Mantids and Children

[Opivy]

Hey everyone, very long time no see! I've been out of the mantis game for a while now but it was never forgotten.

I've been working with an afterschool enrichment program for a while now, and have always wanted to bring mantids to the kids. I found a huge chinese mantis last year and the kids went nuts over it!

Anyways, point is I want to order some mantises - but I need to have information and activities to go a long with it. I'm thinking of making sheets with educational information and activities involving drawing and what not (these are fourth and fifth graders).

I just wanted to see, maybe some of you have done something like this or similar - and I know a lot of you do presentations. Any input is appreciated! The activities we run usually run around 50 minutes, so just trying to think of things to do besides just look at and feed them.

Thanks again!

 

[angelofdeathzz]

Having them draw or do some sort of art project on them is usually a big hit. I think Paradoxica has done a few school projects, maybe he will have some more in depth Ideas for ya...

 

[D_Hemptress]

Oh! Drawings! have the do drawing! i love seeing all of them, they are so adorable

 

[BugLover]

they'd probably like hands on work, so maybe talk about different body parts?

 

[Mvalenz]

Have all the kids make mantis costumes. Then film them running around the playground acting like mantids. Make sure the video is three times the length of the Banana Splits theme song (tra la la). With windows movie maker speed up the video x3. Place the Banana Splits theme song in the background. Save it and give it to the parents to show at their weddings.

 

[Plex]

Have all the kids make mantis costumes. Then film them running around the playground acting like mantids. Make sure the video is three times the length of the Banana Splits theme song (tra la la). With windows movie maker speed up the video x3. Place the Banana Splits theme song in the background. Save it and give it to the parents to show at their weddings.

My name is Plex and I approve of this message.

 

[sally]

Have the kids make mantids out of pipe cleaners that have sparkles on them .

 

[Paradoxica]

Both my girlfriend and I have brought mantids in to our respective preschools with great results. I went with art and worked with the kids on detailed (for a five year old) drawings. While my GF took a much more constructivist approach and sat down with the kids and let them direct where the discussion goes, letting them test their theories about the bugs themselves (they thought it would eat a leaf so they gave it one, then they thought it might eat a silverfish so they tried both). While these were much younger kids than yours, there's no reason this type of approach wouldn't work. I know it kinda seems like you're just winging it but in reality you are helping them figure out How to find knowledge themselves.

 

[hierodula]

maybe you could do a group project where a small group of kids make mantids out of like toothpicks or like paper.

 

[lancaster1313]

For children at the age you described, you can spend a few minutes talking about and debunking the many myths about mantids that the children have heard.

When I did it for a pre k class, I passed out coloring pages that showed a chinese mantis female with an ootheca. It could be interesting to include an anatomy diagram along with the basic life cycle from ootheca to adult.

 

[Opivy]

Thanks for all the input guys!

These kids are a little old for the pipe cleaners and what not. Id really love to get to a point where kids can take one home(theyve been expressing that) id really like to have a few kinds and a native kind we can release in the garden ( its a charter school with a beautiful garden)

I like the debunking myths. I wan to make it as interactive as possible. One of my co workers did something similar with butterflies from caterpillar to end where we released them. She had work sheets about the life cycle and what not but sadly i feel there isnt enough information involving mantises to do such a thing.

Ps i like te banana splts idea

Thanks again! Any input helps

 

[dmina]

This is a awesome idea... I may do something with my grandson at his preschool...