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Our STEM project costs nothing yet can be as long term as you like. It is easily adapted for all ages and ability levels.
The first choice your Junior Zoologist needs to make is what animal they'd like to study. Our preschooler chose the pandas at the National Zoo but there are so many options! We chose this zoo since we visit annually so our daughter will have a connection with the pandas the next time she sees them. The National Zoo has several animal web cams. You could also choose a web cam in the wild.
Next we used a Junior Zoologist Observation Log printable that I created. You can get your own FREE copy of our Observation Log below. The link will take you to my shop, but you'll find that the Observation Log you're looking for is free!
Children will record the date, time, location (for our pandas it was inside or outside, on a rock, etc.) and behavior. Once a reasonable amount of observations are collected, kids can graph their data. A bar graph or pie chart showing the breakdown of each behavior would be a perfect mathematical representation of this project.
Lastly, to include a bit of engineering you could ask your students to design the best habitat for the animal(s) they studied based on their observations. We love to play Zoo Tycoon & Build a Zoo together! You could also do this as an art project or a building challenge with toy animals.
If the animals seem to spend a lot of time indoors, the shelter needs to be large and clean. If the animals enjoy playing outside in social groups, they would need to put the species in social groups in their zoo.
Lastly, to include a bit of engineering you could ask your students to design the best habitat for the animal(s) they studied based on their observations. We love to play Zoo Tycoon & Build a Zoo together! You could also do this as an art project or a building challenge with toy animals.
If the animals seem to spend a lot of time indoors, the shelter needs to be large and clean. If the animals enjoy playing outside in social groups, they would need to put the species in social groups in their zoo.
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We love the pandas at the National Zoo! This is such a great idea, and a fantastic use of technology. Thanks for the idea!
ReplyDeleteI love this idea! We really enjoy some of the underwater web cams (the one from the aquarium at Monterey Bay is pretty active). Great connection between nature & tech for kids!!
ReplyDelete