Did you know beetles make up about 40% of insect species?
Beetles have a very hard exoskeleton ( outer skeleton ) and hard forewings, like all insects their bodies are made up of three parts: the head, thorax and abdomen. Different species of beetle have different appendages, but for the purpose of this activity I have kept things simple.
If you can’t tell, the photo below is meant to be a beetle, with very basic body parts labelled. I made 4 beetles in different colours. The idea of the game being that all the bits start off in the middle and each player retrieves a body part depending on the number rolled on a dice.
The first player to build a complete insect wins.
We also made the same game using play doh parts.
Fun facts
The hard exosketon is made of plates called sclerites.
The head – contains antennae, eyes and mouth.
Adult beetles have two sets of wings.
Some have special eyes which allow them to see above and below the waterline.
A single beetle can lay thousands of eggs in its lifetime.
Ladybirds are a kind of beetle.
Extension activities
Can you draw a picture of a beetle, and remember all the body parts?
Can you find any in your garden and identify the body segments with a magnifying glass?
Wow, what a great great science based game!!! Fun and learning at the same time. Great idea!
Thanks for sharing on Kids Get Crafty!
Maggy
great idea for a game – I love the play doh variation!
LOVE this! We are doing the Letter “I” at our house, and I’m sure we’ll be doing this activity soon.
I remember doing something like this with my kids when we studied insects, and it was a hit with mine too!
Thanks for linking up to Science Sunday.