Raspberry Lessons - Insects

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When you go raspberry picking, there are all sorts of fun extensions for teachers, parents, or just the avid learner! You can’t be in a raspberry bush without seeing a number of different insects. Spiders, mosquitoes, bees, grasshoppers, and deer fly are just some of the bugs you may encounter.

Rather than see these beings as pests, why not take the opportunity to learn a bit more about them? Ask your students or kids what questions they have about the insects they encounter, why these bugs may be living on or near the raspberry bushes. You can encourage them to see the similarities and differences between the different insects you see. They can take pictures of them and then, back at school or at home, use those pictures to make a collage, create a poster presentation, or write a short story about their lives in the raspberry bush. See below for subject specific ideas!

Science

If you teach or homeschool your children in Ontario, these sorts of questions will allow you to assess Strand A1: STEM Investigation and Communication Skills by allowing students to use a scientific process (A1.1), conduct an investigation (A1.2), follow established health and safety procedures during science and technology investigations (A1.4), and communicate their findings, using science and technology vocabulary and formats that are appropriate for specific audiences and purposes (A1.5).

You could have students study and the biodiversity and ecosystems related to raspberry bushes and the conditions needed to grow domestic and wild raspberries. This would allow you to cover the Biology and Life Systems sections of many of the science curriculums.

Language and Art

You could also turn learning about insects into a Language or English lesson by reading a book about insects, like How to Build an Insect written by Roberta Gibson and illustrated by Amme Lambelet. This is fun and informative book is meant to inspire creativity and innovation while also allowing students to learn specific, scientific vocabulary.

After reading the book, we built our own insects! Creating your own insect or recreating ones from nature allows students to practice not only the specific vocabulary, but also allows them to test their ideas in fun, innovative, and creative ways. There are so many excellent creative writing ideas that can stem from a quick trip outside or a longer field trip like visiting a local berry patch.

Math

You can have students count how many insects they see and how many of each one is present in the patch. Using these numbers, students can create tables, charts, or graphs. Students can also test the bugs they find against the information they know or learn about insects. For example, counting how many legs, eyes, or other body parts are present.