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Teaching Suggestions - 'Minibeasts'
Page contents
Some background information
These craft activities have line drawings of various arthropods on them. The students could look at the drawing and try to
classify the animals into the sub-groups (insects, arachnids, crustaceans or myriapods) using the scientific criteria outlined
in the diagram in 'Minibeasts' background information.
There are four different suggestions for craft activities here. Students can make a flip book, a picture spinner, a wizzer
or a zoetrope. The activities vary in their complexity and it is left to the teacher's discretion to decide which activity
best suits the needs of the students. Students may make the items either as a group activity or as individuals.
If you choose to make the zoetrope, wizzer or picture spinner the templates are best photocopied onto card. The template for
the flip book works best photocopied onto paper. To increase the effectiveness of the flip book, give each student or group
of students a few template sheets to work with.
Care is required with all of the activities as students will need to be able to use scissors competently and in the case of
the zoetrope a craft knife is used to cut slots in the card, therefore adequate adult supervision is essential.
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How to make a flip book
What you need
- The page of spider web pictures
- Scissors
- Coloured pencils
- Stapler
What you do
- Colour in all the pictures on the page. Remember, each picture needs to look the same so make sure you use the same colours
in each picture.
- Cut out the pictures with the scissors.
- Put the pictures into an ordered pile from 1 to 9 to make a book.
- Staple the flip book at points A and B.
How to use the flip book
- Hold the top of the book where the staples are.
- Flip the pages over quickly.
- What happens?
How the flip book works
- Because the pages flip over so quickly, it looks as though the 'minibeast' is moving.
- Name the action the 'minibeast' makes as it moves: Does it hop, slide, wriggle, crawl or fly?
Template
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How to make a wizzer
What you need
- Scorpion card template
- Scissors
- Coloured pencils
- Hole punch
- 2 elastic bands
What you do
- Cut out the piece of card using the scissors.
- Colour in the pictures on the card. Remember, each picture needs to look the same so make sure you use the same colours
in each picture.
- Bend the card at the crease mark.
- Glue the back of the cards together.
- Allow to dry.
- Make a hole in the card at point A and B by using the hole punch.
- Thread an elastic band through each hole. Secure the elastic band by looping it through itself.
How to use the wizzer
- Hold the wizzer by the elastic bands.
- Rotate the card to wind up the elastic bands.
- Release the card.
- What happens?
How the wizzer works
- Because the wizzer spins around so fast, the brain is fooled into thinking that the 'minibeast' is moving.
- Name the action the 'minibeast' makes as it moves: Does it hop, slide, wriggle, crawl or fly?
Template
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How to make a picture spinner
What you need
- Dung beetle card template
- Scissors
- Coloured pencils
- Glue
- 1 drinking straw
What you do
- Cut out the dung beetle cards using scissors.
- Colour in the pictures. Remember that each picture needs to look the same, so make sure you use the same colours in each
picture.
- Order the cards from 1 to 4.
- Bend the cards at the crease mark to form a 90o angle.
- Smear some glue on the back of the bent cards.
- Glue the cards back to back around one end of a drinking straw.
- Allow to dry.
How to use the picture spinner
- Hold the straw.
- Spin it around.
- What happens?
How a picture spinner works
- Because the 'minibeast' pictures spin around so quickly, the eye sees the image change faster than the brain receives
the message, therefore the brain thinks the image is moving.
- Describe the action the 'minibeast' makes as it moves: Does it hop, slide, wriggle, crawl or fly?
Template
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Making a zoetrope
What you need
- Card templates
- Scissors
- Craft knife TAKE CARE!
- Chopping board
- Coloured pencils
- Sticky tape
- Glue
- Drawing pin
- Piece of cork (1.5 cm high)
What you do
Stage 1
- Cut out the two strips of card. They will become the sides of the zoetrope.
- Use the craft knife to cut out the slots in the cards. TAKE CARE! Use the chopping board to lean on when you do this,
NOT the table top.
- Colour in the pictures on the card strips. Remember, each picture needs to look the same so make sure you use the same
colours in each picture.
- Join the two strips of card together using sticky tape or glue so they form one long strip.
- Lay the strip of card in front of you, making sure that the pictures are face up and that the slots are at the top of
the strip.
- Gently roll the strip of card into a big cylinder and secure with sticky tape or glue.
Stage 2
- Cut out the circle from the card. This will be the base of the zoetrope.
- Snip the edges of the circle to form tabs.
- Carefully bend the tabs upwards.
- Put a thin line of glue around the bottom inside edge of the cylinder.
- Slip the base into the cylinder and press the tabs to the glue.
- Allow to dry.
Stage 3
- Cut around the beetle shape. This will be the stand for the zoetrope.
- Colour in the stand.
- Glue the piece of cork to the centre of the stand.
- Allow to dry.
- Push a drawing pin through the centre of the zoetrope base into the middle of the cork. Only push the pin in far enough
to hold the zoetrope steady because the zoetrope needs to spin around easily.
How to use the zoetrope
- Put the completed zoetrope on a stable surface.
- Gently spin the zoetrope whilst looking through the slots.
- What happens?
How does the zoetrope work?
- Because the 'minibeast' pictures spin around so quickly, the eye sees the image change faster than the brain receives
the message, therefore the brain thinks the image is moving.
- Describe the action the 'minibeast' makes as it moves: Does it hop, slide, wriggle, crawl or fly?
Template
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Copyright © Australian Museum, 2002
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