Students were very excited by the visit of two lizards: Kimba, a 3-year-old leopard gecko, and Orangeade, a 4-month-old bearded dragon.
Mrs. Nic Design Squad teacher, owners of two lizards, showed photos of last “Beardie” as an adult, so that students could make comparisons in size. They were awed by the 8 inch tail and how it coordinated with Orangeade’s movement.
The movement and thickness of Kimba’s tail were so different. There was a buzz in the group when students learned about the hole, a kind of tunnel for the lizards’ hearing. Some of them knew the consequences of mishandling the gecko (tail drop). After giving each lizard a chance to run around on the table, the each student had an opportunity to hold them, albeit for a short time.
Mrs. Nic got some smart answers to why one the Beardie’s rear toes is much larger than the other. It was clear to all of us that Orangeade was more interested in getting out of his cage than eating his banana, dandelion greens, and crickets. Just to reassure you, Kimba ate fresh worms after you left. Perhaps our actions made them too nervous. For the last half hour of class, students used malleable clay to design the full body or part of the bearded dragon or lizard, thereby showing new observations.
Design Squad is very interesting. Now we have two lizards, our “Keepers.”
Next, we will do some advanced investigations and constructions with magnets while integrating the students’ experience with LEDs.
Join us.