SAVY Saturday, Week 2, Animal Adaptations (1st-2nd)
Hello SAVY Families!
Day 2 of Spring SAVY 2025: Animal Adaptations was another great success. We started the day off learning about change and 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 afternoon continuing to learn about biodiversity and survival needs. I know the scientist in your family gained many new insights today!
We started the day 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 mealworms and plants to learn about the similarities and differences between plant and animal life cycles.
After this, 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. Next weekend, scientists will be able to take their pet mealworm home, so we discussed the importance of a suitable habitat 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 activity 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.
To end our day, we learned about what all animals need for survival and about the concept of biodiversity. We drew pictures of our houses and compared them with a partner. Scientists were asked to note what similarities and differences they noticed between their house and their partner’s house. This activity prompted us to think about the difference between needs and wants and make a list of four things that ALL living things, plants, and animals need for survival. Ask your scientist to remind you of these four necessities for survival.
Finally, we continued our study of change by formally defining the word “adaptation.” This word is very closely related to change and sets the groundwork for what we will do in the rest of our class. The rest of the day was focused on learning about different adaptations that animals have including diverse body coverings and appendages. We learned about biodiversity through videos, animal flashcards, recalling our own experiences, and a class favorite, viewing the live animal cameras at the San Diego Zoo.
Here is the link for the animal camera if students are interested in viewing more at home:https://zoo.sandiegozoo.org/live-cameras
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?
- What is an adaptation?
- Why do animals have to adapt?
- What are some common adaptations?
- What adaptations do we have to be able to survive?
- What happens if one of the survival needs is not being met?
Thank you for supporting your scientist through another wonderful day of Spring SAVY 2025: Animal Adaptations.
Sincerely,
Ms. Gruchot