Science News

Molesworth  St Campus

From Kimalee Fernandes and Georgie Murphy, Junior School Science teachers

In Real Time        

We are pleased to report that Sticky, Spiny, and Spiky have settled in well to their new home. They have been eating, excreting and growing. In fact, they have been growing so much that they had grown out of their old skins and they created a new one, this is called moulting. 

Moulting involves a new skin forming under the old skin, which will split along the back, while hanging from a branch the young stick insect needs to carefully pull its body and legs out of the old skin. Once free of the old skin, the new skin will be soft and over a period of time will expand and harden. Stick insects shed their skin (molt) 6–9 times, hanging upside down to break out of their old exoskeleton as they grow. This process, often taking several hours, allows them to emerge larger, with new limbs, and sometimes different colors. They sometimes even eat their shed skin for nutrients! 

Prep

The Preps have been learning about weather, and how to measure temperature and rainfall. This week they made rain gauges out of recycled plastic bottles. When they are finished we will put them in the garden to collect the rain. 

Year 1

The Year 1’s have been learning about different animal habitats. This week we focussed on urban habitats. We used recycled materials to make a class Bug Hotel. It looks like a nice cosy place to stay for the night! 

 Year 2

The Year 2’s have been learning about the moon! This week we made lunar flip books so we can remember the different phases of the moon. Maybe you can use them at home as you look at the moon in the night sky?