Tardigrades: Little Water Bears
Discover the fascinating world of tardigrades—microscopic, resilient creatures that survive extreme conditions, from space to deep oceans. Learn about their biology, habitats, and unique survival mechanisms.
Butterwalkers
Every spring Carolina ships thousands of boxes of butterfly larvae all over the country. Most of those larvae become butterflies with no issues, but every once in a while, we get comments like this one: “I order my painted lady butterfly larvae every year from Carolina as part of my 2nd grade teaching curriculum. The […]
Comparative Metamorphosis
A Carolina EssentialsTM Investigation Total Time: 30 mins Prep: 30 mins | Activity: 20 – 30 mins Life Science 5-8 Elementary | Middle School Overview This change-over-time, construction of an explanation activity serves 2 purposes. First, students observe development of 3 different insects from the larva or nymph stage through the adult stage. Second, students […]
Termite Pheromones
A Carolina EssentialsTM Investigation Total Time: 30 mins Prep: 90 mins | Activity: 30 mins Life Science 9-12 High School Overview This investigation demonstrates how worker termites sense pheromones. Students observe and document motions of termites under 2 different conditions: pencil circles and pen circles. The investigation may be used as a discovery introduction or […]
Survival: Sow Bug Behavior
A Carolina EssentialsTM Investigation Total Time: 30 minutes Prep: 15 mins | Activity: 30 mins Life Science 3 Grade 3 Overview Students will perform a simple experiment on Sow bugs to determine if Sow bugs change their behavior when environmental conditions change. Since Sow bugs are crustaceans with gills, they need a damp environment of […]
Butterfly Necklace
In Booth Demo Life Science K-12 Elementary / High School Students gain an understanding of the life cycle of the painted lady butterfly. They observe the growth and development of a larva in the butterfly necklace, a miniature habitat in which the larva eats, grows, molts, and forms a chrysalis. Then, they transfer the chrysalis […]
Hands-On Science with Phenomenal Critters
Workshop Resource Life Science K-12 Elementary / High School Add action and excitement to your science class with live organisms! Discover fun, simple hands-on activities with a variety of insects and arthropods that you can use in your labs. Learn about care and handling, as well as easy ways to introduce inquiry. Additional resources available […]
Meet the Casper Fish
Many researchers use zebra fish (Danios) for genetic and developmental studies. Zebra fish make excellent model research organisms since they are vertebrates, and their embryonic development is similar to human embryonic development. This means that you can easily view their internal organs, including the heart, gallbladder, circulatory system, brain, spine, eggs in females, and the […]
Mealworms and Superworms in the News
Mealworms and superworms are probably best known for their use as feeder insects for chickens and reptiles, but they are both making news for very different reasons.