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    Home » Key Stage 2 Science » Choice Chambers – animal behaviour investigation!

    Choice Chambers – animal behaviour investigation!

    April 9, 2012 By Emma Vanstone 11 Comments

    Choice chambers are an investigative method used to study animal behaviour and to determine the favoured conditions for a habitat.

    It is a very simple investigation to set up, and one that kids love as it involves searching for insects and then predicting and watching.

    The living organisms that we chose to study were woodlice, as they are easy to find.

    We decided to investigate whether woodlice

    • prefer damp or dry conditions
    • dark or light conditions

    You will need:

    A minimum of 5 woodlice

    A collection pot

    Two dishes with  lids

    Filter paper (I just used coffee filter paper)

    Dark or black paper

    A pen/scissors

    Method

    1. In your collection pot, put in some soil and dried leaves. Start looking under stones and bricks for some woodlice and put them in the pot. Make sure it is deep, as woodlice are very good climbers, and we had a few escapees! This is just to keep them happy when not under investigation, as we do not want to put them under undue stress.

    Choice Chamber collection pot for a kids science experiment
    Collection pot!

    2. Draw around the lid of your pot onto the filter paper

    two oetri dishes to be used as choice chambers for a science experiment
    Draw around the lid

    3. Cut it out and fold it in half.

    4. Wet it and place it on one side of the pot.

    Choice chamber with filter paper on one side and 5 woodlice crawling around
    Add you woodlice

    5. Add your woodlice and, over time, see which side they prefer over time (about 5 minutes to let them acclimatise to their surroundings). The side that has the most woodlice is the side they prefer.

    Choice Chambers, Science Sparks
    After 5 minutes!

    6. You can then repeat this experiment using dark paper to block out one side of the lid to see whether they prefer dark or light conditions.

    Choice Chambers, Science Sparks
    Light or Dark?

    7. You could also see if you can carry this out with other insects.

    Please be sure to return the insects to the place you found them.

    Have Fun

    Kerry

    Last Updated on March 14, 2023 by Emma Vanstone

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    Safety Notice

    Science Sparks ( Wild Sparks Enterprises Ltd ) are not liable for the actions of activity of any person who uses the information in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources. Science Sparks assume no liability with regard to injuries or damage to property that may occur as a result of using the information and carrying out the practical activities contained in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources.

    These activities are designed to be carried out by children working with a parent, guardian or other appropriate adult. The adult involved is fully responsible for ensuring that the activities are carried out safely.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Emma @Snugglebuttandtheminimes

      April 09, 2012 at 12:47 pm

      I remember doing this at school! I will have to try it with the mini mes though too 🙂 x

      Reply
    2. Shiloh

      April 09, 2012 at 9:36 pm

      That’s so cool! What a fun experiment. Lol, down here, we would probably use palmetto bugs.

      Reply
    3. TheBoyandMe

      April 09, 2012 at 9:47 pm

      This is brilliant, just need to find some woodlice now.

      Reply
    4. Cerys @ Rainy Day Mum

      April 10, 2012 at 7:15 am

      After finding some woodlice in the garden the other day I was thinking of doing this it’s such a fun experiment to do.

      Reply
    5. Pinkoddy

      April 10, 2012 at 7:44 am

      I have a little area in my garden where my compost bins are too encourage things such as woodlice so I can easily find some so will definitely do this when we get to the letter W. thanks for sharing.

      Reply
    6. MsXpat

      April 11, 2012 at 9:35 am

      I’ve seen these creatures scurrying about the flat we began renting recently, now I know what they are! This is one way to treat them.

      Reply
    7. Alissa @ Creative WIth Kids

      April 18, 2012 at 5:57 am

      Very cool experiment! Thanks for your simple explanations, and thanks for linking to Kids Get Crafty! Alissa and Maggy

      Reply
    8. Trisha @ Inspiration Laboratories

      July 13, 2012 at 9:03 pm

      Great experiment. We’ve done this with earthworms in my biology class.

      Reply
    9. Gary Skinner

      April 08, 2013 at 9:57 am

      woodlice are NOT insects!!

      Reply
      • ScienceSparks

        April 08, 2013 at 8:13 pm

        You are right 🙂 Little typo there.

        Reply
    10. Angie

      November 28, 2016 at 4:27 am

      Those look like rolly pollies. This is the first time I’ve heard the term woodlice. Neat.

      Reply

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