When Murray from Sesame Street asked students at a recent STREAM Machine visit “What’s the Word on the Street,” they quickly learned the answer! July’s STREAM Machine lesson was all about creepy, crawling, flying insects. Are you getting “bugged out?” This lesson is always a hit with the students. Not only did the STREAM Team help students identify three things bugs need to be an insect, but they also set up their portable insect museum. Students were up close and personal with their favorite and not-so-favorite bugs.
In case you’re wondering what makes an insect an insect, here are the three things an insect must have:
- Six legs
- Thorax (head, body, and abdomen)
- Two antennae
While out exploring, take a closer look at a spider. Spiders are not insects. Ask your child to tell you why they are not an insect. Exploring bugs is so much fun!
The STREAM Team shared many fun facts during neighborhood visits and played a cool game to help students identify an insect. Did you know the firefly is Pennsylvania’s official insect? Students were surprised to learn fireflies are used in spacecraft instruments to detect life beyond Earth. Now that’s fascinating!
Reading is so important, so each time the STREAM Machine visits a neighborhood, the STREAM Team shares a great story at the end of each lesson and distributes a cool STREAM kit with PBS KIDS books. If you did not get a chance to participate in one of the STREAM Machine’s outdoor classrooms, go to https://www.pbs.org/parents/printables/is-it-an-insect to download a fun insect activity to do together as a family.
