Mini Beasts

As we were exploring seed dispersal last week, we kept noticing just how many grasshoppers were out right now. That observation naturally carried us into this week’s study of mini beasts and once we started looking, we realized just how much tiny life was all around us. With the temperatures beginning to cool, there seemed to be an unbelievable amount to discover.

It started with us noticing bumblebees gathering pollen from the flowers.

Not long after watching them, we looked over and spotted butterflies. One of the children called out, “Look at the monarch!”

“That’s actually not a monarch,” I told them. “That’s a butterfly called a painted lady.”

And just like that, we had a new question to investigate.

We looked at pictures of painted ladies and monarchs and began comparing the two. What did their wings look like? What colors and markings were different? Most importantly, when we were out riding through the neighborhood, how could we tell which one we were seeing?

We decided to keep tally marks throughout the entire week to find out how many painted ladies we saw compared with monarchs. By the end of our study, we had counted 17 painted ladies and 10 monarchs.

Then, on one of our bike rides, we spotted an enormous caterpillar crossing the road.

We learned that it was the caterpillar of a moth, which opened another door: What is the difference between a moth and a butterfly?

We talked about how butterflies form a chrysalis, while many moths make a cocoon around their pupa.

We also began exploring how butterflies are generally active during the day, while many moths are active at night.

From there, the study just kept expanding.

Beetles.

Crickets.

More caterpillars.

Bumblebees.

Butterflies.

The wasps that had up packing up our picnic minutes after sitting down.

And, of course, the very mini beasts that started the whole thing: grasshoppers.

What I loved most about this week was how much learning grew from simply paying attention.

Our tally marks became meaningful because there was something the children genuinely wanted to keep track of. Every day they had to remember the number we had reached the day before and continue counting from there. Soon, those conversations naturally grew into questions like, “What is one more?” and “What is one less?”

There was science, classification, observation, memory, number sense, comparison, and early data collection woven throughout our days and it began with a grasshopper.

Sometimes the smallest discoveries really do grow into the biggest learning. 🐛🦋🐝