Learn about Insects Learn How to Make an Insect Zoo or a Caterpillar/ Butterfly Farm Learn about the Life Cycle of an Insect. Due to the replacement of the wetlands by commercial businesses and private residents, many natural habitats of butterflies have become scarce, especially the Monarch Butterfly. This butterfly is a signature insect that is not endangered, but sensitive. This instructional design is provided to help young people learn about insects, how to identify them, their life cycle, other aspects about survival, and to grow to appreciate nature by observation and interaction with it. The world will go on as usual with or without them, it just won’t be as aesthetically pleasing. Let’s learn about how to make an insect zoo or a butterfly farm to teach students to become more understanding toward a habitat for these insects to exist.

One day Ammon went to visit his cousin, Addi, and to see her new rabbit. They played with Oreo.

“Can I have a pet,” Ammon asked his mother? “No,” said his mom. “We live in an apartment and no pets are allowed.” “I know,“ said his mother, “you can make an insect zoo and a butterfly farm. They will be your pets.” ”Hooray!” said Ammon. “Let’s learn how to make a butterfly farm and an insect zoo,” said his mother.

Making an insect zoo is simple. #1 Have someone older help you punch many holes in a clean lid. Click on each number to see what to do. #2 Put some stickers on a empty, clean, glass bottle. #3 Add some grass and twigs to the inside of the bottle. For extra decoration, you may want to color a backdrop.

Making a caterpillar/butterfly farm is a little more work, but it is simple, too. Step 1 You will need a caterpillar, a deep bucket ( 6 gal.), water bottles, butterfly netting, a roll or two of toilet paper and the food ( plant) that your caterpillar eats. Step 2 Put the caterpillars in. The bucket can hold a few, but the food has to be changed every 5 days for fresh cuttings. Many nurseries spay their plants with pesticides and it will kill caterpillars if they eat them. The water bottles add weight to the bucket so it won’t fall over. The toilet paper rolls take up extra space between the bottles so everything is fitting snugly. The cuttings of the plant are in a water bottle, but the lid is fitting closely and the plants are forced through the lid. The caterpillars will climb down into the water and drown if any water is available, if they can get through to it.

Step 3 Cut a hole in the lid for air. Put some butterfly netting over the top and then add the lid. The caterpillar will climb, but won’t be able to fall out. Step 4 When a caterpillar turns into a 5instar he will be the size of a small little finger. When he purges he will need to move to a different location to turn into a chrysalis.

Ammon is outside collecting bugs for his insect zoo. Help Ammon learn what an insect is.

Click on the picture to find what an insect is. What is an insect? An insect is a little creature that has: 1.Six (6) jointed legs 2.Three (3) body parts 3.An outside skeleton

Which one is the insect? Click on the picture. A sow bug has more than six legs. Try again. Look for the animal with 6 legs. Awesome! You did it! Did you count the legs?

Click on the insects with 6 legs. No. A tarantula has 8 legs. Yes! A ladybug has 6 legs. Yes! A fly is an insect. No. Snails have only 1 foot.

How many legs does an insect have? Click on the animal that is an insect. Remember to count the legs. Great! You found the insect. It’s an ant. An insect has 6 legs. Try again. A spider has 8 legs.

An insect has 3 body parts. Click on the insect to name the body parts. 1.The head is the top part. 2.The thorax in the middle part. 3.The abdomen is the bottom part.

Click on the arrows to find the body parts. Remember an insect has 3 body parts. The head The abdomen The thorax

How many body parts does an insect have? Click on the lines to count the body parts

Click to find each of the three body parts. Click and find the Head. Click and find the Thorax. Click and find the Abdomen. Head Thorax Abdomen

An insect has an exoskeleton or a skeleton. Click on the picture to find where the exoskeleton is found. It is found on the outside of the insect’s body.

Many animals have a skeleton of bones under their skin that gives shape to their bodies. Insects don’t have a skeleton under their skin. They have an exoskeleton. Their bodies are covered with a hard covering that acts like skeleton. Click on each picture to see the skeletons. The insect’s covering acts as a skeleton.

Let’s compare. Can you find the animals with an exoskeleton? Click on the pictures to see the skeleton and exoskeleton. A dragonfly and also a butterfly have an outside hard covering on their bodies and even their wings. This is the exoskeleton. The crocodile’s skeleton in on the inside.

If you accidentally step on an insect, you will hear a crunch. That’s the skeleton breaking apart. Click to hear the sound.

Butterflies and Moths Is a butterfly an insect? Click on the picture to find the answer. Is a caterpillar an insect? Click on the picture to find the answer. Yes! 6 legs, 3 body parts and an exoskeleton. A caterpillar is going to turn into a butterfly. Let’s see how!

Ammon is still looking for insects. It looks like he has found an insect, but it is really little. It is turning into an adult insect, but not, yet.

Good Job! You have made an insect zoo and found an insect or two. When you found your insect, maybe it was really small. Maybe it was a little nymph or a little naiad. That is great because you can watch your insect grow up and get bigger and bigger, if you can keep it alive. All insects have a life cycle. There are 4 different life cycles. Your insect has one of them.

Group 1 Insect Life Cycle: No Metamorphosis This group of insects comes from the egg and looks exactly like it will when it grows up, except that it will be larger.

Silverfish, springtails, biting lice and sucking lice are the only insects in Group 1 No Metamorphosis

No Metamorphosis These insects hatch out of the egg and they are little, but they grow up. They don’t change or “morph.” They just grow up to be an adult insect.

Group 2 Insect Life Cycle: Gradual Metamorphosis Insect in this group change shape gradually. There are three stages of growth, egg, 5 different stages of nymphs and the adult.