Bugging Out: Entomology Club Educates Young Students

The Entomological Society of Central Florida (ESCF) at UCF recently visited 4th and 5th grade classes at Evans Elementary School for the first time.

Their aim as an organization is to provide a fun, hands-on environment to encourage scientific learning for all ages.

Through their outreach program, they visit local libraries and scientific organizations geared toward connecting children with science.

Last fall, Dr. Graham Worthy from the Biology Department reached out to the ESCF club and informed them that Evans Elementary School wanted to provide a fun, scientific experience for all of their 4th and 5th grade students.

After weeks of planning, they were finally able to make the trip to the elementary school. They reached approximately 260 students over the two days that they visited.

“We even created stations that met with each grade’s FCAT state standards, teaching the 4th graders about life stages with a fun arts and craft project and teaching the 5th graders about pollination through a fun example with Cheetos,” Outreach Coordinator Hannah Perkins said.

They traveled to the elementary school to enhance the teachings that had already been instilled by their teachers. While they may have talked about insects and pollination in their classes, it can be difficult to develop a true appreciation for these things until you are looking at insects up close under microscopes.

“We also want to inspire the children to continue falling in love with science by teaching them about college programs they might be interested in or even careers in the scientific field that many of them may not be familiar with,” Perkins said.

If you would like to volunteer with ESCF or want to organize an outreach event, please use the following contact information.

Club email: entoscf@gmail.com

Outreach Coordinator: Hannah Perkins

Website: http://bugcloset.cos.ucf.edu/