Kids learn about biodiversity in new summer science module

Armed with magnifying lenses, Petri dishes, insect vials, and field guides, the youngsters traipse into the UConn forest to examine the biodiversity of a rotting log.

“We want to see how many different species we can find,” says Cheri Collins, one of the leaders of a new biodiversity module offered through the Kids are Scientists Too (K.A.S.T.) summer program.

On this day, the children learn how the variety of species in the log, including invertebrates, fungi, and microbes, break down organic debris into nutrient-laden compost that enriches the soil.

“We discuss how the biodiversity in the log contributes to the health of the forest,” Collins says.

The weeklong field program, Amazing Biodiversity, was sponsored by the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History, the Center for Conservation and Biodiversity, and the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.

The program is for children in grades five through 10. The K.A.S.T. program includes modules on archaeology, chemistry, engineering, and marine science.

Adding a module on biodiversity to the K.A.S.T. program made sense, says Collins, program and collection manager at the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History and Connecticut Archaeology Center.

“It’s a hot topic,” she says.

“Most people have heard of the concept of biodiversity – often in the context of faraway places like the rainforests of Costa Rica. But we wanted to bring the concept of biodiversity closer to home. It’s not just about tropical snakes. It’s about the vast number of species of living and nonliving things that make up ecosystems that exist right in the kids’ backyards, and even on their own bodies.”

Collins says one of the goals of the module is to help youngsters understand how the health of their environment promotes and maintaines their personal health through biodiversity.

On another day, the group looked into the biodiversity within the ecology and evolutionary biology department’s research collections. They learned how to preserve and record plant specimens and toured the collections, which include insects and invertebrates, parasites, fish, and birds.

Another morning’s activity included investigating the variety of organisms found on their own bodies, with the help of a microscope.

“There are six tribes of beneficial bacteria on our inner elbows,” says Chuck Smith, an assistant professor-in-residence of ecology and evolutionary biology. “Our bodies have a lot of biodiversity.”