Dirt on Dirt
Concepts:
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Soil stores much of the energy contained in forest ecosystems.
Soil, particularly the organic layer, can be easily eroded.
Soil creatures play an important role in the overall health of a soil.
Different types of soil are particularly suited to supporting distinct plants.
Objectives:
 The students will explore and
examine a soil habitat.
Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
 The students will identify the
various factors that affect soil
health and erosion.
 The students will identify at
least two soil critters.
Activities in Lesson:
Equipment:
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Percolation Test Cylinders
Apple
Soil Critter Bingo Sheets
Hand Lenses
Soil Corers
Pencils
Vocabulary
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So What is Soil Anyway? (5 min)
Where Do the Leaves Go? (5 mi)
The Soil and the Sun (ambulator)
Soil Critter BINGO (20 min)
Not So Deep Down (5 min)
Erosion Explosion (15 min)
The Hard Trail (10 min)
The Earth as an Apple (10 min)
Disaster (ambulator)
Biosphere- the whole area of
Earth's surface, atmosphere, and
sea that is inhabited by living
things.
Clay- a sedimentary material
with grains smaller than .002 millimeters in diameter; a finegrained, firm earthy material that
is plastic when wet and hardens
when heated.
Compaction- the process of
making something more dense,
or tightly packed.
Decomposition- the breakdown
of rotting plants and animals.
Erosion- the group of natural
processes, including weathering,
dissolution, abrasion, corrosion,
and transportation, by which material is worn away from the
Earth’s surface.
Horizons- a distinct layer of rock
or geologic deposit within a stratum that can be dated, e.g. by its
fossil content.
Hydrosphere- the portion of
Earth's surface that is water, including the seas and water in the
atmosphere.
Lithosphere- the solid outer layer of the Earth above the
asthenosphere, consisting of the
crust and upper mantle.
Parent Material- the unconsolidated and more or less weathered mineral or organic matter
from which the soil profile is developed.
Sand- a sedimentary material,
finer than a granule of silt, with
grains between .06-2.0, millimeters in diameter; fine particles of
stone, but not reduced to dust.
Silt- a sedimentary material consisting of very fine particles intermediate in size between sand
and clay.
Soil- the top layer of the Earth’s
surface, consisting of rock and
mineral particles mixed with organic matter.
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So What is Soil Anyway? (5 min)
Materials: paper and pencil.
1. Begin by asking the students:
 What is soil?
 What makes up soil?
 What animals live in soil?
2. Have the students separate into two groups
and inform them that they have been hired by
Webster’s dictionary to write a definition of the
word soil. Tell them to be thorough in their definition, but simple and clear in their language.
Give each group a piece of paper and something with which to write and have them begin
their task. Give them a few minutes to complete
this. When they have finished have them share
their definitions with the whole group. Then ask:
 What do the definitions have in common?
 How are they different?
 Is there anything that is missing from the
definitions? (You may want to think of
introducing relevant vocabulary terms when
necessary).
3. A sample definition of soil might be the following (Definitions will likely vary):Soil is
material made up of organic (living or once
living) and inorganic (non-living i.e. rock/
mineral) particles, which plants use to establish
root systems and from which they get their
nutrient and water supplies.
4. Ask the students to each collect something
that is found in the soil. Place these items in a
pile. The pile will probably consist of leaves,
twigs, rocks, critters, grass and other items.
Now tell the group that everything in the pile is
indeed a part of the soil. Lead a discussion
around decomposition (weather, sunlight,
moisture, animals, etc.) and how things go from
looking like the items in the pile to what we
know as soil.
Where Do Leaves Go? (5 min)
1. Stop along a section of trail and have each
student collect two leaves, each in different
states of decay. When all of the leaves have
been collected, have the students lay them out
on the trail in order of least decayed to most
decayed.
2. Then ask the students:
 What is the difference in the leaves from
one end of the line to the other? (Decay)
 What do you think has caused these leaves
to be decayed differently? (Time, heat,
sugar content of the leaf, moisture, sunlight)
 Where do you suppose the parts of the
more decayed leaves have gone?
(Returned to the soil)
 What caused the leaves to decompose and
return to the soil? (Decomposing organisms
such as fungus, bacteria, and insects)
 What has happened to the energy stored in
those leaves? (Stored in the soil until future
plants come to use the energy for growth)
The Soil and the Sun (ambulator)
Materials: Soil and Sun cards
1. Begin by asking the students:
 From where do you think the energy to grow
plants in the forest comes? (The sun)
 Where is that energy caught (leaves) or
stored? (plant fibers, soil, decomposing
matter, animals)
2. Divide the students into four groups. Explain
the they will be participating in a secret mission,
similar to the one from the previous day.
3. Hand out Soil and Sun cards (plant growth,
plant death, decomposition, and storage), remind the groups not to share their mission with
anyone other than those in their group. As you
walk along the trail, have each group of students search for an example that represents
what their card indicates. Each representation
must be visible, no imaginary processes.
3. As each group finds their representation,
have them call out to the entire trail group to
stop. Once everyone has gathered around, the
group should explain to the other students
what, exactly, their object is. The rest of the trail
group will try to determine what process that
object is an example of.
4. When all of the groups have completed their
sharing, lead the large group in a discussion of
how the energy, or nutrient, cycle works. Give a
special emphasis to the role of soil in the energy cycle of forests (the soil typically stores up to
90% of the energy available in temperate deciduous forests).
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5. After your discussion ask the students:
 Where does the energy stored in soil go
when plants are harvested for economic
purposes?
 Which layer of the soil stores the most
amount of energy? (The organic layer)
 Which layer of the soil is the first to be lost
in soil erosion? (The organic layer) What
problems might this cause for a forest
ecosystem? (With continual loss of energy
the system will eventually die).
 What role does the soil play in allowing
animals to use the energy from the sun?
(Stores the energy used by plants and
allows new plants to grow that are then
eaten by animals).
Soil Critter BINGO (20 min)
Materials: soil critter BINGO sheets, hand
lenses, pencils.
**Note: Students do not need to remove any of the
creatures they find. They should leave them where
they are found.**
1. During this activity students will be searching
for creatures living in and around the soil. Take
the students to an area with rich soil and a relatively deep layer of decaying leaves and twigs.
Explain that they will be searching for various
soil creatures in the dirt.
2. Divide the students into groups and pass out
a soil critter BINGO sheet to each group. Explain that the purpose of this sheet is to keep a
record of the soil critters they find. Students will
receive points for each different type of creature
that they find on the BINGO sheet. The students may find soil critters that are not included
on the sheet. In such cases, you may want to
adopt an auxiliary point system for each soil
critter not on the sheet. The object is to find soil
creatures which, when marked on the BINGO
sheet, connect to make a BINGO! Below is a
list of suggested point totals for each event:
BINGO:
50 points
Four Corners:
40 points
Critter Not on the List:
10-20 points
Additional Critters on the List: 5 points
3. Give the students a few minutes to search
their area for soil critters. When they return,
have each group share what critters they found
and where they found them. Encourage the students to be specific in their descriptions (i.e.
under a rotting log, in a tunnel under the soil,
crawling under some leaves, etc.). When they
have finished their explanations ask them:
 Where did you find the most critters?
 Why do you think they were there?
 What do you think the soil critters were
doing? (Looking for food, avoiding
predators, etc.)
 Was there any relationship between the
types of soil critters you found and where
you found them?
 Why are soil critters important? (They help
decompose organic matter)
Not So Deep Down (5 min)
Materials: soil corer.
1. Begin by asking the students:
 What do you think the soil looks like under
this top layer?
 Would you like to see?
2. Explain that a soil corer will help them see
what the soil looks like underground without actually having to go underground. Take soil core
samples from different but nearby areas in order to get a comparison.
3. When a sampling area is located, the soil
corer should be pushed firmly into a portion of
soft ground and then withdrawn with a slight
twisting motion as to separate the core from the
parent soil.
4. Avoid rocks and substantial root systems;
they can permanently damage the soil corer.
Corers should not be rocked back and forth;
this can permanently damage them.
5. When you have obtained good soil core samples, have the students gather around. Ask the
students:
 How deep is the organic layer? You may
have to explain what the organic layer is first
(a layer of decayed and decaying matter
that used to be alive).
 What is the consistency of the soil beneath
the surface? Does it change the farther
down you go? How? (Typically the
consistency will change from loose and
grainy to compact and smooth as a result of
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the increased clay content. The color may
change as well depending on your location).
 Why do you suppose the soil would be more
loosely packed near the top? (The loosening
action of soil critters).
 Do you see much evidence of soil critters
near the bottom of the sample? Why not?
(No food for the critters).
site end of the playing field from the Rescue
Plants and when indicated the grains of soil
will run towards the rescue plants. They
must attach themselves to a Rescue Plant
before being tagged by the eroding water. If
a grain of soil is left unattached when all the
Rescue Plants have reached their capacity,
that grain is automatically eroded.
Soil stratification generally looks like this:
 Top: Thin layer of rotting organic matter that
covers the soil
 A: Topsoil rich in minerals and humus
 B: Poor in humus but rich in minerals
washed down from above (leeching layer)
 C: Non-fertile weathered rock
 D: Un-weathered parent rock
2. For each round, those Rescue Plants that did
not meet their required number of soil grains
turn back into soil for the next round (they lose
their root systems, fall down, are eaten by soil
critters and decay). Pay close attention to the
number of grains of soil that are eroded each
round, note the pattern that occurs when the
Rescue Plants begin to turn back into soil, it
commonly becomes an erosion explosion.
Erosion Explosion (15 min)
(adapted from Connecting People and Nature:
A Teachers Guide)
1. Stop at an open field or clearing and tell the
students that you are going be playing a game
involving the survival of soil. Divide the students
into three groups. Listed below are the group
names and how many students are required for
each (you may need to vary the group sizes
according to the total number of students in
your group).
 Rescue Plants: You will need 4 volunteers
for this role. You will need one student to be
an Oak tree, one Pine tree, and two Shrubs.
Explain that the job of the Rescue Plants is
to protect the grains of soil (students) from
being eroded by the water. The oak tree can
have three grains of soil attached to it; the
pine tree can have two grains of soil attached to it; and the shrubs can each have
one grain of soil attached to them. The rescue plants are at the far end of the playing
field and cannot move.
 Eroding Water: You will need one volunteer
to fulfill the role of water. The job of the water is to erode, tag, the grains of soil as they
try to make their way across the playing field
to the rescue plants. If a grain of soil is
tagged they must sit out of bounds until the
next round. Grains of soil are safe only
when they are touching a Rescue Plant or
are out of bounds.
 Grains of Soil: All other students are grains
of soil. The grains of soil start at the oppo-
3. You may opt to play more than one round,
varying each as you like. Here are some options for varying the rounds:
 Cut down some trees for firewood to symbolize human impact on erosion.
 Have the plants clump all together in one
condensed area. This can symbolize an area in which plant seeds have been deposited over the years in a single location, such
as cattails on the edge of a lake or pond.
 Stipulate that the grains of soil must touch
two Rescue Plants instead of only one to
symbolize soil that is easily eroded on a
steep slope.
 Add more water droplets to signify a flood
year.
 Yell out “Wind” and the soil particles have
to find a new tree.
4. When you have completed the desired number of rounds, ask the students:
 What is the relationship between plants and
erosion?
 Can things other than water cause erosion?
What? (Wind, ice, humans)
 How does an explosion of erosion get
started?
 How do humans impact soil erosion?
(Negatively: walking off trails and killing
plants, cutting trees in certain areas.
Positively: planting trees on hillsides, staying
on trails, building soil breaks near streams
on farmland)
 Which part of the soil is most closely related
to erosion, organic or inorganic? Why? Why
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might this be an especially important
problem? (Review from earlier activity The
Soil and The Sun)
The Hard Trail (10 min)
Materials: percolation cans, soil cores.
you think so?
 Which area do you think will grow plants
more easily? Why?
 What effect will this have on soil erosion?
The Earth as an Apple (10 min)
Materials: apple, knife.
1. Begin by asking the students:
 What is different about the trail from the
surrounding area? (More worn, no
vegetation, differing color, etc.)
 How do you suppose it got that way? (The
vegetation was cleared, people walked on it,
rain washed across its slopes)
2. Take the students to a wide section of trail
where they can all gather around easily. Divide
the students into two groups and pass out the
percolation cylinders to each group. Before beginning, the students may offer guesses as to
which can will lose its water more quickly and
why. Ask the students:
 Why do you think the cylinders would let
their water out at different rates?
 What effect do you suppose that has on the
soil underneath the surface in each of these
areas?
3. Have the students push one edge of their
percolation cylinders below the surface of the
soil. It must be firmly below the soil or the water
will leak from the bottom, this is especially
difficult on some trails.
4. Fill the cylinders up to an agreed-upon level
with water. Select a time keeper and have them
start their watch when the container is
completely filled with water.
5. Record the time it takes for each cylinder to
dissipate its water.
6. Ask the students what differences they expect to find in the horizons of the soil. Take a
soil core sample in each area, having the students gather around to see both. Ask the students:
 What are the differences you see?
 What do you suppose caused those
differences? (It could be more than one
thing)
 Which sample do you think has a greater
abundance of active soil creatures? Why do
1. Take a whole apple and tell the students that
you are going to use the apple to represent the
available soil on the earth. The earth has a
fixed amount of soil that can be used to grow
food. Ask the students how much of the apple
they think is available for growing this food.
2. Cut the apple into quarters. Set aside three
of those quarters. These represent the oceans.
They cannot be used to grow crops (though a
limited amount of ocean plants can be eaten).
Ask for student volunteers to eat the oceans.
3. Cut the remaining quarter piece in half
(giving you two 1/8 pieces). Set aside one of
these pieces, this represents inhospitable land
(e.g. polar areas, deserts, swamps, and mountainous areas). Ask for student volunteers to eat
the polar caps, deserts, swamps and mountains.
4. Now slice your remaining 1/8 piece into four
equal sections (giving you four 1/32 pieces).
Set three of these to the side. They represent
areas that are too rocky, too wet, too cold, too
steep, or with soil too poor to produce crops.
They also represent areas where food could be
grown but where the soil has been buried under
cities, malls, parking lots, roads, and other
structural developments. Ask for student volunteers to eat the rocky areas, wet areas, cities,
parking lots and roads, and malls.
5. This leaves you with 1/32 piece of apple.
Now carefully peel the skin from that 1/32
piece. The thin piece of apple skin represents
the layer of soil, less than 5 feet deep, which is
available for producing food crops. Ask for student volunteers to eat the remaining topsoil and
bedrock layers.
6. Revisit concepts such as energy storage,
erosion, plant growth and human impact. Ask
the students:
 Why is it important to use soil wisely?
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 What activities contribute to loss of topsoil?
 What can we do to help conserve topsoil?
Disaster (flood/tornado) [ambulator]
[Taken from the Oregon Museum of Science
and Industry curriculum guide (2004)]
This is a good trail activity to follow a discussion
on erosion. When you yell the word “FLOOD!”
all the adults count to five and the students try
to find safety. To be in a safe zone, the students must find something to stand on or hang
from that will elevate them from the soil being
carried away by the flood. The adults can
“erode” anyone not in a safety zone. When tornado is called out, all students have five seconds to find cover and lay as low and flat as
they can. This activity is good following a discussion on weather or wind erosion. Adults can
become tornadoes and “destroy” anyone in
their path.
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Evaluation:
Notes:
√ Students have explored and examined a soil
habitat.
√ Students can identify the various factors that
affect soil health and erosion.
√ Students can identify at least two soil critters.
√ Students can explain the benefit of soil
critters.
Students can list methods that minimize the
impact on soil health.
Back in the Classroom
Set up models of large fields and experiment
with the amount of wind or water that you have
to use to get the soil to move. Visit an agricultural site or a construction site and learn what
they do to prevent erosion. Investigate what
guidelines exist in your community that relate to
soil erosion.
Investigate what soil types are present around
your school. Learn more about soil compaction
and monitor different areas of the school
grounds.
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Soil Erosion
Soil erosion is a problem that much of the United States faces. Soil is the part of the Earth’s
crust that supports plant life. There are many
different elements to soil and the combination of
these elements can determine the quality of the
soil. Soil has many different biological, chemical, and physical properties. Soil erosion decreases the quality of the soil and decreased
soil quality can lead to the inability of the soil to
support life. Erosion is the loss of soil due to the
wearing of wind and water. In order for the soil
at the surface of the earth to best support plant
life, it should be rich in organic matter. Loss of
this organic matter decreases the amount of
nutrients available to plants. Areas with less
surface soil restrict the depth at which root systems can be formed.
Wind and water primarily cause erosion. Soil
that is disturbed during development, both urban and rural, is much more prone to being carried from its original site. When water carries
surface soil to lakes or other bodies of water,
sediment forms and causes water quality issues. Heavy dust can accompany erosion
caused by wind and can cause health-related
problems in animals and humans. Protecting
the Earth’s surface can prevent soil erosion.
Large open tracts of flat land should have barriers that protect from the wind. Lines of trees or
windbreaks can be planted to reduce the effect
of wind. Leaving areas covered with some sort
of ground cover plant can also minimize the
wind’s effect. Land can be protected from water
related erosion by maintaining a plant cover on
the ground. Plants help with soil compaction,
increasing the amount of water that can be absorbed.
Contact your Soil and Water Conservation Officer to get more information. This office is
maintained through the Division of Soil Conservation, Department of Natural Resources.
Soil Composition
Soil is made up of a mixture of minerals, water,
air, and organic matter. The mixture of these
components in various ratios gives us a multitude of different soil types each with different
properties. Certain types of plants have
adapted to the characteristics of different soils.
If we want to understand how plants vital to hu-
mans grow and survive, we have to understand
their foundation, the soil.
When we study soil it is helpful to look at two
broad categories of soil properties: chemical
and physical. The physical properties include
texture, structure, and aeration. Knowing a little
about each of these properties will go a long
way toward understanding how soil works.
Texture
The texture of soil is determined by the amount
of sand, silt, and clay. Sand, silt, and clay are
size categories of the mineral particles ranging
from large rocks and cobbles to microscopic
clay minerals.
Structure
Soil structure refers to how the soil particles are
arranged and held together in larger units
known as peds. The soil structure creates a
framework of peds of different sizes and
shapes. Because the peds are of different sizes and shapes they do not fit together tightly,
but this is a good characteristic. Because they
do not fit together tightly there are spaces created between the peds. These spaces are known
as pores. The amount of pore space in a soil,
or its porosity, is a fundamental factor in determining how much air can get into the soil, and
how much water will be available to plants in
the soil.
Sand
Particle Size (mm) 2.0-.05
Silt
.05-.002
Clay
<.002
Feel
gritty
smooth
sticky
Structure
coarse
medium
fine
Air Space
many large many small few tiny
Water availability
A fine textured soil has a high abundance of
clay and a low amount of sand will have very
small pore spaces through which water cannot
travel easily. Clay soils tend to compact tightly
into solid mass; water may be trapped above
the soil, as in a pond, or trapped below, making
it unavailable to plants.
In contrast, a course textured soil with large
amounts of sand and relatively low amounts of
clay will have many large pore spaces through
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which water can flow freely. So freely in fact,
that the soil will not be able to hold water making it very dry. When one thinks of a desert, one
thinks of sand. For a plant to have adequate
water in the soil, there must be a mix of both
large pores through which water can move easily, and small pores in which water can be retained against the pull of gravity, and held for
plant roots to absorb.
Aeration
Aeration is the amount of air in the soil. In addition to needing water and nutrients, plants need
air at the roots to survive. Again, texture and
structure play a role in the amount of air space
in a given soil. Much like water availability, soils
with lots of pore space will have more ways for
air to enter.
Soil Critters
At first glance, one may think that beneath the
surface of the soil lies nothing but rocks, minerals, water, and air. However, if you take a closer look you will find a whole other world full of
critters. Each does its part to maintain its environment. There can be everything from badgers, moles, and crayfish to earthworms, fungi,
and insects. They all play a vital role in recycling nutrients and organic matter into the soil,
making it a viable resource for plants that are
so important for life on this planet.
Large animals such as gophers, badgers,
ground squirrels, and crayfish burrow into the
soil and make their homes. Their burrowing
mixes and helps to aerate the soil. Smaller burrowing animals like earthworms have not only
this effect but also produce additional benefits
as well. Earthworms constantly ingest soil to
extract organic residues. As the soil is digested
by worms, the organic matter decays and the
solubility of minerals plants need increases.
Earthworm casts, or worm poop, has been
shown to have a much higher levels of nutrients
needed by plants. Insects, like termites and
ants, feed directly on wood and leaves of
plants. This is one of the first steps in decomposition. Other insects and spiders feed on those
insects, creating an elaborate food web.
Compaction and Erosion
When a soil is subjected to continual traffic via
people, animals, or cars, the result is a destruction of the soil structure. This destruction is
known as compaction. This results in soil capping or creation of a crust on the soil that
makes it difficult for water to penetrate. Because of the reasons stated above, soils that
are compacted on trails and roads are inhospitable to plants. The roots of plants hold the soil
particles in place. When they are removed or
die because they cannot get an adequate
amount of air and/or water, the soil is open to
the destructive process of erosion. During this
process, soil particles are moved by forces
such as wind or water. The result is a slow disintegration of the amount of soil in a given area.
Erosion, at the very least, means there is less
chance for plants to grow back. At the most, it
means a complete change in the landscape.
Erosion is a serious threat. There are several
actions we can take to prevent erosion on our
trails at Bradford Woods. This may include putting in or fixing a step, placing a water bar, or
wood chipping an area. Water bars and steps
are both easy to install, but must be done correctly to be effective.
Insects
 All adult insects have 6 legs (8).
 All insects have 2 antenna or feelers (8).
 All insects have 3 body parts - The head, the
thorax, middle part where the wings and legs
are fastened, and the abdomen, at the rear
and contains the digestive and egg-making
organs (8).
 Insects have many tiny eyes that are fitted
together to form one compound eye. The
compound eyes bulge out so an insect can
see in more than one direction at one time.
Some of the tiny eyes within the compound
eye look backward, while others look forwards and sideways (8).
Cicada, Cricket, Grasshopper, Katydid
 Cicadas, crickets, grasshoppers and katydids
are all related to each other (9).
 All have powerful hind legs for jumping.
Lifecycle - In late summer females deposit eggs
in the soil. Young nymphs hatch the following
spring and look much like adults, however they
are smaller and do not have wings. As the
nymph grows, it gets too big for its skin. Then
the skin splits and the grasshopper/cicada/
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Background
cricket/katydid emerges in a new skin. This is
called molting. After about 5 molts, the winged
adult emerges (8).
 The will eat anything smaller than them-
Cicada
 Amazing Fact - The adult female often cap-
 Babies live underground for 17 years. When
they surface they become adults and then
mate. The eggs hatch and then burrow into
the ground for another 17 years.
 The 17-year cicadas at Bradford Woods are
staggered and there is no mass emergence
every 17 years like in other states (Kari Price
- Naturalist).
Field Cricket
 A cricket's ears are not on its head but on its
front legs (8).
 The male cricket makes a cheerful, squeak-
ing noise by rubbing its front wings together
(8).
 In fall the cricket's courtship song is a continuous trill at a pitch near the upper limits of
audibility for the human ear (9).
 Crickets chirping in unison form some of the
sounds heard on a summer’s night at Bradford Woods.
and escape (9).
selves (b).
tures and devours part of her mate even as
he continues to transfer sperm (9).
 The praying mantis is a helpful insect because it eats many harmful, plant-destroying
insects (8).
 The praying mantis was accidentally introduced in 1899 on nursery stock from southern Europe. At a time when Gypsy Moth caterpillars were burgeoning in the eastern United States, it was recognized almost immediately as a beneficial predator. However,
mantis are so cannibalistic that they are rarely numerous enough to have much effect in
depleting caterpillar populations (9).
Walking Stick
 Walking sticks are almost invisible as they

Grasshopper
 Sing with their legs by rubbing a small file on
their hind legs against their front wings (9).
 Grasshoppers eat foliage and destroy crops
when they descend upon fields in a huge migratory swarm (9). Grasshoppers are called
locusts if they are good fliers (9).
Katydid
 Katydids are also known as long-horned
grasshoppers (9).
 Katydids get their name from their song, "Katy




did. Katy, she did" (9).
 The katydid’s call gets shorter as the temper-
ature gets cooler (Kari Price - Naturalist).
 Katydids are well camouflaged with the
leaves of the trees and shrubs that they inhabit.
Praying Mantis
 It gets its name from the way it holds its front
legs - like it was in prayer (8).
 The elongated forelegs are adapted for
grasping and holding prey. Long slender middle and hind legs are used for walking,
standing and leaping (9).
 The praying mantis can make 2 separate
strikes with its forelegs in a fraction of a second, often before a fly can spread its wings

have a remarkable resemblance both in form
and color to the twigs of trees and bushes.
Unlike the praying mantis, walking sticks do
not use their camouflage to ambush other insects but to protect themselves from other
predators (9).
Many walking sticks protect themselves further by secreting a foul smelling substance
when attacked (10).
Walking sticks move slowly and may pretend
to be dead if disturbed.
Even walking stick eggs may be protected by
looking exactly like seeds (9).
Amazing Fact - Female walking sticks lay
eggs without mating - this is known as Parthenogenisis (9).
Walking sticks have an amazing ability to regenerate lost legs (9).
Daddy Long Legs/ Harvestman
 Daddy Long Legs are not spiders because
they only have one body part and spiders
have 2.
 Their second pair of legs is sensory and
used to recognize prey. If both these legs
were lost, the animal would soon die.
 Sometimes legs may be missing because
they break off easily, and cannot be regenerated (9).
 Daddy Long Legs defense is an odorous
substance produced by stink glands. This is
repulsive to their enemies but not to man (9).
52
Background
Daddy Long Legs lay eggs in cracks and
crevices in the soil in late summer and then
die in the autumn. They are, therefore, only
seen in the warmer summer months.
 They feed on both dead and living insects by
sucking out the body fluids. Therefore, they
are decomposers
Lady Bug
 Are small beetles (9).
 Both the larvae and adults feed on other in-
sects, primarily aphids (9).
 Lady bugs are one of the most beneficial in-
sects as eating aphids provides a natural
control for these destructive pests.
 During the Middle Ages, lady bugs rid grapevines of insect pests, and in appreciation
were dedicated to Our Lady, hence their
common name (9).
 Hibernating adults can survive the winter,
resuming activities in the spring.
Butterfly and Moth

Butterflies and moths have jaws that are
long and grown together to form a hollow
tube called the proboscis. It uses this to
suck up nectar from flowers, however it remains coiled when it is not feeding (9).
 Some of the scales on the wings of male
butterflies give out pleasant scents to attract
females (10).
 Some butterflies and moths are valuable as
pollinators of flowers, and others as the
source of commercial silk (9).
 Most butterflies live only a few days or
weeks (8).
Lifecycle - Butterflies and moths lay many eggs
on plants. These eggs hatch into a larva known
as a caterpillar. A caterpillar is very small when
it hatches but has an enormous appetite and
eats the plant tissue around it. Caterpillars have
enormous appetites and grow very quickly.
Eventually they become too large for their skin,
and the skin splits and the caterpillar crawls out
of its old skin. This is called MOLTING. After 45 molts the caterpillar builds a hard skin around
its body known as a chrysalis. At this stage it is
known as a pupa. During this time the wings
and legs of the adult butterfly are formed. Finally the chrysalis splits and the adult butterfly
crawls out onto a twig, hands head downward,
and slowly fans its wings back and forth till they
are ready to fly (8).
What is the difference between a butterfly
and a moth?
 Butterflies are usually brightly colored and
are daytime fliers. Moths are usually duller in
color and are nighttime fliers (9).
 Butterflies rest with their wings folded together, straight up over their backs. Moths rest
with their wings out flat (10).
 Butterflies pass through the pupa stage protected by a chrysalis, whereas most moth
larvae spin themselves silken cases called
cocoons (10).
Butterflies/Moths Common to BW
Monarch butterfly
 Unlike most butterflies, this species lives
longer than a few weeks and migrates many
miles south in the winter. During the fall they
gather together in large groups on trees and
then begin the migration in huge swarms. In
spring they return to the north (8).
Viceroy butterfly
 This species has colorings and markings like
that of the monarch butterfly. The monarch
has a bad taste so birds do not attack them
and although the viceroy does not have a bad
taste it is protected by looking like a monarch.
This is known as mimicry (10).
Wooly Bear Caterpillar Moth
 One often sees the caterpillars on roads and
paths in the fall. According to superstition, the
amount of black in the caterpillar's bristle
coating forecasts the severity of the coming
winter. The coloration actually indicates how
near the caterpillar is to full growth before autumn weather stimulates it to seek a winter
shelter.
53
SPIDER
TERMITE
SNAIL
CENTIPEDE
STAG BEETLE
WALKING STICK
List other critters you found:
CLICK BEETLE
SLUG
CATERPILLAR
SALAMANDER
SOW BUG (Rolly Polly)
MOLE
ANT
HARVESTMAN
GRUB
EARTHWORM
SOIL CRITTER BINGO
Background
54
Standards
Grade 3
English/ Language Arts
3.7.3 Answer questions completely and appropriately.
3.7.15 Follow three- and four-step oral directions.
4.3.7
Mathematics
3.6.2 Decide when and how to break a problem
into simpler parts.
3.6.3 Apply strategies and results from simpler
problems to solve more complex problems.
Science
3.1.2 Participate in different types of guided scientific investigations, such as observing objects
and events and collecting specimens for analysis.
3.1.3 Keep and report records of investigations and
observations* using tools, such as journals,
charts, graphs, and computers.
3.2.4 Appropriately use simple tools, such as
clamps, rulers, scissors, hand lenses, and other technology, such as calculators and computers, to help solve problems.
3.4.4 Describe that almost all kinds of animals’ food
can be traced back to plants.
Grade 4
English/ Language Arts
4.5.6 Write for different purposes (information, persuasion) and to a specific audience or person.
4.7.1 Ask thoughtful questions and respond orally to
relevant questions with appropriate elaboration.
Mathematics
4.1.1 Read and write whole numbers up to
1,000,000.
4.5.2 Subtract units of length that may require renaming of feet to inches or meters to centimeters.
4.7.1 Analyze problems by identifying relationships,
telling relevant from irrelevant information, sequencing and prioritizing information, and observing patterns.
4.7.2 Decide when and how to break a problem into
simpler parts.
4.7.3 Apply strategies and results from simpler
problems to solve more complex problems.
Science
4.2.6 Support statements with facts found in print
and electronic media, identify the sources
used, and expect others to do the same.
4.3.5 Describe how waves, wind, water, and ice,
such as glaciers, shape and reshape the
Earth’s land surface by eroding rock and soil in
4.4.2
4.4.3
4.4.4
4.4.6
some areas and depositing them in
other areas.
Explain that smaller rocks come from the
breakage and weathering of bedrock and
larger rocks and that soil is made partly from
weathered rock, partly from plant remains, and
also contains many living organisms.
Investigate, observe, and describe that insects
and various other organisms depend on dead
plant and animal material for food.
Observe and describe that organisms interact
with one another in various ways, such as
providing food, pollination, and seed dispersal.
Observe and describe that some source of
energy is needed for all organisms to stay
alive and grow.
Explain how in all environments, organisms
are growing, dying, and decaying, and new
organisms are being produced by the old
ones.
Grade 5
English/ Language Arts
5.4.5 Use note-taking skills when completing research for writing.
5.7.1 Ask questions that seek information not already discussed.
Mathematics
5.1.2 Round whole numbers and decimals to any
place value.
5.1.4 Interpret percents as a part of a hundred. Find
decimal and percent equivalents for common
fractions and explain why they represent the
same value.
5.7.1 Analyze problems by identifying relationships,
telling relevant from irrelevant information, sequencing and prioritizing information, and observing patterns.
5.7.2 Decide when and how to break a problem into
simpler parts.
Science
5.4.4 Explain that in any particular environment,
some kinds of plants and animals survive well,
some do not survive as well, and some cannot
survive at all.
5.4.5 Explain how changes in an organism’s habitat
are sometimes beneficial and sometimes
harmful.
5.6.1 Recognize and describe that systems contain
objects as well as processes that interact with
each other.
Social Studies
5.2.9 Demonstrate civic responsibility in group and
individual actions, including civic dispositions
such as civility, cooperation, respect, and
55
Standards
responsible participation.
Grade 6
English/Language Arts
6.4.5 Research Process and Technology: Use notetaking skills when completing research for writing.
Mathematics
6.7.1 Analyze problems by identifying relationships,
telling relevant from irrelevant information,
identifying missing information, sequencing
and prioritizing information, and observing
patterns.
6.1.19 Analyze cause-and-effect relationships,
keeping in mind multiple causation, including
the importance individuals, ideas, human
interests, beliefs, and chance in history.
Science
6.2.7 Locate information in reference books, back
issues of newspapers and magazines,
compact disks, and computer databases.
6.3.15 Explain that although weathered rock is the
basic component of soil, the composition and
texture of soil and its fertility and resistance to
erosion are greatly influenced by plant roots
and debris, bacteria, fungi, worms, insects,
and other organisms.
6.3.16 Explain that human activities, such as
reducing the amount of forest cover,
increasing the amount and variety of
chemicals released into the atmosphere, and
intensive farming, have changed the capacity
of the environment to support some life
forms.
6.4.2 Give examples of organisms that cannot be
neatly classified as either plants or animals,
such as fungi and bacteria.
6.4.9 Recognize and explain that two types of
organisms may interact in a competitive or
cooperative relationship, such as producer/
consumer, predator/prey, or parasite/host.
56