The Children's Question: What do bugs eat?
Last week the children agreed they all wanted to know what bugs eat. The answer is not simple; different bugs eat different things.
While sorting the plastic bugs Alfie had asked what butterflies eat and Sasha suggested maybe they eat eggs. Sofia said they don't eat eggs they eat pollen, she knows it's true because her mom told her. This prompted us to research further.
What Do Butterflies Eat?
Butterflies can eat anything that can dissolve in water. Instead of eating, butterflies get their nourishment from drinking. They have a long narrow tube in their mouth called a proboscis that acts as a straw.Most adults sip flower nectar, but other imbibe fluids from sap flowers on trees, rotting fruits, bird droppings, or animal dung. Based on these findings the children concluded that it wasn't likely butterflies would eat eggs because they are neither liquid nor sweet.
I Can Eat Like a Butterfly!
Nectar is a sweet liquid produced by flowers. The children mixed a solution by dissolving a little honey into water in colourful cups which represented flowers. They placed their "flower" in the room and with straws in hand flew about the room like a butterfly landing softly next to their flower. They used their "proboscis" to drink the sweet nectar!
Butterfly Art
After examining the beautiful colours and patterns of butterfly wings the children made their own butterfly by selecting colours of paint to drip onto paper and then folded to create a beautiful design.
No comments:
Post a Comment