Un”BEE”lievable Happenings at Cornerstone Elementary Library
Third grade students at Cornerstone Elementary recently learned how to
preserve insects in an interesting manner – using hand sanitizer!
Librarian Heidi Poore wanted to find a project to link to the Third
Grade Core Knowledge Domain, Classification of Animals. She wanted
students to get a chance to be “scientists” while wearing goggles and
using various tools such as tweezers and pipettes. When she found
this method online, she felt it would be a great way to preserve the
insects. They are suspended in the sanitizer and the observer gets a
great view of the entire insect, which makes identification easier.
She began collecting “bugs” last fall, enlisting the help of anyone
she could, including students on the playground. Some of the items in
suspension included bees, wasps, beetles, ladybugs, and cicadas. For
the project, students had to give reasons for classifying their “bug”
as an insect, put it in the sanitizer, remove air bubbles from the
container and research in books and on the internet to identify their
insect.
Photo #1-Emery Huddleston and Kelly Rodriguez study their insect,
while Jase Shanks puts his in sanitizer.
Photo #2-Alex Whitley and Jacob Sides carefully remove air bubbles
from their specimens.
Photo #3-Left to right (Used as Feature Picture) : Zac Williams removes air bubbles, Zeb Lee puts
his beetle in sanitizer, Librarian Heidi Poore, Priscila Montejo uses
a magnifying glass for a better look, and Sabreena Rice-Adams works on
identifying her insect.
Roberta Rogers provided photos and story.