Spittlebugs of Iowa

• What was the spittlebug doing?

• How was the spittlebug helping itself survive?
• Do we see other animals who change the world around them meet their needs?

Students could:

• Brainstorm what different living things need to survive.
• Observe plants, animals, and insects around home and discuss how they think they survive.
• Explore how other plants and animals survive in different environments around Iowa and around the world (Wild Kratts Creaturepedia).
• Observe photos of different Iowa birds in their nests; compare the birds' nest to what their different needs might be.
• Discuss the differences between bird nests of Iowa and why the birds might make them that way.
• Design and build a birdhouse or nest based on the needs of an Iowa bird.

• ?PBS KIDS | Wild Kratts Creaturepedia: Interactive animation of different animals and how their needs are met in their different environments.
• New York Times | Inside the Spittlebug's Bubble Home: Video and article about the spittlebug and how it creates foam.
• University of Minnesota Extension | Spittlebugs in Home Gardens: Shows the lifecycle of a spittlebug and how to identify them.
• National Geographic |  Cats and Their Coats: Additional lesson resource for students to practice learning how animals' needs are met by camouflaging to match their environment.
• Ohio State Buckeye Yard and Garden Online | Burrowing Crayfish Activity on the Rise: Another phenomenon in which animals alter the environment to meet their needs.

Media produced for Iowa Science Phenomena by Iowa PBS.

Submitted by Dan Voss and Madison Beeler as part of their Iowa STEM Teacher Externship experience at Iowa PBS.