My Science Box

Time
45-55 minutes

Grouping
Groups of 4-6 students per log

Materials
For each student:

• Copy of the Rotten Log Questions

For each group of students:

• 1 rotting log, preferably with lots of mushrooms, moss, fungi, termites, beetles and other creepy crawlies in and around the log
• 1 large plastic wash basin or large heavy duty yard waste trash bag to keep the log in
• Work gloves
• Screwdriver, shovel, pry bar, hammer or other tools that can be used to pry open sections of the log
• Bug boxes
• Newspaper to cover the tables

Optional: To see the protozoa in the termites’ gut

• Termite
• Microscope
• Glass slides
• Cover slips
• 2 pairs tweezers
• toothpick
• 0.6% NaCl (0.6 g NaCl in 100 ml water)
• eyedropper

Setting
Classroom