Aquatic Habitats

Deborah Kent and Teresa Rogers

Materials List

Per Class

• 3-5 gallon container for a class “holding tank”
• Bucket or other large container
• One or two cottage cheese-type containers with perforated lids
• Turkey baster or large syringe for transferring worms and mosquito larvae/pupae (the  worms will get stuck in a medicine dropper
• One small aquarium net
• Wide-mouthed container for a mosquito holding tank
• 12” tube of pantyhose
• Several light-colored dishpans or clear, plastic sweater boxes to use as observation trays for large organisms found at the pond
• Bucket or other large container to hold extra dechlorinated water
• Long-handled net
• Work gloves for any adults or students who will handle cans
• 7-10 foot piece of string or fishing line
• Medium binder clip
• Blue food dye and a medicine dropper to investigate water currents around the crayfish once they have been caught
• 1 ruler
• 1 black permanent marker
• 1 pair of scissors or a paper cutter
• Newspaper and/or paper towels
• Several sheets of chart paper
• Large rubber band
• About 10 pounds pea-sized, light-colored aquarium gravel (1 cup per group of 4)
• About 10 pounds white or light-colored sand (1 cup per group of 4)
• A few sprigs of Elodea water plant for the holding tank
• About 18-20 aquatic snails
• One ounce of Tubifex worms
• About 3 dozen Gambusia fish
• One container fish flake food
• About 50-100 mosquito eggs or larvae
• Bacon, cut in 2” strips, makes good bait but you can also use pieces of meat

 Optional:

• An extra flex-tank aquarium and lid (plus sand, gravel, Elodea, shelter, label, snail, Tubifex worms, fish, and mosquito larvae) to use in class demonstrations
• Weights (washers) to sink bait
• Pieces of old nylon stockings for holding soft bait other than bacon so that it can be attached to fishing lines
• A 3 foot long thin dowel or piece of bamboo to use as a fishing rod
• 1 bottle of dechlorinating liquid
• A small dry-erase (white) board and marker for recording class observations at the pond

 Per Group (4 students)

• 11/2 gallon plastic flex tank aquarium and lid
• Shelter (cup, strawberry basket, or plastic flower pot)
• Dip net or small (about 4” diameter) metal strainer with handle
• 2 disposable, white cereal bowls or other light-colored basins to use as observation trays at the pond
• Adhesive label
• A sprig of Elodea or other water plant
• Dechloriated tap water

 Optional:

• Crayons or markers for journal cover drawings

 Copies of the following:

• Set of 4 Aquatic Habitats Task Cards (master on page 21)
• Guide to Freshwater Life handouts (master on pages 76-78)

Per Student

• Clear plastic cup
• Pencil
• Piece of white scratch paper

 Optional:

• Hand lenses
• Sheet of 18” x 9” construction paper for folder or journal covers

Copies of the following:

• 4 copies of Aquatic Habitats student sheet (master on page 22) OR journal
• Mosquito Life Cycle student sheet (master on page 56)
• Copy of the Parts of a fish student sheet (master on page 43)
• Copy of the “Too Many Mosquitoes!” homework or class reading assignment (master on pages 57-59)