Bug Hunt in San Francisco

Green Schoolyards America is proud to feature Living Schoolyard Month celebrations that were held in May across the state of California. If you celebrated and would like to be featured here, send photos and a brief description to info (at) greenschoolyards (dot) org.  —GSA

Contributed by Ayesha Ercelawn, Garden and Environmental Science Educator, La Scuola Italian International School. 
Photos by Ayesha Ercelawn.

San Francisco, CA

Our Kindergarten class marked the month of May by surveying their school garden for all the creatures they could find. They organized their bug hunts by a simple habitat classification - what lives in DARK places (under logs, under pots, in the compost bin) compared to in the LIGHT. Worms, centipedes, beetles, and spiders versus ladybugs, butterflies, bees, and wasps were just a few of their exciting finds! 

Big posters helped the children record their finds as a group and reflect later on what lives in each habitat. The children became familiar with how to use terrariums, butterfly nets, and magnifying glasses, while also learning responsibility for putting everything back in its home and putting back the logs as well. 

Meanwhile in class, they spent the month studying metamorphosis, insects versus non-insect classification, and the ecological role of different species. We had a great time and learned a lot!