stone or board that has been lying onthe ground for a
long time,
(e)in and around a
barn, (f) in and around a pond, and (g) in the schoolyard.
On the picture pages are suggestions for the type of
questions you might ask about a plant or anim
alquestions that arouse and sustain curiosity and leadto further exploration.
Obviously, you w
ill not find in one place an theliving things show
n in any one of the pictures, norif you did, w
ould you want to follow
up on all ofthem
. The chances are, though, that you w
ill findsom
e of them that w
ill suit your purpose.
If you study the pictures beforehand, you can fa-m
iliarize yourself with the hind of living things you
might find in a prospective location, consider the
typo of questions that ,y'ou might ask, and anticipate
activ,ties such cwestions rjoht engender.
I.00
ON
AN
D A
RO
UN
D A
FRE
E.
rL
Why is this a good place for
a nest?(See v.hat
keeps the nest in ice:, 'Se:, how the
nest is hid-den from
enemies.)
Where is this bird flying to?
itith your
ayes.)
1.V1;y m
ust this squirrel 13,1; ableto well:
or run upand dow
n the tree?(60e, w
hat it doescom
es down to the ground.)
What lives in this hole?
(Watch L
ino see v,,hatgoes iii or conies out.
If possible, look in.side.)
How
does this spotted beetle eai?(L
ook at itsm
outh parts.) Can it fly?
(Hold it in the air on a
stick and blow on it.)
Why don't the'se m
ushrooms grow
Just anywhere
-(D
ig one up with the soil.
Com
pare the soil with
soil where m
ushrooms do not gro,v.)
Where does this.ant live? -H
ow does it find its
vay?(F31low
your eyes. See anything onits head that m
oves as the ant %,.alks along.)
(e.
kes
tn:'4
I11
(
How
deep is this ant's nest?(Poke thin stick in it and see.)
-4
r
1),,.....,.
, ..
4 t 'ry .
:'
Ne.:."-A
07,11)44.--"_
---
.<4w
i.. ,_,:.
...,
...--T----
!--,lit
k-....4
wo.
I.
What are thee bud 4ca1as protecting')
(Devolo.)ing
leaves or deiP7eloping flov,ers.' Place
cut' tc.-:igin
..
What v:as eating these oak lea,fes?
(Lvok ford
feeding insects on other leaves.)
Why is this caterpillar called an
,rieasuring \--or ii-I')(See
"wa,L
=>
.
Whore are thes,-i ants doing and %
% here are they
con-lino fro.-.1').%
ith you;-- vos)
Why is
ti-le bark probably ,1safe place foi
tluslioth"
the color of' the salioth.; C
OV
:Jth the color of the bark.)'
C)
.1,
What is. inside this a L
a 11(C
ut it (mon to find
.-01:icaiIIIJ IF. it t..1)dt )001; -;)1):0 a
).
.kVhat )5 unusual about this ho: older 1if
(Com
pare it with a healthy, uninfected leak)
'Why is this a good D
icier.?(L
eo. forly-
insects.)W
here is the spider that ,nad,7.., it?'W
atch an insect and thrc..-it into the
isb.))W
here did these seeds cor),-_, fro:'1')(l.oe: ;it near-
by tiees.) What is*inside'e.C
chi"(C
uto: on
and look for young plants.)
101
ON
A C
ITY
STR
17,17
What is the advantage of a nest
so high?(O
bserve the cat.1
How
do you }now there are probably
young binds in thisnest?
(Sec what m
otheror father
bird is corrying.)
How
do these two spider w
ebs compare?
(Observe struc-
tures.) Where are the spiders that built
them?
(Scorch.)
is it true that a cat has idealpaw
s foi hunting?(fl : :em
ine cat's paw to
see soft cushions forlent tread and sharp claw
s for holdingprey.)
r
ti
Where does this centipede live?
(See c-her_-) it goes.)
Why does this sparrow
spendso m
uch time on the
ground?( O
bserve what it does w
henon the ground.)
What is this fly doing? (O
bserve closely and see.)
Do these saw
bugs prefer to be out in theopen or
under sometkrig?
(Place them near a log or stone
on the ground and see what they do )
Where did the ants get the sand to build this
hill?(O
bserve ants bt.'ilding hill.)
102
-17
.,CA
L\
vz,
.01Fras-rict
tr.
i,,
\, 1
I, ,:,",1,1,, fi ., t i i liP';'14 if
'
vow,
1
ISt
qOtt4W
hat v.,111 this bird do to the ':.or..
kVha t Jar° fl
birds doin,;fnle
wird.'?, (O
bserve closely.)
Is the side of the builuiri,jr
tiside than on the sliuded
y,:urhe.)
on which side of the building y.ould
best? (Look to see
condition._plants.)
Which of its senses clues the
do ;
along"'(0.bserve
is this tree doad or Isclosely to find out.
Where did the sui
,h this lincidle ror:o fro:,(T
race alono the crac):th,;, vi
fte.
................
What c h.thqes ,...'111
tui-.0 ',>lace in ti:.; d,:;.(.._
(u,:kiirnn,-- iiluny ether clulide) ions.).........A
.
eAriv
ay.w" (W
atch and see; )
4
4*1.f...?firj'C
it14)'
t,
,,
\iC6( )
i 11 ct Ilt:-,C
t.)1 u to ,ifo...111 croc-.:.; .;0.:1 ii.21.-.'.; "
('-:(".0'.' hit. th,or._:,
J LI in crkh.hs oo c', Fro 1.... . )
Nif
Aft. t114:7;.) 0, ,int.::1
f A ght..I.1A
, t.i or the
: or:,
ot,:i-e rho.'
workind together-1
(Wutch and . cc.
A '1A
' A\rf L
OT
Ilow m
any different kin6s of lvrufind O
nthis tree"
(I ook in branches for I,.rds aild nests.r:.:am
inetrunk, including crocks and holes, e.-,7atrune region near theroots.)
Why m
ust this bindweed w
rap itself around the stem of the
grass*:'(U
nwind the plant and see ,..,11elher it can stand up.)
How
does this butterflyreach down into the flow
er to sucknectar?
(Catch the butterfly and use a pin to uncoil
itsm
outhtube.)
What are these little things grow
ing on tins cokfflion plan-tain" (Scrape them
off and e:.:amine then) w
ith a magnifying
glass.)
How
do the little "parachutes" spread dandelion seeds''(L
ook at one parachute with a seed attached to it.
Then
blow on the ripe dandelion heads.)
a:;:'
..v;
How
do these leaves keep other Plants from grow
ing toonear this com
mon plantain? (See how
leaves block the light.)
Where does this ground beetle live? (See w
here it goes.)
104
-..""
,..2"X"''-
-,...-,--?'
.31.''..- /."
....-2e
---,,,iii":"- --
i..,
---,-.:.---
----7:'/1
i:.'
,,`
"eitra;
/
_-_p
!".4.1
;/it ,ire
r yr,Y
.e;t1:1
tiic;f;.)r
ct..26tit(r.
:(1'41,i/o11;,-'
"Thyit i
ti S;6,1
'
(
112-1(A
li:,
1110 I(33341,4.34143,'""1/
43,r3 351
-f
1111'11,,
;1
11, ,s;.,(
3(
trvin(1 q"f(41nty.)
t_( ,s.41
Ik
)" it-1_
.io--
r'
""
A
L.
71)3i(1,
1.311.-1-1.'1:r3 3: 3,431
31'343
13,4'
(Irotuld; ipW
t_4I it
I(4U
tt
'
J11t",t3.
,',St111,1 toI!,11
H.114 .)
r
14
1414
Iii;frId..
t_1,14 433
ON
OR
UN
DE
R A
LO
G
flow does this sw
allow m
anage to change its direction so often asit flies?
(Observe the m
otion of the wings and tail.) W
hy doesit have to fly that w
ay? (Guess.)
Why is this a good place for a spidei
(Look for flying
insectsor for insects caught in the w
eb.)W
here is thespider that m
ade it?(L
ook for it.)
What is a snail doing in a place like this?
(Observe it.)
Are these m
ites insects?(T
hout, catch one and
count the legs.)Is this daddy longlegs an insect'?
(Catch it and count
the legs.A
lso, see what happens w
hen you hold it byone leg.)liow
far can this cricket jut
15.."'"
11111Mh.=
=.;
llow can you account for the peculiar w
ay this salaman-
der walks" (O
bserve the position of the legs and them
ovements of the tail.)
flow did these baby beetles (larvae) get here?
What is this snake doing under the log"
What does this earthw
orm do w
hen placed over softm
oist soil?(T
ry it and see.)
What does this centipede do w
hen placed near a log?(T
ry it and see.)
1 06
df""
-
I
7
To a tiny anim
al this is a (ores .H
ow did this
"forest" of moss com
e to grow here?
(Find thespore cases and squeeze out the spores.)
What is this chipm
unk looking for?'W
here doeshe live?
(Try to find out by observing him
.)
Is this a frog or a toad?(See w
hether hehas w
arts on his skin.)
Most plants grow
out of soil.W
hat dothese m
ushrooms grow
oat of" how do they
get "planted"?(Find holes or cracks from
.w
hich spores emerge.)
Ferns like this never produce seeds.low
thendo they begin to grow
?)f
leaves or look at special stems to fffid spore cases.
Why is this called a "fiddlehead:'
(of one
part of a fiddle.) What do they beco ,"
(ITnroli
one and c.-:amine it closely.
What is this insect doing to the plant')
(C):sorvc
it for a while and see.)
rI
107
1N A
ND
AR
OU
ND
,AB
AR
N
What bird built this
ne.3t"(W
ait andsee w
hichkind of bird
comes to it.)
1W
hy is thissparrow
sitting near the barn?(W
aitand see w
hether itgoes into the barn and then
see what it does.)
Where is this haw
kflying to
Wallow
it with
your eyes for a while.)
What w
ill thiscow
do after she has eatena lot
of grass?(L
ook for othercow
s that have al-ready eaten and
are lying down. See w
hatthey
are doing.)
Why is it careless
to leave corn aboutin a
barn"(exam
ine thecorn for insects and for
evidence of thepresence of rats and m
ice.)
Wnat is this fly doing
in the barn(W
atch itand see.)
108
I.
err
a
is.ala vs low..--.....--c-
Illkil ''' '
'"'"'Ite411.1.E.I.1111
, ilk .. t , pAncip
7,47,tr It :\- -1/4.-
,...
71
r
, ..
TH
E E
DG
E O
F A PO
ND
Why is this insect called a back
swim
mer? (O
bserveit sw
im.)
How
does this wiggler (baby m
osquito)get air tobreathe?
(Observe w
hat he does.)
How
can we see these little anim
alsbetter?
(Take
them out w
ith a medicine dropper,
and observe themw
ith a magnifying glass.)
Why does this back sw
imm
er dive down
into the deeper wa-
ter?(See w
hat is down there that he
can catch and eat.)
How
does this baby dragonfly (larva)catch its prey?
(Use a pin to pry loose and extend
its long "tongue.")
What does this snail do w
hen he is attacked?(Poke
him w
ith a tiny stick and see what he does.)
Why is this dragonfly flying
over the pond?(O
bserveand see w
hat it does.)
How
do ducks look different fromm
ost other birds when
(you see them
in flight?(O
bserve their outline and howthey fly.)H
ow can you tell this is not
a dragonfly but a mayfly?
\)
amine top and bottom
surfaces ofits decaying leaves to
find its seeds, which ducks eat.).
Hbw
de' other animals
make use of th:s w
ater lily? (Ex-
ISHt'
a the tail end of the body.)(See how
its wings
are folded above its back, and look
How
can you tell that this bullhead lives at the bottomof the pond ?
(Observe the shape of its body.)
(
1 10
li
vl
..1....10.-
-.
Why is this plant called a cattail plant?
(Ob-
serve and feel the swelling near the top of its
stern.)
Why does this red-w
inged blackbird keep goingdow
n among the reeds and up again'?
(Think of
what there m
ay be among the reeds that attracts
the bird.)
What is inside this cattail')
(Collect tw
o. Cut
one up to look inside. Take the other to class,
keep it for several months and see w
hat happens.)
CD
Why is this a good place for the red-w
inged black-,"N
EI
bird to have built its nest'(See how
the eggs andyoung b rds are protected against enem
ies thatw
ould eat them.)
What is unusual about the flow
ers of this pick-erel w
eed?. (Observe color, shape, etc.) W
hatdoes this leaf shape reT
rond you of`'
How
is being on the top of the rock different forthis turtle than his being in the w
ater )(T
hinkof differences in conditions
temperature, m
ois-ture, exposure.)W
ho put white paint on this rock
((-1.,serve therock closely to see that the w
hite is not paint.)
Where does this frog go w
hen he is frightened orchased? (C
hase him and see w
here hegoes.)
IN A
SCH
OO
L Y
AR
D
Why do the plants lean aw
ay from the building?
(Where does the light com
e from?)
Does the fence give this plant an advantage
over others of the same kind?
Why are fences put up?
How
does a fence change conditions forplants and anim
als?
How
many kinds of anim
als canyou find in your
school yard?
How
many w
ays can rocks, and soil be moved?
(By anim
als, water, plants, frost, w
eathering,etc.)
Where is the w
ater moving fastest?
Where is
the water m
oving slowly?
Why does the grass grow
thickly here?W
hy doesn't it grow below
the spout?
Why w
ere big rocks put here?(N
ote what w
aterrun-off has done at the foot of the lam
ppost.)W
hy are gravel and small rocks found
furtherfrom
the spout?
11 2
,,."=,.,
\\I,
,7)1;':4#11111Li1/4:7
_
41%11
7:v
\J..;N.
Which side of the
Mc.::t.cli
pobt.Feel the brick building. W
hy is the shadedm
etal warm
er than the shaded brick?
Flow does this tree get enough w
ater to grow?
Where are its roots
Where did the seed that started this tree
come from
?(C
ompare its leaf w
ith thele.,f from
the larger tree nearby.)
Note the overhang caused by a hard layer
"overlying a soft layer. T
he erosion demon-
,.
strate`S the formation of a river valley.
" Where does m
ost of the rainwater that
falls in this neighborhood go?
.C
an you trace the paths of the water that
runs down the sew
er?(L
ook for areasw
here soil has been washed aw
ay.)
How
did this sand get 'here? - (Where m
ightsom
e washed-aw
ay soil be dropped?)
Why is there a different plant grow
th under
Y:,
, .0
i"if4A
4itt15'111(1'
j 14.4:2.14 r
It,t
,1
01,estkiT
te;.4"....vs......
.."14:4t
'-' .,? a -
ilev'
11-11
'1.,44.
Olin%
1t
.1
.%
41:"`4ei-4'
..
[1"k
I../
a
the fence?(D
oes the area get walked on?)
!tow m
any i:inds of plants can you find inyour school yard? M
ark off a sqoare,feet
byfeet.
Count the kinds of plants and
how m
any of each in the area.D
o this inseveral places. D
o you find that differentconditions of light, m
oisture and tempera-
ture relate to different plant growth?
13
CA
LEN
DA
R O
F A
CT
IVIT
IES
TH
RO
UG
HT
HE
YE
AR
SEPT
EM
BE
RFE
BR
UA
RY
Adopt a tree.
Observe it periodically throughout the
year (p. 47).C
ollect seeds.E
xamine them
(pp. 18, 78); plantthem
(pp. 18, 21); use them in
a museum
exhibit(pp. 91-3)
-
OC
TO
BE
R
Look for seasonal changes (pp. 95, 97).
Make a natural pond aquarium
(p. 29).E
xamine the structure of a H
alloween pum
pkin (pp.75, 80). Plant the seeds (pp. 18, 22).
NO
VE
MB
ER
Collect bones of different kinds of poultry. C
ompare
them; m
ake museum
exhibit (pp. 62, I7).E
xamine fruits and vegetables associated w
ithT
hanksgiving (pp. 75, 80).
DE
CE
MB
ER
Prepare museum
exhibit of the different varieties ofevergreens used for seasonal decorations (p. 85);com
pare leaf structures"(p. 76).
JAN
UA
RY
Take a field trip after a snow
fall.L
ook for animal
tracks; observe patterns made by w
ind.L
ook for abandoned birds' nests.O
bserve differences among trek-
let t(.
1 14
Exam
ine leafless twigs, observe different kinds of
buds (p. 79).
Force the opening of buds indoors (pp. 23, 79, 97).-
MA
RC
H
Look for signs of spring (p. 97).
Bring a spadeful of w
oodland soil toput in a ter-
rarium (p. 13).
APR
IL
Take field trip in the school yard after
a rain (p. 95).'W
atch for emerging plants.
Chart em
ergence andgrow
ch (p. 97).
Put newly em
erged plants in terrarium and observe
rapid growth indoors (p. 13).
Watch for em
erging insects and note what kinds
appear as spring progresses (pp. 40, 64-68).
MA
Y
Visit a pond (pp. 29, 77, 110).
l'\,1ake a school yard field trip to observe plants andinsects (see A
pril).
JUN
E
Dism
antle classroom garden and zoo (p. 24).
Sendspecim
ens home w
ith children, together with sug-
gested activititis over the skimm
er.See plant*
propagation (p.19).
CN
2
BIB
LIOG
RA
PH
Y
It is impossible to include in a lisc of this size all
the valuable references that areavailable. W
eoffer here som
e criteria as a Guide foriselection.
You yvill of course be judging each book w
ith theneields of your ow
n clas& or even of a particular
chiict-in mind.
,->
13'ooks fil14,TI.anvieedS. Som
e should supply in'forma-
otheYs sheri:ild,stim
ulate imagi.natibn and curio-
sity., Fantasy should be clearly recognizable as fan-tasy , so as to avoid confusing thb children.
Factsshould be w
ell organized and stated in simple lan-
guagA:
Illustratiors should be crear, attractive and accurate.A
great deal of biological inforrnatiOncan be con-
veyed through pictures, so do not select books with
inappropriatd or misleading illustrations.
Robins
should look like\ robins, real frogs should sit in anappropriate spot, dandelions should be recognizableas sucli.
Try to use-pooks about fam
iliar plants and animals,
in order that children miciht m
ake the connectionbetw
een their own w
orld and the world of books.
You w
ill find that many of the children's books are
also good sources foryou. For specific inform
ation,you can alw
ays check your encyclopedia as well as
spec -lized reference works listed belov,.
it
FOR
TH
E T
EA
CH
ER
I
:liER
S' RE
FER
F,NG
Es
l(*)V1 T
HE
BIB
LIO
GR
APH
Y IS O
RG
AN
IZE
D
Our first group of books is com
posed of sources forthe teacher.
These basic references should prove
very valuable for plant, animal and geolonical infor-
mation.
The second group of references is gardening m
aga-zine,s and catalogues.
These are usually beauti-
fully illustrated, and are very useful for identifyingplants
, as well
as' for their intended purposes ofproviding gardening inform
ation and tellingyou
whc.-e you can obtain m
aterials.
The third group of books, w
hich comprised the,bulk
of our Bibliography,, -:ncludes references for-both
teacher and child. Appro,:im
ate grade level for eachrqerenc 1s included. T
he major subdivisions art
further divided by typo (birds, reptiles, etc.) ,fistedin alphabetical order.
Each of these includes en:
tries for identification, activities and information.
''Audubon 1\:atiir'e 1;ulletins.
IhSe1111):;-
trated andlull
of practicalinfori.lation about
plants -and animals..
'rho :;t of irs builotinoStl1)(1illcied into T
eachiiiti rsi(1:;, Antifials
llovs,T
his.v LI,T
e, Insects arrd Spiders, Plant Identifica-tion, and C
onservation of Our N
atuull. R'esources.
For a list, ':'nit.elie N
ationalAndnbon Society,
1130 ritth Avenue, N
ov: York
,Y
orkT
hisoniani.,:ation
,11:;0rIntsli:;11 s
(..;or ionsI,:atnral.):,i,
il.afit. for
The
4
publishsr's adgre.3.3 is Lincoln.,
1)1773.
Com
stock, A. B
.Ilc.ndboo of N
ature Study.1963.
Cornell U
niversity Prr ss,
Ithaca, New
Yor;:. A
nexcellent all-around source of inforn-,ation on thelife histories of plants and anir.als.
It containssim
ple facts children like to know, 9 9.d I illus-
trated, and Provides questions annnicie,;tions
about things to loot: for.
Cornell Science L
eaflets are a superb Sourec: of in-form
ation about many science activtics.
Earl./
leaflets are as valuablc. as the ;no(-cent onns.
Write to B
uilding 7, Cornell liniversit..., R
,'snar.-nPark
, Ithaca , New
York
I -1r; 0.
Golden N
ature Guides.
Tiler( are :,,1117 of th(se
a useful paprb.mcl: scsries.
The.- are
.: el) 11105-trated, Ine.:pensive and easy to use.
'1"01.1
on trees, wild flow
ers,T
ahitians, and m
amm
a l5ark_
n,for prim
ary grades.
Palmer, E
. L.
Fieldbook of Natural
f Ii story1919.
McG
rays, Hill.
661 pp. of drav:ing--, ang 'onciseinform
ation about rocks, :;tars, plantsani-
mals.
Aff_y
Seft,11 as a quick r,.ferenc_for
ossential facts.
GA
RD
E'.17,-(1
A.N
n CA
rAT
Plower and C
arden.klid-A
rccrica1-nno C
o. ,1 2 5 1 Pennsylvania, K
ansas Cdt',, %
To.
f,;
II
I.
cC\Z
Hom
e and Garden. M
ower G
rower Publishing, Inc.,
One Path A
venue, New
York, N
ew Y
ork 10016.H
orticulture.M
assachusetts Horticultural Society,
300 Massachusetts A
venue, Boston, M
ass. 021 15.G
eorge W. Park Seed C
o., Inc.,
Greenw
ood, SouthC
arolina 29646.G
ood source for plants, seeds,and equipm
ent such as pots, trays and soil.W
ayside Gardens. M
entor, Ohio 44060. C
atalogue".pith beautiful illustrations and inform
ation aboutgrow
ing plants, $ 1.00.
Garden and nature colum
ns in local newspapers are
often cjooci sources for e::cellent photographs andinform
ation of special interest is your own region.
AN
IMA
LS
JEN
TIFIC
AT
ION
Z.no
,H
erbert S.,
and Hobart N
I: 3m1th, R
eptilesand A
ulphibians.G
olden Press, 1916: (34-T
eacher.)
BIR
DS
Kieran, John, A
n Introduction to Birds.
Doubleday
and Cu.,
19C i.
(3+, reacher.)
A do ide
tocornm
on
Wetm
ore, Ale.<
ander, Song.and Garden lards of
North A
merica.
National G
eixii:aphic Society,1964.
(Teacher,) Includes rk.cords of Inrd ;,ona3..
Ilcrbert S., and I. N
. Gabrielson, B
irds. (.1old-u Pre ;.t,
t,
ac-R r.1
ristiZ
inn, Herbert S. , and H
urst H. Shoem
aker, Fishes.G
olden Press, 1957.(3+
, Teacher.) W
ell illus-trated.
INSE
CT
S
Baranow
ski, Richard M
., Insects.G
olden Press,1964.
(Teacher.) W
ell illustrated, much infor-
mation.
ipeitterec and Kaufi,.an, D
roso'pluldG
,JrnegieInstitution, 1J07.
(Teacher.) G
uide to ,Aorta w
anfruit flie.t;.
Lutz, Frank E
.Field Pool: of Insects.
Putnam,
1").1:;.1:1(7114w
:1li:;t of ulant-insect associates.
Parker, Bertha 1\1:3rris, Sr:7__L
edefed Neighbors
Row
,Peterson and C
o.,
1'161.(K
,.)
NiceB
,r illus-trated sn,all book.
The childrk'n could
3( itfor t ik.ntif 'cation
.
Zain ,
rt S . ind Clarence (:attar
CIoldt.n Press,
19-In.(1+
,'ft ach.
A s.,-all
Zln:,
ftrt S.,
and R.
Pi,tterfltianci
Morns
.Prel;s.
(34-,
I S
Zit .,
iieritert S.,
and Donald F.
dater,M
aul: als - \ (rtudeA
n.erican Si)eci.-.s.(;olden Pre,ss, "rin I
.recliner. )
117
AN
T M
AI S
S1e11.> I
n.
.,{{{,
lerb,,rt S.,{,1
)1,,trtSm
it h,A
tilt Ar'!,{1{{17{w
1:;pr.,,s3,
I' }r-O,
-j
L eacher.)
[.'efu.1
(-0-rts,ch,I.,
Spiders and Silk.;.\u(1,_lbon
Xature B
ulletin %.).
3,19to).
(Teacher.) L
infor:ativt..
17;roinl.'1A
Ror, r
..-.1'1)P,l'Ir)v,
(W
ho 1.1,'in
thiy 11,,u
(2,"3.) A
nirrial.1ne t
,,
.1.A
; 111,
Harvey 1.
I'i ;her,trill
lerbt7:11 S..
(1-31( len.
';'; .T
(t,:tchcr. )'
;>
) l'I.
referen,e inli,ind7
Lot
1)001,hi.;tratd.
{ 1'1;0_111, Ito 1,I
L.
,I.et".; (7.o O
utdo.)rs.D
oubi,-1.;:o.
.)1:.:(.011e it
ph.-)to fraph;:.:an dti
1;,).0_ (t,01.7t,ivin
qi
r,)1rothy
,and Polli\vogs
.!r(),...,'11,
196-,
and life cycles of various kinds of frogs andtoads are discussed.
r.lcelund, Robert M
., Bubo. W
m. M
orrow and C
o.,105-1.
(1:,I, 2, 3.)
Life story of a toad.
Miller,
Patricia K.
,and Iran
L.
Solid:nal;,
Big
frogs, Little Frogs.
Holt, R
inehart and Winston,
1963.(E
,1, 2, 3.) Sim
ple story of a frog's lifehistory.
Charm
ing illustrations.
BIR
DS
Goldin, A
ugusta, Ducks D
on't Get W
et.T
homas V
.C
rowell
,1965.
( I,
2.)E
lementary inforn.ation
about ducks' feathers, the food they eat, howthey m
igrate.W
ebb, Addison, B
irds in their Hom
es.D
oubledayand C
o.,
1047.(2, 3.) G
ood illustrations.D
is--cusses how
birds make nests, etc.
lierbert S., Ow
ls. Wm
. Morrow
and Co., 19SO
.(2, 3.)
Eull of inform
ation.Interesti,-ig illustra-
tions.
FISH
Border, C
arl, All A
bout Fish. Random
House, 1960.
(3f.) Assorted inform
ation aLout fish includiri
eN.7olution,
salt,..:ater and freshwater fish, feedino
habits and fishing.
INSE
CT
S
Carle, O
live L.
, Crickets. W
in. Morrow
and Co.,
1131').(2, 3+
.)H
ow crickets live, n-akr their
song, reproduce.B
eautifully illustrated.
Farb, Peter, The Story of B
utterflies and Other In-
sects.H
arvey House, 1959.
(3+.) M
uch infor-m
ation about behavior. Includes suggestions forcollecting and keeping insects.
navies, Judy, Bees and B
eelines.T
homas Y
.C
rowell, 1964.
(1, 2, 3.)H
ow bees com
muni-
cate with each, other.
Hogner, D
orothy Childs, G
rasshoppers and Crickets.
Thom
as Y. C
rol.vell, 1960.(2, 1.)
Beautifully
illustrated, lots of information.
Includes how to
collect and keep crickets.Ilogner, D
orothy Childs, M
oths. Thom
as Y. C
rowell,
1964.(3+
.) Weil illustrated and interesting.
Eohn, B
ernice, Fireflies.Prentice- ;1x11, 1966.
(3 +.)
Advanced tex.t but interesting lop:.
Lane, Ferdinand C
., All A
bout the Insect World.
Random
House, 1954.
(3+.) M
uch information but
poor illustrations.M
cClung, R
obert M.; G
reen Darner. W
rn. Morrow
and Co., 1956.
(E,
1.) About a dragonfly.
McC
lung, Robert M
., L
una.W
in. Morrov. and C
o.,
1957.(I:,
1.) About the lung m
oth.M
cClung, R
obert M., Sphirr.:. W
m. M
orrow and C
o.,
1949.(E
, 1.) All about the cO
mm
on sphinx; woth.
McC
lung, Robert M
., Tiger.
Wm
. Morrow
and Cu.
,
1953.(I:,
1.) About a sw
allowtail butterfly.
Parker, Bertha M
orris, Insects and Their W
ays. Ro\v,
Peterson and Co., 1961.
(3(.)1 ife hi..tories of
comm
on insects.
AN
IMA
LS
Podenclorf, Illa, The T
rue Book of Insects.
Chil-
dren's Pr'ess,
1963.(E
.,' 1.)Inform
(: _ion aboutcom
mon insects and interesting illustrations.
Shuttlesworth, D
orothy E.,
The Story of A
nts.D
oubleday and Co., 1954.
(3+.) A
dvanced, buthas m
any good pictures and much inform
ation.Sw
ain, Su Zan N
oquchi, Insects in Their W
orld.G
arden City, 1955. (T
eacher.) Beautifully illus-
trated. Includes information about collecting an-i
keeping insects.W
heat, G. C
ollins, The W
orld of Ants.
Golden
Press,
1961. (3f .) Advanced, but has rilany qood
color photoc;raphs and :such information,
MA
h4IA
1.S
Earle,
Olive I,. ,
Squirrelsin the G
arden.V
.`i-n.M
orrow and C
o.,
1963.(2, 3.)
The life of a
squirrel family. V
ery nice dra%ings.
Eberlt
, Irtuengarde, Fawn in the W
oods.T
'icit-ras V.
Crow
ell, 1462.(2,
'1,-Ty good photographs of
life cycle of a fawn.
Charles.
%Ir. .Strides, the C
;ophk.r.R
i-k; and I
,`11'( 70. ,
94)2..) N
rce photorra1;1-,s.
i;ohn, Bernice,
7\.1,1c.,,,low-; M
ar; Mal
Monotrc-r-.cs
and Niar:7H
pi,3ls.npusi,a1
1I 'L11111tT,
Rift---rt N
I.,1
P:tridon,1 icht,-;(
.1;
sr01-0'.
is(1,
irl
C\
AN
IMA
LS
R.-1,71-11i, A
nthony, Elephants, the L
ast of the Land
:cants.Parents' %
lagazine Press, 1965.(31.)
I ieals with the elephant in history.
Mardaret, T
he First Book of M
amm
als.Frankhol.V
atts, Inc.,
19')7.(3 +
-.)(_,:ontains N
ianyintr,sting draw
ings of feet, teeth, young, and",riots actcrities such
Lavers
dams.
IlerUrt S.
, Elephants. V
rli.%
Jorro,..., and Son,10410
,,
I,L
;CIISS(0
elephants' relationsto p:an.
,..h--)11I T
iS(:!S
Ilodner,D
orothy Childs,
Snails.l'hol;ins
V.
I'1 iii.(2, 3.) B
eautiful pe»,--11 drir.vings.rovers inolluss in iien,ura), but not in too ni,leh
RI;Prit,E
s
Bronson, W
ilfrid S., 'I'urties.ilarcourt, B
race an ,I191S.
I.)!Intl:311,11 L
ook v:ith amusing
illyotratior.s and onsiderahL
inforn,tion.Ilec'h1_,
41( bnz;"\.1.
,A
ll Ahout SuaL
es. Pandon.(,),
1.)N
hilf inforriatione ill
stratio71
Ito icier,I
),1."0
11,1, A
0.; of Sliokollh
;
Y:11)\'..1 II,
1'1101,,(.'
DI:',0011;.;0:;
(1);101-0-11t.*110,1:: O
f siiaL,:;.
John,
rirstof SuaL
es.FraiW
lin\*V
atts,H
' .)iuteresting
Which include.-. chapters ,311
IIWA
OrIC
!,-11
Parker, Bertha M
orris,
Reptiles.
Narper -11-,(
Pow,
1962.(3-4-.) C
ontains 1:,ich infor,:ation a:,o,:trep-
tiles and their relations.
SPIDE
RS
Da.lid, E
ugene, Spiders and llow Inc.," I
Prcntice-frill,
1961.(3+
)Intrestiff,l,
good.
Includes some suggestions for ;:f.,0-,pind
(",oldin, Augusta, Spider Silk:
cho!ras.
It(E
,I.)
Picts aLout ro
'ors
3p1r:7;
I ntcro,s1..ing
I few.),
,D
orothy.C
hiI s,Spiders.
TH
o'.
I,
I(I, 2.)
7Iostly alif of
:;Piders.Su'l(1,''sthins for '!olior.f..1.-,,1
;.-,-(111,14.,i.
Parl.er, 1;ertha 'Morris, Spiders.
Row
, I'(tcr:.-lorC
o., 1961.(?,-4-.)
Iclur_11 information.
A0v3.1(,-
:=:iillttli,:;w
orth,D
orothy L.,
rheStork.
of Siati,-rs.( ;ard,n cit!
19-)9.C
O-.)
Discu._;;,
hai»tn an/ different L
)Iids of spiders.
WO
R7\.is
Mow
er, Dorothy iT
hilds,19;3.
(1,.)
Ctood
l;;,lcll ieneraIiZ -'t-1 iniorm
,itioi.
:rpii\vuri
7,11111(.,_,1,t 1:.,
tD
trth
and Row
, 1956. (K, I.) T
hestory of a child w
hobuys and keeps a turtle.
BIR
DS
PCO
I 0(1Y
WO
RM
S
Hom
ier, Dorothy C
hilds, EarL
hworrils.
Thom
as Y.
Crow
ell,1 953.
(I, 2, 3.) Good draw
ing, much
general information.
Se Isam, M
illicent E., T
ony's Birds.
Harper and
Henry Z
. W sick,
C\Z
Row
, 196I.
(E, I.) T
ony is a birdwatcher.
rrsir
Morgan, A
lfreti,'Aquarium
Book for B
oys andG
irls.
STO
RIE
S AB
OU
T A
NIM
AL
S
Lenski, L
ois, Anim
als for M.
Inc., n.(.1.(K
.)Includes som
e non- -mar
,.
McC
loskey-, RoL
ert, Make W
ay for Ducklings.
Charles Scribner's Sons, 1959..
(3+, T
eacher.)flow
to house and rear aquatic animals.
Zarchy,
Ilarry,T
ropical Fish.W
orld PublishingV
iking Pru.,
1941.(K
,1, 2, 6.) A
cluck fanaly9ro%
%:s up IV
Llie center of B
oston.
White,
tC
harlotte's Web. H
arper ano Rovv,
Co., 1966.
(3+.)
!low to set up an aquarium
.
INSE
CT
Sl' r)..%
(3+ .) A
story about the life ofa spicier*.
Elem
entary Science Study, Behavior of
Meali.vorm
s.E
ducatior Services, Inc.,
196-1. (Teacher.) C
areof m
ealworm
s and experiments w
ith them.
Hussey, L
ois, and Catherine Pessino,
Collecting
Cocoons. T
homas Y
. Crow
ell, 19 3.
(34-.) Con-
tains much useful inform
ation.Sterling, D
orothy, Caterpillars.
Doubleday and C
o.,1961. (3+
.) Interesting illustrations.Inform
ationon collecting and keeping caterpillars.
Stevens, Carla, C
atch a Cricket.
Young Scott,
1961.(I:,
I.)Photographs and tc' : :t about sm
allboys catching ins,icts.
I:LPT
ILK
S
Conklin, G
ladys, I Caught a L
ioard.H
oliday House,
1967.(K
, I, 2.) About sm
all wild
pets.
EC
OL
OG
Y
Atr.os, W
i9lian 11., T
he Lift
Of the Pond.
McG
raw1h I!,
1,6,7.(T
eacher. )F::cel lent photo(T
raphs,
drawings, ac.tivities.
Includes food cycles andkinds of life at cliff.-rent
ofpo:,
Buchsbaum
, Ralph and 11111(ired"B
uchsb!un.,basic.
Pos:wood Press,
1961.(T
eachcr.)w
ell-illustraie(i,, ool, technical i,ut inter-
esting.D
arling,I oit: and louts 1)arlii'.(1, A
!lac(to the Sun.
Niorrow
,(T
eacher.)B
egins wit}) crology
of a farm; goes on to bazlic
c-cles, food cm
an's influence, pollution and(-oliservation.
FOSSIL
S
122
Farb, Peter,E
cology.L
ife Nature L
ibrary, Tim
e,1963.
(Teacher.) A
daptation and population regu-lation in m
any ecosystems.
Hofm
ann, Me lita, A
Trip to the Pond.
Doubleday,
1966.(3+
, Teacher.) A
dvanced, but beautifullyillustrated.
Milne, L
orus and Margery M
ilne,. Because of a T
ree.A
theneum, 1963.
(3+.)
Shows interrelationships
of animals and trees.
Nice draw
ings.M
organ, Ann H
aven, The Field B
ook of Ponds andStream
s.Putnam
, 1930,(T
eacher.)E
xcellenthandbook.
Reid, G
eorge K., ed.
Herbert Z
im, Pond L
ife.G
old-en Press, 1967.
(reacher.) Excellent handbook
on the characteristics of ponds, details and illus-trations of plant and anim
al life.Stone, H
arris A., T
he Last Free B
ird.Prentice-H
all,1967.
(3+.)
Poignant story of a bird thatis
gradually surrounded by modern
civilization.B
eautifully illustrated.
FOSSIL
S
IDE
NT
IFICA
TIO
N
Fenton, C. L
. and M. A
., In Prehistoric Seas.D
ou-bleday, 1962.
(Teacher.)
An excellent reference
for ecology and identification of invertebrates.Z
im, H
erbert S., and P. R. Shaffer, Fossils, A
Guide
to Prehistoric Life.
Golden Press,
1962.(1÷
,
Teacher.) Fine guide to invertebrate fossils and
ways to collect and display them
. Convenient
for both children and teacher.
INFO
RM
AT
ION
Block, M
arie, Dinosaurs.
Cow
drd-McC
ann, 1953.(34-.)
Nice sketches, interesting facts.
Shouldexcite good readers.
Blough, G
lenn 0., Discovering D
inosaurs. McG
rawH
ill, 1960.(2, 3, T
eacher.)R
elatcs animals to
children's experiences;a w
ell-illustratedanct
delightful book.Fenton, C
. I,. ,Prehistoric W
orld.John D
ay Ca.,
1954. (3+.) U
ncolored sketches, materials fasci-
natinglY presented for the advanced third nracicr.
Ipcar, Dah lov, T
he Wonderful E
gg.D
oubleday,1958.
(r,I, 2.)
Delightful story and pictures
introduce children to the way dinosaurs looked
and how they lived.
Nlay, Julian, T
hey Turned to Stone.
Holiday Pouse,
1965.(1, 2, 3.)
Fine discussion of non-reptilefossils.
Highly recom
mended.
Ncurath, M
arie, 'The W
onder World of
I prig Ago.
Lothrop, L
ee, Shepard, 1957.(2, 3.)
Presentschanges in life of non-reptiles over periods oftim
e.
Ravielli, A
nthony, The R
ise and Fall of the Dino-
saurs.Parents' M
agazine Press1963.
(2, 3.)A
ferociously real book, very exciting.
Watson, lane, T
he Golden B
ook of Dinosaurs and
other Prehistoric Reptiles.
Golden Press, 1960.
(E,
1, 2, 3.)A
very well-illustrated book that
children will find fascinating.
AC
TIV
ITIE
S WIT
H FO
SSILS
Heller, R
obert, ed., Geology and E
arth SciencesSourcebook.
Holt, R
inehart and Winston, 1962.
(Teacher.)
Source of principles, facts, experi-m
ents; quick reference.
PLA
NT
S
IDE
NT
IFICA
TIO
N]
Corm
ack, M. B
. ,T
he First Book of 'T
rees.Franklin
Watts, 1951.
(3+.) V
ery well illustrated.
Podendorf, Illa , The T
rue Book of T
rees.C
hildren'sPress
,1963.
(K,
1.)C
hapters on growth, identi-
fication, tree flowers.
Podendorf, Ilia, The T
rue Book of W
eeds and Wild
Flowers.
Children's Press, 1961.
(K,
1.) Sim-
ple, informative text.
Concerned w
ith the com-
mon plants of a child's w
orld.Sterling, D
orothy, Trees and T
heir Story.- Doubleday
and Co., 1953.
(34-.)G
ood photographs but textis dull.
Swain, Su Z
an Noguchi, Plants of W
oodland andW
ayside.G
arden City B
ooks, 1958.(34-..)
Ad-
vanced,childrenIncludeslichens.
IPL
AN
i'-;
but the beautiful illustrations would aid
inidentifying
many com
mon plants.
some low
er plants subh as aleac and
Watts, M
ay Theilgaard, Flow
er Finder.N
atureStudy G
uild, Naperville, Ill., 1955.
Easy-to-
use identification key.W
atts, May T
heilgaard, Master T
ree Finder. Nature
Study Guild
,1963.
Pocket -size key to tree iden-tification and inform
ation.Z
im, 11erbert S., and A
le sander C. iC
artin, Trees.
Golden Press, 1956.
(3F, Teacher.)
Zim
, Herbert S. , and A
le::ander C. M
artin, Flowers.
Golden Press, 1061.
(3+, reacher.)
link,lb
S.,
Non - Flow
ering Plants.G
olden1-4
Press,
1967.(
Teacher.) valuable handbook.
INFO
RM
AT
ION
AB
OU
T PL
AN
TS
Bancroft, H
enrietta, Dow
n Com
e the Leaves. T
hom-
as V. C
rowell, 1961.
(K,
1.) Good draw
ings ofm
any kinds of leaves.B
lough, Glenn 0., .Plant:, R
ound the Year.
Harper
and Row
, 1962.(I, 2, 3.) Pam
phlet v.ith nuchgeneral inform
ation about.plants.N
ice picturc,.s.
Cue, G
eoffrey, the ilcm, and W
hy Wonder
ofrree
.ro.s
t anc( Dunlap ,
1964(3+
. )illustrated, m
uch ithcri;.ation.pick
t;_,, t)L
Plantn
123
PLA
NT
S
lin Watts, 1953.
(3+.) O
ne of the few books that
includes lower plants. Som
e experiments
are sug-gested. M
uch general information.
Fenton,C
arroll Lane and H
erminie B
.K
itchen,Plants that Feed U
s. J. Day and C
o.,1956. ;3+
.)-G
ood illustrations.A
n interesting and unusualbook on cultivated plants.
Would tie
in vithsocial studies.
Gordan, H
elene J., Seeds By W
ind andW
ater. Thom
-as T
. Croixell, 1962.
(K,
I.) The ecological
as-pects of plant grow
th are stressed.T
ransportationof seeds.
Lane, Ferdinand C
., All A
bcnit the flowering
oriel.R
andom H
ouse, 1956.(3 +
.)A
ttempts to tell us
everything, therefore rather general.Includes
elementary ecology.
Milne,
Loris and M
argery,Plant L
ife.Prentice
1959.(T
eacher.)D
iscussion ranges komcolltilar structure
to ecological considerations.Parker, B
ertha Morris, D
ependent Plants.R
ow,
Peterson and Co.
,1060.
( 3+.)
Includes fungiand parasitic higher plants.
Well illustrated.
Parker, Bertha M
orris, Flowers, Fruits,
Seeds. Row
,Peterson and C
o,
1941.(
.)Pam
phlet with
much general inform
ation and nicepictures.
Selsam, M
illicent E., B
irth of3 Forest.
Harper and
Row
, 1964.(1-1-.)
Ecological em
phasisthe for-
est as an environment for all kinds of
creatures.Selsam
, Millicent E
.,
The Plants W
e Eat. W
in. Mor-
row and G
o. ,1955.
(2, 1.)Interesting m
aterial
124
about domesticated plants.
Could be used as a
basis for e:,.periments or dem
onstrations.Sterling, D
orothy, The Story of M
osses, Ferns andM
ushrooms. D
oubleday and Co., 1955. (3+
.) Acom
prehensive book about lower plants. Profuse
and interesting photographs.U
dry,Janice,
A T
ree isN
ice.H
arper and Bros.,
1956.(K
.)E
cological emphasis.
Webber, Irm
a E., T
hanks to Trees.
The Stor.. of
Their U
se and conservation.E
. M. H
ale and Co.,
1961.(1, 2, 3.) D
iscusses uses of trees, theirrelation to the environm
ent and conservation.
Webber, Irm
a E., U
p Above and D
own B
elow. Scott,
1943.(/:.)
Shows plant structure above and be-
low c;rcun d
.
Zim
, Herbert S., W
hat's Inside of Plants? Wm
.:%
ior-row
and Co., 1952.
(I:,1.)
Unique m
aterial onplant structure." G
ood drav,rings.
AC
TIV
ITIE
S WIT
H PL
AN
TS
Baker, Sam
Sinclair, Tho Indoor and O
utdoor Gro
-It B
eok.R
andom H
ouse, 1966.(2, 3.)
Well
illustrated experiments.
Jordan, Helene J.
, How
a Seed Grow
s.T
homas V
.C
rowell, 1960.
(K,
I.)Includes instructions
for very simple e::perim
ents, planting, and °u-serving (ircA
yth changes.
Klein, R
ichard M. and D
eanna T. K
line, Discw
rerinaPlants.
Natural history Press, 196P,.
(Teacher.)
Many interesting experim
ents suitable for class orindividual students.
Kurtz, E
dwin B
., Jr., and Chris A
llen, Adventures
in Living Plants.
University of A
rizona Press,196S.
(3+.) G
ood combination of science fiction
and scientific information w
ith experiments.
Podendorf,la., T
he True B
ook of Plant Experim
ents.C
hildren's Press,
1961.(K
, 1.)Sim
ple experi-m
ents with grow
ing seeds.Selsa:n,
Millicent E
.,Plants that ivIove.
Wm
.M
orrow and C
o., 1962.(2, 3.)
Discusses'
leaves, flowers, fruits, vines and tw
ining plants.E
xperiment-oriented.
Selsam,
Millicent E
.,
Play with Plants.
Wrii.
Morrow
and Co., 1949.
(2, 3.)E
lementary e::-
periments.
Selsam,
Ivlillicent E.,
Play with Seeds.
Wm
.M
orrow and C
o., 1957.(3÷
.) Experim
ents with
seeds.W
ebber, Irma E
., Travellers A
ll, Wm
. R. Scott and
Co., 1944.
(K,
1, 2.)H
ow seeds are -:arriecl.
STO
RIE
S AB
OU
T PL
AN
TS
Selsam, M
illicent E., Seeds and M
ore Seeds.H
ar-per and R
ow, 1959.
(E.',
1.)A
small boy investi-
gates seeds.W
ondriska, William
, The T
omato Patch.
Holt, R
ine-hart, .1964.
(K, -1, 2.)
Enjoyable fantasy w
ithe.-:cellent illustrations.
Highly recom
mended.
RO
CK
S AN
D N
IINE
RA
!S
Zion, G
ene, The Plant Sitter.
Harper and R
ow, 1959.
(K,
I.)H
umorous book about a boy w
ho "sits"plants.
RO
CK
S AN
D M
INE
RA
LS
IDE
NT
IFICA
TIO
N
Crosby, Phoebe, Jr. Science B
ook of Rock C
ollecting.G
arrard, 1962.(I, 2, 3.)
Beautiful photographs,
well-w
ritten text opens the world of geology to
children. Good specific guide for children's roc::
collections.Fenton, C
. I.. ,R
ocks and their Stories.D
oublcda1,7,1951.
(Teacher.) rine photographs , w
ell-written
text will help in specific identification w
hile of-fering insight into origins.
Shuttlesworth, D
., Tlie-Story of R
ocks.D
oubleday,1163.
(I:,1, 2, 3',
acher.)Splendid colors,
good for quit!: identifica'tion.T
he .te-.:tquite
mature.
Zirn, lierbert S.
,and P.R
. Shaffer,, Rocks as
Vtin-
erals.G
olden Press, N57.
(3+,
I'(_acher.)A
con,7enient guide for quick identification ofand m
inerals andof
Guides 4n collecting: zind 11,3 n
roc-,:,
nuniralreccy r.eT
.(i( ci.
INFO
RM
AT
IW:
Adler, IPind and
I'n- l'arth'H
SHE
LL
S
1963.(3+
, reacher.) Fine discussion of,surfaceand sub-surface features and processes thatm
ountains, earthquakes, etc.C
onned:, M. B
., The First B
ook of Stones.Franklin
make
this
SHE
LL
S
IDE
NT
IFICA
TIO
N
Watts, 1950.
(2, 3.) Children should enjoy
presentation despite dullillustrations and
ad-A
bbott, R. T
., ed.Z
im, H
erbert S., Sea Shells ofvanced vocabulary.
Described specim
ensare
the World.
Golden
Press,1962.
(Teacher.)
well-chosen.
Indispensable guidefor quick identification. A
lso''arlesl.'includes
geographical distribution.G
ans, Rom
a, The W
onder of Stones.T
homas
Y.
Crow
ell, 1963.(1
,2, 3.) A
well-illustrated
bookB
evans, Michael,
The B
ook of Seashells.D
ouble-'teacher.) B
eautifully illustrated*hich presents the origin of the
comm
on rock asday, 1961.
(3+,
a matter of great w
onder.referehce book.
Handy for children to use.
Shuttlesworth, D
., The D
oubleday First Guide to
Blough,
Let's G
o to the Seashore.D
ou-
INFO
RM
AT
ION
Rocks.
Doubleday, 1963.
(2, 3.)V
aluable in-form
ation and good drawings m
ake this a highlyrecom
mended book.
SyrockiyJohn,
What Is a R
ock.?B
enefit Press,B
lough, Glenn 0.,
bleday,1941,
makes w
hat would
Glenn 0.,
Whittlesey H
ouse,lustrations; ecologicalH
ighly recomm
ended.
(2,3.)
Sensitive photographybe a catalogue a lovely book.W
ho Lives at the Seashore",
1961.(I, 2, 3.) W
ith imaginative sketches this
book makes a good introduction to a variety. of
rocks and to processes that build and destroythem
.
Zirn, H
erbert S., W
hat's Inside the Earth? W
m. M
or-
1962.(2, 3.) .Im
aginative il-approach w
ell handled.
TO
W anti C
oI9 5 3
.(2,
3.)W
,'11-presentedm
aterial, but bland drawings.
Elaborations
inparallel teacher sectio".
I 26
Dudley, R
uth IL, Sea Shells.
Crow
ell, 1953. (3+.)
Much inform
ation, although few pictures.
Highly
recomm
ended for the classroom.
v-i
Activities calendar, 114
Aerator, 27
African violets, 20
Ailanthus silk m
oth cocoon, 49
Air, see O
xygen
Algae:
in aquaria, 28, 34, 44;collecting, 29; observing, 77;illust., 31; bibliog., 123
Aloe, 14
Alum
crystals, 83
Am
aryllis, 9A
mphibians: cages, 37; collect-ing, 40; salam
ander, 57; toad,56; illust.
,71; bibliog.
,117118
Am
phipods, 45
Anachari.s, 33
Anim
als: care of, 25-60; discus-sion guide, 62; identification,63-72; bibliog.
,117-121; also
see by name
Anole," 3
Ants: keeping, 60; life cycle, 67;
observing, 97; habitat illust.,100-105; bibliog., 119
Aphids: observation', 97; as pests,
'16- 17; illust.; 68; bibliog.:117
,.119
Apples, 17, 75
Aquarium
, 26 -36; chlorine, 27;cleaning, 34; cloudy w
ater, 28;heat. 27; inhabitants, 31, 32,34-36; natural pond aquarium
,29; oxygen, 27; plants, 27, 29,31, 33, 34; repair, 27; settingup, 26, 55; bibliog., 120-121
Arm
adillidium, see Sow
Buqs
Back sw
imm
er, illust., 68; habi-tat illust.
,110; bibliog.
,117,
119
Banana: bait for fruit flies
,53;
observing, 75B
ark ,,observing,
79,80; habitatillust.
,101
Barn, habitat M
ust., 108B
eans: germination, 18, 22; life
cycle, 21; observing, 75, 80;seed structure, 18; w
ax beans,18, 21
IND
EX
Bees
, 53-54;illust.
,54, 105;
bibliog .,
117,
119
Beetles: cages, 60; caterpillar
hunter, 66; June bug (May bee-
tle), 67; ladybird beetle, 67,100, 105; larvae, 67, 106;m
ealworm
,51; bibliog .
,117
,
119, 121
Beets, 19, 80
Begonia, 10; propagation, 21;
illust.,
11
Betta, 36
Bibliography,
i 15-126; animals,
H 7-121; ecology, 121-122;
fossils, 122-123; plants, 123-125; rocks and m
inerals, 125-126; shells
,126
Bindw
eed, 104
Birds:
in classroom, 41; feather,
62; habitat illust.,
100, 102,103, 108, 109; bibliog.-, 117,118, 121
Blacklerw
ort, 33
Blood circulation, in guppies, 55
Bloc,: flies, 60
127
Bog terrarium
, 14
Bones: discussion guide, 62;m
useum exhibit, 87
Breathing: observation in goldfish,
56; guppies, 55; snails, 45B
rine shrimp, 60
Bristle w
orm, 31
Brussels sprouts,. 17, 80
Bryophyllum
, 21
Bubbler, 27
Budgerigar, 60
Buds: forcing, 23; eye of potato,
20; observing, 79, .100B
ufo. arnericanus,
56
Bug: giant w
ater bug, 32, 68;June bug, 67; lack/bird beetle,67; squash bug, 68; sow
bugs,46, 69; also see Insects
Bulbs, '9'; 80; bibliog.
,123
Bullhead, ftllust., 35, H
OB
utterfly: collecting, 40; Giant
swallow
tail, 49; life cycle,49, 51, 64; m
onarch, 30, '64;64, 104, 105; bibliog,
117, 119, 121C
abbage, 17, 80C
actus, 12,14
128
Cages: cleaning, 38; cocoons',
50; crickets', 47, 48; dry,36-37; gerbils', 59; grasshop-pers!, 49; m
oist, 37-38; rats',58-59; salam
anders', 57;toads', 56-57; bibliog..
,119,-
120, 121
Carassius auratus, 55
Carp, 33
Carpenter ant, 67
Carrots, 19, 77, 80
Cat, 102, 109
Caterpillar, 49-51; collecting, 40,
habitat illust.,
100, 101; lifecycles, 64-65; bibliog., 121
Caterpillar hunter, 66
Catfish, 35, 36
Cattail, observing, 77; habitat
illust.,
iI
1
Cecropia m
oth, 64C
elery, 17, 80C
entipede, illust.,
69; habitatillust., 102, 106
Cham
eleon, GO
Chicke:111, 109
Chipn:uhk, M
ust.,hlortne, 27
Chrysalids, 49 -5 I; life cycles,
64-67; bibliog., 121C
itrus fruits, seed ciermination,
22; observation. 75C
ocoons, 4'9-51; life cycles, 64-67; bibliog., 121
Coleus, 11; life cycle, 21; propa-
gation, 7C
ollecting: animals, 29, 34, 39-\
41; on field trips, 98; plants \(land), 23-24; plants (w
ater),29
Concrete, 83
Cones, 74
Copepod, 31
Coral, 84
Corn: germ
ination, 18, 22; ob-serving, 7t3; habitat108, 109
Cotyledons, 18
Cow
, 108
Crab spider, 69
Crayfish, 34; illust.
,35
Crickets, 47-48; illust.
,68, 106;
bibliog., 119, 1211(17
Crustaceans: brine shrin-,p, 60;
copepod, 31; crayfish, 33;
Cr.)rl
prawn, 35; sow
bugs, =15:-
,.vater flea, 3160; bibliog.,
118, 122
Crystals, 82-83
Cucum
bers: germination, 10, 21
22; observation, 17, 80C
uttings, propagation, 7, 8, 19D
addy longlegs, illust., 69, 105
106
Dam
selfly, 32
Dandeliorf, observation, 78; il-lust., 103,
101
Daphn, r, 31, 60
Darter, 33
Desert., 97
Desert. terrarium
, 14D
isc pond snail, 70D
og, discussion guide,tat illust. ,
103
Dogfish, 35
Dorm
ancy, 23
Dow
nspouts96; 'B
ust.,
112
Dragon fly, life cycle, 68; illust.,32, 68, 110
Drosophila, 52
,118
,121
Duckw
eed: collecting, 29;leaved, 33; observing, 77
Dung, as natural habitat sam
ple,41
Dw
arf marigolds, dw
arf zinnias,10, 22
Earthw
orms: -cage, 36, 60; collec-
ting, 40; keeping, 60; observ-ing, 96; illust.
,69; habitat
illust.,
105; bibliog.,
120
Easter lilies,
12; pollination, 19E
cology, 3, 19, 30; bibliog.,122; also see Ilabi,tat
Ecosystem
, 3E
elgrass, 77Fall cankerw
orm, 65
Feathers: -discussion guide,62; habi-
museum
exhibit, 87Ferns: collecting, 23; observing,
74; in terraria,
13; habitat il-lust.
,107; bibliog.
,124
Fiddleheacl, 107
Field trips,
94-113; planning, 97;sam
ple, 95; suggestions, 97Fins, 54, 56Fingernail clam
, 70D
iScks, 41; habitat illust. ,
110;
121-
62;
Fish:in aquaria, 26; feeciir.9 of,
28, 30; seleCtion of, 347,36;
temperature for, 27; illust.,
35, 36; bibliog.,
117,,
121; also see by name
Flatworm
, 31, 43Flow
ers: from seeds, IcP, 22; 0L
servation, 74; bibliog., 123,124, 125; also see by nam
eFly:
fruit, 52; house, 66Fossils, 83; petrified w
ood, 80,84; illust.
,84; bibliog.
,12?-
I23
Frog, 60; illust.,
71; habitat il-lust., 107, III; bibliog.
,117,
118
Fruit: observing, 17, 75;' -seedgerm
ination, 22; bibliog.,
t23,124, 125
Fruit flies, 52-53; bibliog.,
117
Fungus: collecting, 24, observ-ing, 75; in terrarium
, 13; il-lust. ,
24; also see Niushroor,-.s,
Galls:
illust.,
goldenrod, 73;oak, 75, 101
Gam
riarns,
Carden, ela3sroon,, 5-2 4
S,
Garden spider, )39
130
Garter snake, 71
Geranitlm
, 7,11
'Gerbil, 59
Germ
ination of seeds:10,18, 19
GerM
ination chart, 22G
iant swallow
tail chrysali,s, 49G
iant water bug, 32, 68
Gills: goldfish, 56; snails, 45
Gloxinia, 20
Bolden -eye lacew
ing, 64G
ol 'harkg-te-i-, 72--
Goldfish, 55-56
Gonopodium
, in guppies, 54-55G
rapes: observing, 75; seedgerm
ination time, 22
Grass, observing seed, 78; habi-tat illust. ,
,105
Grasshoppers, 49; illust., long-horned, 105; m
eadow, 49;
migratory, 49, 68; habitat il-
lust.,
105; bibliog.,
119
Gravel:. in aquarium
, 26; observ-ing properties, 96; for plantingbulbs, 9
Great pond snail, 70
Great w
estern skink, 71
Green beans, 17, 75, 80
Greenhouse effect, 40
Ground beetle, 104
Ground squirrel, 72
Gryllus, 47
Guinea pig, 72
Guppies
,54-55; illust.
,36
Habitat: collecting sam
ples, 41;also see E
cology
Habitat illustrations
,100-113;
barn, 108; city street, 102;log, 106; pond, 110; school-yard, 112; tree, 100; vacantlot, 104
Ham
ster, 60; illust.,
72
Harvestm
an, 69,
.105
Haw
k, 108
Hens and chicks, 14
Hornw
ort, 33
House centipede, 69
..
Housefly, life cycle, 66; habitatillust.
,102, 108
Hum
us, in terraria, 13H
yacinth, 9_H
ydra, 60; illust., 31Im
patiens, 11
Inchworm
,; 0 I
Insecticide, 8, 16Insects, 47-54; cage, 36; collect-
ing, 40; in galls, 75; identifi-cation and life cycle, 64-68;discussion guide., 62, 107;bibliog., 117, 118- H
9, 121Ivy, 12,
13; propagation, 7, 21;roots, 77
IV?-, poison, 23
Jade plant,-14,June bug, 67
Kidney beans: germ
ination time,
22; observing, 75, 80L
abels for museum
exhibits, 88L
acewing, golden-eye, 64
Ladybird beet!e., life cycle, 67;
habitat illust.,
100, 105
Lam
p shell fossil, 84L
arvae: caterpillars, 49; lifecycle, 64-68; m
ealworm
s, 51;habitat illust.
,106
Layering, 21
Leaf;
buds, 17, 79; propagation,20; skeletons, 76
Leaves:
collecting, 23; ob-serving ,
76, 70; preserving,76, 79
Lobistes reticulatus, 54
Leech, 31, 69
Leopard frog, 71
Lettuce, 17
Lichens, 76w
e. s
Life cycle, coleus, 11, 21; cucum
-bers, 21, fruit flies, 53; in-sects, 64-67; m
ealworm
s, 52;m
useum e:T
hibits, 86; plants, 21
Light: anim
als' reaction to, 44,46,48, 49, 52, 53; for aquaria, 30,33; for plants, 13, 15, 16
Lim
a beans, 18; 22L
iverworts, 77
Locom
otion: crickets, 48; fruitflies, 53; m
ealworm
s, 52;plaharia, 44; sow
bugs, 47L
og, habitat illust.,
'106
Long horned grasshopper, 105
Mam
mals: 58-60; identification,
72; bibliog.,
117, 119-120M
argaritifera, 70M
arlgolcls, 10, 22M
aternity plant, 21V
oting, see Reproduction
Mayfly,
1.2, 68; habitat
illust.,
110
Mealw
orms
, 51-52; bibliog .,
121
Mealy bugs, 16-17
Measuring w
orm, 101
Metam
orphosis: cocoons, 49;crickets, 48; life cycles, 64-68; m
ealworm
s, 51
Mildew
, IIM
ill: snake, 109M
illipede, 69M
innow, 35
Mites, 106
Moisture, sue W
aterM
ollie, 36M
olluscs: snails, 44; identifica-tion, 70; bibliog
,I20, 126
Monarch butterfly, 3e; life cycle,64
Moons, 36
Morning glories, 10, 2I
,22
Moses-in-a-boat, 12
Mosquito:. larva, 32; life cycle,t)h;
illust., 110M
osquito fish, 16'M
oss:Sating ,
21; obserrinki,
77; in terraria, 13; habitat 11-lust. ,
107; bibliog., 124M
oths, 49, 64-65; cecropia, 64;fall canker.vorm
, 65; tent cat-erpillar, 65; w
oollybear, 65;,
117, 119
Mice, 58; illust.
,72; habitat il-
lust. ,108, i,109
Mung bans, 22
Museum
, 85-93; exhibits relatedto N
IINN
EM
AST
units, 91-91
Mushroom
s: collcicting, 24; ob-serving, 75; habitat100, 107; bibliog.
,124
Mystery snail, 70
Narcissus, 9
Natural pond aquarium
, 29N
ests: ant, 97, 102; bird, 100,108, 109
Nostrils of toad, 57
Nut, 75, 88
Oak, life cvck-
\Onions, 19, R
O
Oranges, seed (T
ermination,
observation, 17,
7 r)
Overrotvdihq of plants
,19
0,:ygen:in aquaria, 27;
for
13i
t.A.
II ;40aniw
als, 0_T
ickle, 71
42-13_
V,Iro splash, 90; onII; on pine cones, 74;
7.), HO
ition tvt,e, 22; ob-(u:,
17,'111
in p)tting plants,tor terraria, 13
'ro,lua,
1.!
(ore,11), 17, 80triii,1 w
ood, 80, HPhilodendron, 7, 12,l'ickeroll.veed, IIIPule (:ones, 74Planarni
,13-11
Plants, 5 -24; in aquaria, 27,l; collecting, 21; fossil,
6;
33-8 1;
identification, 73-80; warning,
21; habitat100-111;
bibliog., 123- In; alsosee by
:7$1HeifiC
naTiO
Phntain, conukon, 101
Plant food, in aquaria, 33; forpotted plants, 16
Pleurocera,Pods, 75, 78Poinsettias, 12['O
lson ivy, 23
Pollination: amaryllis
,10; nar-
cissus, 9; tulips, 19Pollution, 3, 30Pond: aquarium
, 29; plants, 77;411alis, 70; habitat110- I
I I; Inbliog,
121,12,'_
Ponuv.atei, 77Ponuvv
,31
Poreellio, 40Potato: speet, 20; w
hite, 20;t1
Pot:, for plant,:ch.faliniq, 24;
1..inds, 0; pr,anitron, 7;s
..Aur1119, 21
Reptiles: chaneleon, 00;
oartersnak:e, 71;
109;P,A
ting plants,t..;
s::1n1;, 71; turtle, 71;....arnings,
Prav,in,31; illust.
,3-)
bjblioq,
117,I 20,
i 2 I
Prirridation: cuttings, 7; la,;ering,R
hoeo discolor, 12leaf propagation, 20; seo,i,
Rocs ,
lob1)01.,
12'-)-12(,18, 22; tubers, 20
Purnpl:in, seeds, 17,18,
22
Pupae, 49-SI, 01-i-)7;51
Quadrula, 70
Rabbits
,4
Radish, 19; gem
mation tine, 22
Rats, 58 -59; habitat illust.
,108
Red -w
inded b1ac}:b1rd,
Reeds,
II
I
Regeneration, 44
1,l,,Troduction:
butterfliA2s, 50;
crickets, 17; !lint3.:1;
00; gruhoppers,19; guppies, 5.4-5;v,ori:A
s, 57; Lioths, 30; Pr-
a- ern;r1 :1")-1343-14;
59; snails, 15;so' :., bugs, 40; for plants,sec Propugetien
Proto.,:oa ,
Puddles,
, on cuttin'is, 7,1 2; ohserv-
mo
17,1.
77, ut,rs,
'41
Cr.)
Roundw
orm,
31
Rubbing alcohol, 16
Sagittaria, 34Salam
ander, 57 -58; cage, 36;food, 52; tiger illust.
,71;
habitat illust., 106Sand:
for aquaria, 26, 34; forcuttings, 7; form
ed into rock,83; patterns in, 96; for terraria,13
Scale on plants, 16-17Scales on cones, 74Scarlet runner beans, 10, 22St-:illas,
13
Scuds, 45Seed fern fossil, 84Seeds: collecting, 23; germ
ina-tion, 10, 18, 21, 22; observing,17, 18, 78; parts, 18; bibliog.,121, 123
Shelf fungi, 13
Shells: fossil, 84; illust.,
70;biblioci,
1 26; also seeI\lollusos
Shrimp, k)0
Skink, 71
Slugs, 40, 70Snails, 44-45, in aquarium
, 34;cage for, 36; collecting, 40;illust.
,32, 70; habitat illust.
106, 110; bibliog., 120; alsosee 'by specific nam
eSnakes, 60; illust., garter, 71;
milk, 109; habitat illust.
,Ig6
109; bibliog.,
118, f26Soil: ,-natural habitat sam
ple, 11;for potting, 6; storage, 24;habitat illust.
,103
Sow bugs, 46-17; illust.
69;habitat illust., 102
Sparrow, 102, 108
Sphagnum m
oss: in cages, 30; )nterraria,
1.1
Spiders, (0; web, '16; illust., 69;
habitat illust.,
it)! ,1H
-106, 109; bibbod., 118, 120
Stems: forcing buds, 97; obser.,-
ing, 79; white potato, 20
Stonewort, 33
Street, habitat illust.,Succulents, 12, 14Sugar crystals, 83Sultana, IISunfish, 34; illust.
,13
Sunflower, 78
Swallow
, 106, 109Sw
eet potato,T
adpoles, (q.,
radpole snail, 70 2
Tarantula, 69
102-103
Taste:
in planaria, 44; in sowbuds, 17
Teeth, m
toads, 57; inSpur'',?:
fern, 71, 107; is us ;77,
,1-1,7
107; iuushrooni,
75, 1117
Sprino , 97
Sprindtail,Squash, 22Squash bud, 68Souirrels, 7 2 ,
100;1
1' I
perature:in cailes, 39: for
fish, 27-30, 54; for criel:ctt,;,;;;
17; for rnealwoin,s
,-)2;
for toads, 57rig)
rent caterpillar, 61T
oTrarinc,
boa, 11; clu.-..minc!, 24;
desert, 14; moist ,voodland,13;
s'ipplies for,13
ihirteen-lini,d ground squirrel,
72
rigor salanlancler,ra,-id, 56-37, illust.; 71; bibliog.,
118; for horned toad, see Reptiles
Tom
ato.?s: qerminatipn tim
e, 22-;life cycle, 21; observation, 17,75, 80; rim
.. Tim
, 10; bibliog.,12.5
tradescantia, 12C
ruospiration,17
rt',1:1:1)1_111tHlti
,
froOS: observation, 79, 80, 97;
habitat illust., 100 103, 104;bibliog.
,123-124
rubers, 20
l'ulii);19
ru:,-tles, 71, III; bibliog., 12010,1V
acant lot, habitat illust.,'1,1111;,-;:neria,
're,it tables, I7, 80; bibliog., 121,125
Violets, A
frican, 207,
12..77; propaga-
1 31
tion, 21; sweet potato, 20;
Wandering Jew
, 7, 12W
andering Jew, 7, 12
Water: in aquaria, 27- 28; incages, 37, 58; for cocoons, 50;content in plants,
17; for crick-ets, 48; for plants, 7-8, I5;effect on rocks, 82-84; for ter-raria, 13-14
Water beetle, 32
Water
Water
Water
Water
Water
Water
Water
boatman, 32, 68
bug, giant, 32, 68flea, 31, 60lily, 77; habitat M
ust.m
ilfoil, 33m
ite, 32m
oss, 33
,1l0
Wa%
beans, 10, 18, 2,1W
eather, 96W
eb, spider, 96W
hite-lipped land snail, 70W
iggler, 110;also see M
osquitoW
itch hazel ,16
Wood, in natural habitat sam
ple,4 I; observing, 79, H
O; pctri-
tied,
Woolly bear, G
S
Worm
s: collecting, 40; discus-sion guide, 60; earthw
orms,
60, 96; illust.,
bristle worm
s,3 I; earthw
orm, 69; flat w
orms,
31; leeches, 31, 69;, round-w
orms ,
31; tube,
31;natural habitat illust.
,105;
bibliog., 120, 121Y
ams, 20
Zebra finch, 60
Zebra fish, 35
Zebrina pendula, 7, 12
Zinnias, 10, 22