PROJECT: Exploring the hidden life of forest insects
GOAL: To understand that insects live in all the different layers of the forest, and to learn where and how to find them
AGES: 5 and up
MATERIALS
Magnifying glass
Piece of white fabric
Resealable plastic bag
Jar and funnel
White coffee filter
High-intensity lamp
I have never known a child to see a fallen tree without wanting to climb up on it and use it as a balance beam, a tightrope or a pirate's plank. This is a pleasure that can't be rushed. When we were out in the woods, I sat with a friend as our girls clambered along the trunk of a big, dead tree. When at last they were ready to move on, we rolled aside one piece of the tree that had broken off. The kids loved watching insects and other creatures scramble for cover, and they loved playing Sherlock Holmes with a magnifying glass, speculating about which creatures had made the different holes they found in the wood.
WHAT'S BELOW?
When you roll over a rotting log, you are likely to see an assortment of slow-moving pill bugs, sow bugs, slugs, snails and earthworms; and faster-moving daddy longlegs, millipedes, centipedes, crickets and click beetles. If you are lucky, you might spot bright-colored newts and salamanders as well. Your log also may host tiny seedlings, mosses and lichens, mushrooms and other fungi. The kids should be able to tell from the amount of plant and animal life whether the tree died only recently or a long time ago. Generally, the more life the log supports, the longer it has been in decay. Point out that the log encompasses the entire cycle of life: The dead tree provides food and a home for creatures and plants that, in turn, help it to decompose into soil from which new trees will grow.
When you are done with your investigation, be sure to roll the log back where you found it. After all, as the kids said, how would you like it if some giant came along, tipped your house over on its side and left it like that?
WHAT'S OVERHEAD?
Now that your kids are thinking about the life under every dead tree, ask them what animals exist in the topmost branches of live trees. Chances are they will list squirrels, chipmunks, birds and, possibly, opossums and raccoons. The following activity demonstrates that insects, too, like to make their homes in the forest canopy.
Spread a piece of white fabric on the ground (or hold it in the air) beneath a low-hanging branch. With a stick, give the branch a short, sharp rap. Be careful not to brush against the branch first, and don't try shaking it with your hand: You've got to startle the insects from their perches. (Gentler motions feel like wind, and insects are good at hanging on tight.) Your kids will be surprised at the number and variety of crawling, flying insects that come tumbling down. Be sure that when you have finished examining them, you let the insects go without harming them.
WHAT'S IN BETWEEN?
There is one more way to roust forest insects from their hiding places--this time from among the leaves and debris that make up the litter layer on the forest's floor.
During your forest excursion, loosely fill a resealable bag with leaf litter, leaving the bag slightly open for air. At home, your kids can set up a device known as a berlese funnel to coax the insects from the litter. Place an open coffee filter in the bottom of a widemouthed jar and set a plastic funnel into the top. Pack the funnel with the leaf litter and place a high-intensity lamp directly over the funnel, with the bulb close to the leaves. As the lamp heats up, the insects will evacuate their hiding spots, dropping down through the funnel and into the cooler climate below. The filter paper in the bottom of the jar will help you to see the tiny creatures. When you are done, let the insects go outdoors.
HOME SWEET HOME
You can find traces of insect life (and sometimes the insect itself) by examining a gall, which forms when a larval insect invades a plant and uses the plant material to create a home. Insects make galls on the stems and leaves of weeds, bushes, cultivated plants and trees, especially North American oak trees. If you see a strange swelling, bulge or bubble on a stem or leaf, look closely: If there is a hole in the bubble, you will know the insect inside already has grown up and climbed out.
Click to Read more
This Maui Jim Sport Shield model was designed for those consumers seeking both a fashion-forward and sporty frame. The Maka provides the added protection of a lightweight shield and additional lens coverage on the sides. The consumer demand for large fashion shields is very high and Maui Jim has responded to that need. The Maka brings together cutting-edge fashion with world-class performance and makes a bold statement of style and glare protection. 
