I'm not sure what the kids call the praying mantis, but I call it Manny. Manny was spotted by Ian and captured by Shane in our garden yesterday. Manny has been a great science lesson. The kids have learned:
- Praying mantises are not a native species (how it got in the garden is a mystery!).
- Praying mantises use camouflage and are ambush predators
- They can move their heads 180 degrees.
- Insects have three body parts: head, thorax, and abdomen
- Insects have six legs that come out of the thorax
- Manny "plays dead" when threatened
 |
| Waiting for its prey (a fly in the corner) |
We abandoned our regularly scheduled schoolwork (schoolwork is for when there is nothing more exciting to do, right?) to spend some time observing Manny. The kids drew pictures (as detailed as their ability allows) and wrote about praying mantises (also according to ability).
 |
| Fly Captured! |
This has been an awesome side project for our homeschool. He is living in one of our many bug habitats and the kids capture flies for his meals. When grammar came along, surprise! a new spelling rule was introduced (when a noun ends in consonant and y, change the y to i and add es to form the plural). I hope I won't see "flys" in their writing anymore.
 |
| Mmmm....Lunch! |
