Grade seven participated in an STEM-focused "Outside-the-Box (OTB)" Day exploring all aspects of Biodiversity.
The girls started the day watching a part of Attenborough: 60 years in the Wild. The film follows English broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough as he recounts the past 60 years of his life and the undeniable changes that the natural world has succumbed. The film encouraged questions on acceptance of all species of animals, not only the fuzzy, cute animals that are typically featured on the news and social media.
As the day continued, a rotation of three activities ensued as the girls explored specific aspects of biodiversity. Listed are some of the engaging activities:
- Squid dissection: This activity was led by the National Aquarium in Baltimore and the girls paired together to dissect, classify, and identify the anatomy of a squid.
- Biodiversity in Action: While gathered in the Beebe Black Box Theater, the girls played a game called "Which Eukaryote Am I?" and they had to guess what type of eukaryote each girl was labeled as. Also, the girls read and discussed what invasive species currently populate our local community.
- Observation activities: This hands-on activity allowed our scientists to circuit around the room to view live and dead specimens under microscopes, in beakers, tanks, and even metal trays. A few of the species examined were dead sea cucumbers, cockroaches, tapeworms, and even more species.
At the end of the day, the girls reflected on this hands-on day and expressed artistically on a puzzle piece what they learned from this exploratory day.
