|
|
Praying Mantis Activities for PreK-2 Praying Mantis Geometry Use the body of the praying mantis to learn about shapes and geometry. Draw a triangle on the blackboard. Does part of the praying mantis have three sides like a triangle? Below the triangle, draw a long rectangle. Does part of the praying mantis have four sides? How are a square and a rectangle similar or different? Below the rectangle, draw a thin oval. Point out that the oval has no angles, but the rectangle and the triangle do. Have the students count the angles. Is there a body part shaped like the oval? Students can make their own drawings with crayons or colored pencils. Some praying mantids are the color of flowers so the children can pick their favorite colors. The students can add lines to make legs and antenna. Is the praying mantis symmetrical? Praying Mantis Headband Materials: Colored construction paper or white cardstock, scissors, crayons and paints, stapler, glue, measuring tape. Make praying mantis headbands and practice geometry too! First have your students cut a triangle like the praying mantis face. Next cut two circles for compound eyes and glue the circles to the top corners of the triangle. Make two antennae and glue between the eyes. Students can color or paint more details if they wish. To make the headband, begin by measuring each child's head. Students can pair off and measure each other. On construction paper, make the same measurement. Be sure to add 2 inches. Cut the headband 2-3 inches wide. Staple the bottom of the praying mantis face to the middle of the headband. Put the headband on the child and staple the loose ends together, so that it is snug but can still be removed. Now that your classroom is full of mantids, be careful - they might eat each other! Playground Ecosystem Survey Materials: 6-foot length of string or a hula-hoop for each child, paper, pencil and colored pencils. Describe the survey for your students and tell them that they will be ecologists using real research methods. Discuss camouflage. On school grounds, a nearby park or at home, have the students lay the string in a big circle. Grass, flowers, rocks and shrubs can be included inside the circle. Sitting outside the circle, the students will observe closely and record the different types of plants and insects that are inside the circle for 10 minutes. Encourage them to be quiet and to gently look between the blades of grass, under leaves and rocks, and on branches. Students can write a description of the size, shapes and colors of plants and insects. Can they describe the behavior of insects? They can also make drawings. Perhaps a sample of a leaf or insect can be brought back to the classroom. Examine the specimens with a magnifying glass. Can they find the name of the plant or insect? Divide into small groups and compare surveys. How many found the same insect or the same plant? The survey can be used to search for live insects to feed your praying mantis. Or the survey can be done the day after your nymphs were released - did anyone find a tiny praying mantis? Compare T. Rex and P. Mantis The praying mantis is called the Tyrannosaurus Rex of the garden. On the blackboard, compare the anatomy and behavior of T. Rex and P. Mantis - how are they the same, how are they different? If your students are stumped, have them look at pictures and compare specific body parts. Below is a sample list. Comparing a raptor like a hawk or eagle with the praying mantis is also fun.
Celebration Have a party for the Earth and release your praying mantids as a wonderful present. Enlist the help of parents and take students to a nearby park. Serve lime punch and cupcakes -- with aphid icing! Sing happy birthday to the Earth, and then play hide and go seek as you send your mantids away to take care of the Earth by eating aphids, mealy bugs, mites, and other harmful insects. To order praying mantis egg cases and mesh insect houses, visit our online store. |
  Mantis Geometry
 Mantis Headband
|