This little egg isn't like any other egg.
It doesn't have a soft baby chick inside.
It doesn't have just one baby in it either.
It has anywhere from 75-200 babies in it.
It is a Praying Mantis egg casing.
These egg casings are much like a spider's egg that when it hatches lots of babies will come out.
Praying mantis are great for gardens and farms.
They eat all the bugs that harm plants. And they even eat those pesky bugs that bug humans like mosquitoes.
Once our egg hatched we will only be able to keep them about a day and then they will have to be released in our park. After that one day the babies will start to eat each other or just die without food like aphids {which I don't have lying around handy}.
The Praying Mantis are known to stay around where they are born or released as long as there is enough food for them. In the years past that I have had these with my students we have been able to find babies weeks later in the park in the bushes. The kiddos are always so excited when they find them and always have to show them off to the Kindergarten kids that we have recess with each day.
We have had our egg casing for about 2 weeks now so any day this next week are so we should have lots of babies to observe. I know we are excited to see these amazing creatures and learn more about them.
I would love to hear if you have had any unusual pets or visitors in your classrooms.
I've hatched these little guys in my classroom - HUNDREDS came out!! All miniature sized preying mantises!! So cool! I used to have iguanas, hermit crabs, fish, & snails in my classroom but not anymore. Now we just have Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs - we're inundated with them here in NJ!! Love this fun blog! Is it a collaborative blog?
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✿Science for Kids Blog✿
I had hermit crabs this year but they all ended up dying:( I'll probably get more next year. And yes this is a collaborative blog.
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