Summer SAVY 2016 (Session 1, Day 1) – The Unseen World of Microorganisms

Posted by hallep on Monday, June 13, 2016 in Grade K, SAVY.

Today was an exciting class for our youngest microbiologists on campus, the SAVY students in “The unseen world of microorganisms”! We learned that there is so much that you cannot see with your naked eye. We started by learning about how insects look under a microscope. Ask your SAVY child about a butterfly’s tongue, a spider’s eyes, a mosquito’s mouth and how hairy insects can be! We even saw the cells that make up a fly’s eye! Did you know that EVERY living thing is made up of cells? After this, we took some time to talk about what types of living things are made of cells. We covered the five kingdoms (Plants, animals, bacteria, fungi, and protists). Ask your child what category to put living things into and point out mushrooms, grass, squirrels, or ask them about germs. The SAVY students performed bright field light microscopy on a mosquito, a fly, and a bee! Finally, we analyzed some pond water with a compound microscope to determine the ecology within it. We were all amazed by the diverse microorganisms found within a seemingly clear water sample (Algae, mosquito larvae). Your child documented all of this in their very own Research Notebook. Your child will be keeping all of their scientific observations in this notebook. Encourage them to keep discovering at home, and to always “draw what you see!” Last, we completed a creative art module where they were able to color some of the creatures within each of the five kingdoms. Your explorers were SO CREATIVE! We cannot wait until next class to show them more with microbiology!

Jen & Holly