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How Do Flies Eat?

By Janice VanCleave

Flies have a special mouth part called a proboscis. Much like the way the boy in the photo is using a straw, a fly uses its proboscis to drink liquids. Since flies do not have teeth, can they eat solid foods? Yes, and it really is gross, so get prepared: Flies vomit their stomach contents […]

Filed Under: Insects Tagged With: animal, fly, insect, mouth, proboscis

Emperor Penguins

By Janice VanCleave

Penguin Activity Are your students as tall as an Emperor Penguin? Prepare a place to for kids to compare their height to that of an emperor penguin (males can be as much as 39 inches tall). If possible, have a picture or diagram of a penguin. Secure the pic/diagram to a wall with the penguins […]

Filed Under: animals, Biology Tagged With: animal, birds, penguins

Penguins

By Janice VanCleave

Penguin Facts: They adapt to various climates. They live in large groups called rookeries. They waddle when they walk. They communicate with each other through body language. They spend most of their lives in water. They are not afraid of people. Their have blubber, which helps to keep them warm. They leap out of water […]

Filed Under: animals, Biology Tagged With: animal, birds, penguins

Panda Bears

By Janice VanCleave

Panda Bears are considered special in China. Ancient emperors of China kept panda bears as pets. These pets were thought to have magic powers that could scare away evil spirits as well as natural disaster. Today, pandas are believed to be a symbol of peace and good fortune. Pandas only eat bamboo and can sleep […]

Filed Under: animals, Biology Tagged With: animal, bear, panda bear

Butterfly: Open Wings

By Janice VanCleave

Butterflies are  cold blooded. This means they must warm themselves in sunlight. When a butterfly is chilled, it opens its wings as shown in the photo. This allows sunlight to warm each part of their wings.

Filed Under: Biology Tagged With: animal, butterfly, cold-blooded, insect

Butterfly Metamorphosis

By Janice VanCleave

A fun human modeling of a butterfly, with six legs and two pairs of wings.

Metamorphosis is a series of changes. The metamorphosis of a butterfly (life cycle) can be modeled using a few craft items, including a paper plate, construction paper and other stuff shown in the diagram. Discover for Yourself 1. Draw and cut out a 6-inch circle from construction paper. (Color is optional). 2. Fold the paper […]

Filed Under: General Science Tagged With: adult, animal, butterfly, caterpillar, chrysalis, craft, egg, life cycle, metamorphosis

Insect Proboscis

By Janice VanCleave

Fly Straws Flies don’t chew their food like we do. Instead they drink their food through a straw-like mouth part called a proboscis. We don’t have to drink our food, but sometimes it is fun, especially if you have fun straws. Drinking liquids through a straw is easy, but if the food is very thick […]

Filed Under: Biology, Insects Tagged With: animal, flies, Insects, proboscis

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Welcome to Janice’s Science Extravaganza!

The spoon hanging from the string vibrates when struck and these vibrations are transmitted through the string and the sound is amplified by the plastic cups. ABOUT ME: Hi, I am Janice VanCleave, author of 50 best-selling science experiment books for children ages 4 through high school. I taught science for 27 years. MORE.....

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