Author: İMRAN ARSLAN
My students were very afraid of insects because they were in the pre-school age group. They didn’t know the insects. Based on this situation, I prepared a project about insects. Our aim in this project is for children to learn about insects. I wanted them to see that insects are not creatures to fear. I wanted them to see the insects as contribution to the world of science and their place in STEM.
DAY 1
In our school, we gave students information about the insects. We discussed with students about insects. We asked questions and received answers. We learned the definition of insects and explained the studies we had planned.
DAY 2
We organized a trip to Butterfly Valley. Butterfly Valley is the biggest insect garden in Europe. On the first day of our trip, we examined the places where butterflies and insects live. We met the insects. We have emotionally connected with insects. We examined the life cycle of insects. We learned how insects reproduce. We got the insects in our hands.
Insects in our hands: video 1, video 2.
DAY 3
On the second day of our Butterfly Valley trip, we participated in the workshop on insects. We watched a movie in an insect cinema. We played virtual insect games. We attended the events. We learned the life story of insects and about insect science.
DAY 4
We did a research on the Internet about insects: we examined the relationship between insects and technology. We organized the parent participation. Technological tools inspired by the shapes of insects were shown to students.
DAY 5
We organized an activity on insects in our class. We did engineering work using various materials.
As a result, we worked on insects in our school and in our classroom. We organized a trip to Butterfly Valley twice. In this regard, we examined the environment in which insects live in Butterfly Valley. We learned what was called an “insect”. We tried to establish a dialogue with insects in Butterfly Valley. We examined the reproductive cycles of insects. We learned a lot about their environment. We did butterfly work in the art workshop. We researched and examined about insects on the Internet. In different places, children had the opportunity to study insects. We had parental involvement. We held different engineering activities. Thanks to this STEM study, we learned the life of insects. We discovered the connection of insects with technology. By examining the body structures of insects, we have seen that many technological tools are produced. For example, the resemblance of a helicopter beetle and a helicopter. We learned that the vehicle sent to Mars was made by being inspired by the shape of an insect. Our achievements: my students recognized the insects. They overcame fear of insects. They learned how insects contribute to STEM.