We’re Going Batty!

Welcome back to Puddles’ Craft Corner. Are you afraid of bats? Well, did you know that bats are afraid of you? These amazing mammals have long been misunderstood! In fact, bats actually help the environment and people by eating tons of flying insects that destroy crops and spread diseases. Bats also pollinate night flowers, such as cactus, and help spread seeds to create new fruit trees. They’re mysterious, nocturnal hunters who have captured our imaginations for centuries. Imagine you're outside when it's getting dark, and a shadowy creature flies past you. At first, you might think it's a bird, but then you realize it's actually a bat! You don't have to be afraid, though. That bat is likely trying to find insects to eat. It doesn't want to hurt you. In this lesson we'll uncover interesting facts and features about these unique animals.

What is a Bat?

Did you know that a bat is a mammal? A mammal is a type of animal that has fur or hair on its body and feeds its babies milk when born. Bats are special because they are the only mammals that can truly fly. A bat's body is covered head to toe in fur. Many bats look like mice with wings! Bats are able to fly because their front limbs are actually webbed. The webbing is a layer of skin that creates a wing that is very thin but strong. No other mammals have this unusual feature. Bats have sharp teeth, but hardly ever use them for biting people or attacking animals. Out of over a thousand varied species of bats, only three types are truly vampire...

Continue the Lesson With Full Instructions and other Nature Crafts with Puddles

Let’s Rock and Roll!

Kids naturally love rocks. Large, small, shiny, or rough, they are fascinating to young minds eager to absorb as much of the world as possible. Scientists have some of the coolest jobs on earth. They spend all their days studying and researching many subjects, helping us better understand the planet we live on. Some scientists study space, while others learn all they can about old artifacts to display in museums. Other scientists do research outside, exploring the earth to learn more about the field they specialize in. One of these scientific fields is geology.

What Is Geology?

Geology is the study of the earth, ground, and rocks. The word geology comes from two smaller root words: geo meaning “earth” and –ology meaning “the study of.” Geology is about more than just rocks. Geology is the study of our planet, precious gemstones like diamonds and rubies, and the layers of the earth that we live on.

What Is a Geologist?

A geologist is a scientist that studies geology. What do you think a geologist looks like? Do you imagine an old scientist with huge glasses and crazy hair locked up in a lab? Does he/she spend his days dusting off rocks and looking at them under a microscope? If this is what you pictured, you’re not totally wrong—but you’re also not completely correct. Some geologists do spend their time in a lab, but this isn’t always the case. Many geologists go out on...

Lesson and Full Instructions 

What is a Butterfly Puddler?

We know butterflies need nectar to survive and hosts plants to lay their egg on, but did you know that a butterfly puddler is something that can help them stay healthy, too? And…it’s something that you can easily make for them.

Butterflies are some of the most beautiful pollinators in the world. Even though they appear to be extremely delicate, in reality, they are very tough. Besides gracing us with their beauty, they also provide a very important job in the world of pollinators.

A female butterfly will release pheromones into the air to attract a male to her. They mate and then she will lay eggs on a host plant. The eggs hatch and the caterpillars (larvae) eat the host plant voraciously until they go through five instars to become a chrysalis. Out of the chrysalis in about ten days, the adult butterfly emerges. It has six legs and two antennae which are used in finding flowers to drink nectar from or laying eggs on host plants for next year’s larvae.

The butterfly body consists of three body parts with many subparts attached. The three parts are the head, thorax, and abdomen.

Found at the top of the head are the antennae. These are sensory organs which detect chemicals in the air - to help the butterfly find food, or a mate. Just like other insects, butterflies have compound eyes which are made up of lots of tiny lenses. They can detect light and dark and color, and they are able to detect movement in many directions at once. The mouth parts of the butterfly enable them to feed. They feed on nectar using a long, drinking straw like... 

Lesson and Full Instructions  

Sunflowers…Summer’s Sunny Stars!

When we think about sunflowers, we think about warm and sunny summer days.

The sunflower is a bright, beautiful, and bold flower which has inspired some amazing pieces of art, poems, and stories through the years. Those beautiful bright yellow flowers are enough to brighten your day. They bring up thoughts of long lazy summer days that stretch out from early dawn to late dusk, swimming, fireflies, and the sounds of the ever- present summer cicadas. Sunflowers are the unofficial symbol of summer!

History of Sunflowers

Sunflowers aren’t just beautiful flowers, they’re useful plants that have been used for healing, food, and oil for thousands of years.

Sunflowers are believed to have been grown by American Indians in Arizona and New Mexico about 3000 BC. They were used in many ways – the seed was ground or pounded into flour for cakes and bread or cracked and eaten for a snack, the meal was mixed with other vegetables such as beans, squash and corn and the oil was squeezed from the seed and used in bread making too. Non-food uses include dye for textiles and body painting. Some parts of the plant were used for medicinal purposes including treating snakebite, the oil of the seed was used on the skin and hair and the dried stalk was used as a building material.

Sunflowers were taken to Europe by Spanish explorers around 1500 and the plant became widespread throughout Western Europe, for ornamental and medicinal purposes. In the 18th century sunflowers became popular in Russia too. This is mostly credited to Peter the Great, but the Russian Orthodox Church also played a part by forbidding most oil foods from being consumed during Lent. As sunflowers were not on the prohibited list, they became popular as a food. red and almost black being called the Russian Giant.

By the early 19th century, Russian farmers were growing over two million acres of sunflowers and by the late 19th century, Russian sunflower seed found its way to the USA. Today...

Lesson and Full Instructions