After the incredible externship experience, it’s nice to be able to catch my breath for a moment. The real challenge comes next. How do we take the energy, passion and curiosity from the lab to the classroom. As we were developing our mission statement for our team website, Kelly Wall said she wanted to  ignite her student’ curiosity. That is what we set out to do with our lesson plans.

The first step was to figure out how to bring the lab experience into the classroom. To do that we first needed to find ways of making the equipment we were using  accessible to any teacher. We constructed an ant behavior study chamber out of cardboard and wrapping paper. We used a similar technique to make a light box for photographing specimens. Extending the cost effectiveness and availability even further, we were able to use many items purchased at a dollar store to replace expensive consumables.

Additionally, we faced the challenge of how to chunk the overall scientific study into  stand alone lessons that still contribute to citizen science.

As we work on our lessons we continually reflect on this. Thankfully our mentor has been very flexible and open to getting this science in the classroom. In fact, that is the silver lining to our struggles. Our Postdoc has been instrumental in helping us craft accessible lab experiments while still adding to her research. Although the hardest part of this experience is ahead, we are excited to be entering phase that will allow us to make our students feel like the scientists we have become.