Plant Day
Can you identify the diverse leaf types around BYU campus? Our Biology Bootcamp troops can! To kick off their camp we spent a whole day learning about plants, including their structures and the incredible processes that make them tick. We hit the field right off the bat by sleuthing around the trees on campus and identifying leaves. The kids got to learn all about plant anatomy as they performed an experiment and dissection with petunias. They learned all about photosynthesis and got soaked while they were at it outside with an all out Bean Museum water fight. We painted some flower pots so they could engage in plant science once they got home with a bean seed of their own.They finished off with carnivorous plants and made their very own venus fly traps! The seed of excitement for the rest of Biology Bootcamp was planted and they were ready for more!
McCady, museum educator
Insect Day
For insect day, we started off by learning all about arthropods! Then we trekked down to the botany pond on campus to look for these organisms, mostly arachnids and insects! It was hot, but the kids loved seeing the ducks and looking in nooks and crannies for different bugs we had talked about. We then learned about butterfly life cycles, pollination, and all types of ants. We also talked about how different types of crustaceans moved and had a presentation about arachnids. Our campers could agree that insect day was un-bee-lieveably fun!
Larisa, museum educator
Mammal & Fish Day
Who would win in a fight? A lion, leopard, gazelle, or zebra? Just ask our Biology Bootcamp kids, who know that out in the wild it’s survival of the fittest! For our day on mammals, the kids took on the roles of these animals and fought for points by avoiding hunters, other animals, finding food and water, and completing dares. Not only did we create the African Savanna on BYU campus, but we learned about the adaptations and skills of different types of mammals. Habitats were learned and discussed over matching games, and we even talked about the importance of hair! To dive under for the end of the day, we transitioned from mammals to fish. It sure was fun to learn about the different types of fins and fish body types!
Lexia, museum educator
Bird Day
We kicked off our bird section with a field trip down by the Provo River Delta to go bird-watching! The kids learned to use their binoculars to observe and record all sorts of birds, from quail and blackbirds to herons and ibises. After stopping at a park for lunch, we jumped into our section on reptiles and amphibians, where the kids learned to tell them apart and about the wacky and wild varieties of species there are. We did some games and crafts to learn about the many different “superpowers” that they have, like heat vision, breathing through their skin, and regeneration. With our last day of museum activities done, the campers were ready for the zoo!
Sage, museum educator
