Insect Unit Study Resources

Insects are a fascinating subject for most kids. There are so many types of them that doing an insect study unit would be lots of fun and you could even continue it by breaking down into types. If you are just trying to put together a general insect unit study, here are some insect unit study resources to get you started. You will find printables, online insect resources, and even books you can get to help you in your unit study planning.

Insect Unit Study Resources

Insect Lesson Plan Ideas

Do a cricket unit study with this lesson plan called Crickets in the Classroom from Telus Planet.

Orkin (the pest control company) has some great resources for an insect unit study. There are crafts and observations as well as other creative learning for students up to 6th grade.

Insect Lapbooks and Printables

Get this introductory to entomology kit with printables and study unit lesson ideas from Eva Varga.

Gift of curiosity has an ant parts printable and activity for using it on her site. This can be used for all ages and incorporated into any great insect study.

Here’s a praying mantis lapbook that seems to be geared towards the younger grades, but could be altered for older students from Homeschool Share.

Insect Experiments and Tutorials

Creekside learning has some great information on how to do a successful ant farm. Ant farms are been a big part of insect education as they allow kids to watch the action.

Get some insects in your area and do this “adopt an insect” experiment and observation from the Science Spot.

Insect Videos and Clips

This almost half-hour video from BBC about Ladybirds is a great video to show for an insect study unit.

Another great video from BBC is Insect Worlds: Them and Us. It discusses the insects relationship with the world and with us as humans.

Additional Insect Resources

Here is a lesson on how to identify insects in aquatic areas, so if you live or are near a pond, lake or stream this would be a great place to look for information. There is also this general aquatic life information from the Chesapeake Bay and Coastal Life website.

The Center for Insects Science Education from the University of Arizona is a wonderful resource for all kinds of insects.

Forensic entomology might be a great place to start for some older kids’ lessons.

Check out the Department of Entomology from the University of California UC Riverside site.

The Department of Entomology from Washington State University is another great website with kid’s insect info.