Stickies in the STEM Lab

Our Barbreck STEM Lab has welcomed some new friends this year – stick insects! 

We have three adults and five young ‘stickies’ to adore and learn from. It has been wonderful to see the girls fascinated by such unusual pets. There are now far more visitors to the STEM Lab than ever before. 

So why stick insects?  

Because they are amazing!!  

You probably know they are the way they are because they can camouflage themselves for survival. But did you know: 

  • They have holes down the sides of their body through which they can breathe?  
  • That some species of stick insects have wings!?!  
  • They can regrow limbs that were removed by predators?  
  • The list goes on… 

What better way to learn about Biology! The basic needs of living things, how organisms are suited to their habitats, how the external features of an insect help it survive, how the life cycle of living things can contain different stages and body forms, and how energy flows through an ecosystem via producers and consumers. 

We look forward to watching our little ones grow and moult as they eat their way through bunches of gum leaves every week. 

A special thanks goes to Ms Melissa Chen in the ELC who has helped guide and support us as we learn about our new pets. 

Ms Tori Shaw

Barbreck STEM Specialist

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