| If you have a preschool-aged child running around your | | | | container. |
| home, chances are he or she has brought in a roly | | | | Help your child create a "sign" with their name on it for |
| poly or two from your garden. Because children are | | | | their roly poly hotel. They can create it by hand or on |
| fascinated by these little creatures, they make great | | | | the computer. Tape the sign to the front of the plastic |
| subjects for science experiments. | | | | container. |
| Before you and your child begin this experiment, you | | | | Now that the roly poly hotel is complete let your child |
| will need to round up a few items from around your | | | | sit and observe the roly polies and let he or she hold |
| home and garden: | | | | them and play with them a bit. Help them make |
| Small rubbermaid container | | | | observations about the roly polies by asking them |
| Small shovel | | | | questions. Ask them what the roly polies look like and |
| Dirt | | | | what they notice about them. Ask them what color |
| Moist dead leaves | | | | they are and how many antennae they have. You'll be |
| Sticks and twigs | | | | surprised at the answers they come up with. My boys |
| Medium-sized flat rock | | | | told me that the roly polies roll up like armadillos! |
| Have your child fill the plastic container about halfway | | | | If your child is going to keep their roly polies for further |
| full of dirt from your garden. Explain to your child that | | | | observation, have them keep the soil moist and keep |
| you are trying to re-create a roly poly's natural habitat. | | | | the container out of direct sunlight. |
| Where are they found? They are found under rocks | | | | If your children are older you can tailor this activity to |
| and piles of decomposing leaves. After the dirt is in the | | | | their learning level. You could check out a book from |
| container, have your child place the rock in the | | | | the library or search for information about them online |
| container on top of the dirt and arrange the leaves and | | | | and do a number of science activities with them. With |
| twigs around the rock. | | | | preschoolers, however, you'll find that their attention |
| Next give your child a jar and have he or she collect | | | | span won't last much longer than the observation part |
| some roly polies for the roly poly hotel. This will be their | | | | of the activity. After about five minutes of watching |
| favorite part of the experiment. After the roly polies | | | | their roly polies my boys informed me they were done |
| have been collected, have them place them in the | | | | and were ready to go swimming! |