Summer SAVY Session 4, Day 2, Animal Adaptations (Gruchot)
Day 2: Hello SAVY Families!
Day 2 of SAVY Session 4: Animal Adaptations was all about change, life cycles, and getting to see these concepts in real-time with the study of our live mealworms! While the mealworm experiment was the highlight of the day, we spent the whole morning building the background knowledge needed to analyze our mealworms.
We started the day by reviewing the concept of change. Scientists were challenged to brainstorm different things in our world that operate in a cycle. Once again, their creativity was inspiring! We discussed how water, traffic lights, seasons, and more operate in predictable, cyclical patterns, just like life! Then, we continued our deep dive into life cycles, where scientists got to examine different animals, including frogs, butterflies, and chickens, to learn more about their life cycles. Of course, this led to a debate: the chicken or the egg?
After lunch, we began experimenting with our mealworms. We started by reviewing what scientists do and discussing lab safety when handling live animals. We had to set up the habitat, or home, that the worms will live in in our classroom. On Friday, scientists will be able to take their pet mealworm home, so we discussed the importance of creating suitable habitats for our creatures. The question we asked today was “What kind of food does a mealworm prefer?” Scientists set up an experiment using apples, bread, chips, and granola bars to answer this question. We practiced working slowly and carefully to make sure that we answered this question correctly. Finally, we wrapped up the day by connecting the generalizations of change to today’s concepts to see how change is connected to life cycles and the study of our mealworms.
Discussion Questions:
- How did you act like a scientist today?
- What cycles do you see in our world?
- How are cycles and change connected?
- Do you think your mealworm will change this week?
- How will it change?
Thank you for supporting your scientist through another wonderful day of SAVY Session 4: Animal Adaptations!
Sincerely,
Miss Gruchot 🙂