Field Entomology 2012 Camp Review

Field Entomologist Campers' Families-

July's heat was here to stay for the 3 days of our entomological explorations. 10 brave budding entomologist braved the weather, and nature rewarded them for their endurance and patience.

Below are some highlights of our time together. 

Day 1:

• Field exploration was our first activity out of the gate, as we did a bug scavenger hunt and found 25 different bugs, completing the hunt. We also collected a few butterflies that were later ID'ed (see photo slideshow)
• After lunch/free time, we created a few different bug traps: potato, pitfall and fruit. The campers had to scoop out the insides of two halves of potato and then we headed out to place them, along with pitfall traps, created out of a hole in the ground, then inserting a yogurt cup in the hole and filling cup with a little water. 
• The campers then returned for some rest in the shade, as we mixed up some sugar, honey and water to pour over pieces of water, in hopes of attracting butterflies or other insects. 

Day 2:

• After a brief insect classification discussion, our morning was spent on the mounds/grassland area in search of grasshoppers, spiders and butterflies, oh my! We found a LOT of different species of insects, including: katydid, spider, ladybug, assassin bug, praying mantis, grasshopper, moth, mayfly, damselfly and more. After looking at all our finds, we released all our insect friends.
• Mr. Doug came to visit and discussed an insect project he's worked on, and discussed how scientists are using current technology to identify insect species, as well as insect diseases, through DNA. The campers then got to extract DNA from strawberries.
• The campers then got to use their creativity to construct/draw a new bug. They had to name it {and it couldn't be called Bob :)}, as well as decide what it ate and where it would live. They all came up with creative new bugs and used lots of different craft materials-check out the photo slideshow to see their creations.
• We checked out potato & pitfall traps and after another hot one, we called it a day.

Day 3:

• Some clouds rolled in and gave us some refuge as we spent the morning out at the marsh looking for aquatic insects and other invertebrates. The campers made some great finds with their patience and determination: damselfly nymph, dragonfly nymph, water scorpion, backswimmer, snails (two kinds), giant water bug, mosquito larvae. They also caught crayfish (multiple sizes), tadpoles (multiple sizes), a few different kind of small fish, plus we saw a bunch of species of dragonflies zooming about and enjoyed the calls of bull and green frogs.
•  Another group of kids from Doodlebugs Day Care was here visiting the preserve for a tour and the campers did a super job sharing some of their finds with the children and explaining what they were. Great chance to be student then teacher! After sharing their knowledge, we released our aquatic friends and talked about how these species are indicators of water quality/health. 
• Mr Doug joined us again to discuss some more about DNA and the campers worked to create an edible DNA ladder out of Twizzlers and flavored mini-marshmallows. That was a big hit!
• We had a short discussion on insect life cycles and then the campers got to play a simulation game that allowed them to become monarchs and journey through the trials and triumphs of migration. 
• Nature pictionary, microscope views of the inside of an insect gall, aphids on a leaf, butterfly scales, making a bug vacuum & testing them out, trying some edible bugs (chocolate covered ants and cheese flavored mealworms) and doing a species collection page about one of their favorite finds of camp rounded off our final day.

Below is a slideshow with photos from our adventures! To see the captions, roll cursor over bottom of frame and click on the white balloon.

The world of insects has always fascinated me, but nature always surprises me with new finds and new knowledge, and I learned right along with the campers this week. I'll never have the title of entomologist, but some of these campers might some day. Thank you for letting your nature explorers learn and explore at Tifft this summer and I hope everyone continues to enjoy the summer in western NY.

Sincerely,
Miss Caryn

2012 Mini Beasts Camp Review

Mini Beasts Camper Families-

Summer was in full swing (and heat) for our first week of discovery camp at Tifft, but we still had a blast!

Our focus was on the smaller wildlife of the preserve, aka Mini-Beasts and we learned a lot about the variety and diversity of those arthopods and other animals that call Tifft home.

Here is a recap of our adventures for the 3 days we were together!

Day 1

• We created journals, which we used throughout our time together to keep track of our new knowledge and findings while at camp.We then explored the preserve in search of a variety of bugs. Each camper had a small bag of pictures of bugs, so each time we stopped at a place, we looked for whatever picture they pulled out of their bag. We also collectively kept a list of what we saw. In the end, we found 12 of the 16 bugs we searched for. 
• After some free time after lunch, we hosted cricket races and worm races. In a small kid-sized pool, we placed a target, with the worms or crickets starting in the center, and let them respectively race (one pool had worms, one had crickets). Each of the campers had their own racer, so they could cheer them on. The crickets moved much faster (and sometimes escaped the pools) but everyone had a fun time cheering on the worms and crickets. 
• We then read a book after snack about camouflage, called Where in the Wild by David Schwartz, to discover how insects and other animals adapt to their surroundings. Upon completion, each camper got 4 butterfly shapes to 'camouflage' to the surroundings and we then played a game of 'hide and seek' with the butterflies. 

Day 2

• A long walk to the marsh started day 2, as we ventured to look for aquatic mini-beasts. During our time 'dipnetting', we caught a mosquito larva, damselfly nymph, dragonfly nymph exoskeleton, large crayfish (about 4 inches long!), tadpoles, stickleback (type of fish), backswimmer and some snail shells (minus the snails). This was a great investigation into the life cycles of many insects that live most of their younger lives in water. The campers were amazed that so much life was just under the surface of the water (and I'm always amazed too!)
• Our book was Swirl by Swirl by Joyce Sidman, which explored the spiral patterns in nature, especially snails, and we made a snail craft and had a 'snail race' to end the day. 
• We also talked about butterflies and made a great butterfly using symmetry, outlines of each of the campers' hands and some finger painting. 

Day 3

• Started the day preparing a 'bunch of beetles' from plaster of paris, water and plastic spoons. The campers got to take them home and decorate them.
• Our outdoor investigation was on the mounds/grassland area, where we used sweep nets and caught the following: ladybug, grasshoppers (large 1 1/2-2 1/2 inches & lots of small ones), bee, a couple different spiders, 3 different praying mantises, damselfly, and a few unknown but cool beetles. The highlight was a dragonfly, which we rarely catch and the campers had been trying to get for about a half an hour. Way to go Jacob!
• We played some rounds of "What time is it, Mr/Ms Spider?" before cooling off inside with some patient time watching George, our Gulf Coast Box Turtle. 
• After reading "A Butterfly is Patient" by Dianna Hutts Aston, we had an 'insect life cycle' snack, with Kix as the eggs, a in-shell peanut or carrot as the caterpillar and a butterfly made of fruit leather and a pretzel stick. 
• To end our day, we discussed the Lost Ladybug Project, a citizen science project organized by Cornell University, and constructed a 9-spotted ladybug, which is the focus of the project. The finale was a 'ladybug race' board game. 

Overall, it was a great 3 days of exploration, despite the warmer than normal temperatures and I enjoyed getting to know each of the campers during our time together!

Below is a slideshow of pictures of some of our fun times. To see the captions, just click on the white balloon at the bottom of the frame.

Thank you for supporting Tifft and letting us spend part of the summer with your kids! Continue to foster those nature explorers of yours and have a great rest of the summer!

Sincerely,

Miss Caryn (and Miss Kimberly too!)