Today we are creating desert animal crafts including a pipe cleaner scorpion while we learn all about them and their habitat.
Desert animals have amazing adaptations that help them survive the harsh conditions they live in.
From thick fur to protect their skin and large flat feet to distribute their weight over the hot sand to long thick eyelashes and eyebrows to protect their eyes from sand.
And there are a variety of animals that make their home in the desert.
For example, camels have humps to store fat and water.
And the pronghorn has a unique digestive system that allows it to extract the maximum amount of nutrition from the sparse vegetation of its habitat.
Now onto a variety of great books, facts, and activities to supplement your desert animal study.
BOOKS ABOUT SCORPIONS FOR KIDS
First, look at these books about scorpions.
4 Books About Scorpions
Add a few of these fun books to your home library.
Are your children curious about Scorpions? Would they like to know if they really glow in the dark? Have they learnt how they digest their food or what a fat-tailed scorpion looks like? Inside this book, your children will begin a journey that will satisfy their curiosity by answering questions like these and many more!
We have been taught to fear scorpions in any form. But scorpions usually sting either to subdue their prey or to protect themselves. In fact, Earth has two thousand scorpion species, but only a few dozen are deadly to humans. With vivid descriptions of scorpions' life cycle, body structure, habits, and habitat and beautiful, realistic illustrations, this new entry in the popular Strange and Wonderful series explores one of nature's feared and misunderstood creatures.
Drawing tools Parts of a Scorpion Body Posture Black Emperor Scorpion Striped Bark Scorpion Amblypygi Whip scorpion
Discover the interconnectedness of the natural world and learn why living things look and behave the way they do in a series of visually compelling information charts, maps, and cutaways, all illustrated in a nostalgic, vintage style. Packed with incredible facts about the natural world and the animals that populate it, the whole family will enjoy the full-page spreads grouped into the categories of habitats, species, and adaptations.
Also, look at these facts about scorpions.
5 SCORPION FACTS
- There are over 1,500 species of scorpions that are most common in deserts and other hot, dry regions but can also live in grasslands, savannas, forests, caves, and intertidal zones.
- Scorpions are arachnids and are related to spiders, mites, and ticks.
- Scorpions use their pincers to capture and crush prey, and their stinger to inject venom into their victims. The venom is a powerful neurotoxin that can cause pain, swelling, and even paralysis in humans. However, most scorpion stings are not fatal.
- Scorpions are nocturnal predators that feed on insects, spiders, and other small animals.
- They are capable of glowing under ultraviolet light, a phenomenon known as fluorescence, but scientists are still not sure exactly why. It could be as an aide in finding mates, navigating by night, or possibly detecting potential threats by sensing UV light in the environment.
Another fantastic resource is Curiositree Natural World.
Also, look at these easy desert animals crafts.
EASY DESERT ANIMAL CRAFTS
Explore 3 completely different desert habitats and learn How to Make A Desert Triorama About the Gobi, Sahara, & Antarctica to display the flora and fauna of each.
Popsicle Stick Camels are an adorable and easy craft for younger children.
While it is not a craft, multisensory ideas like this Desert Sensory Bin not only look like a piece of art but they also are good for building fine motor skills, imagination, and language development.
How precious is this Paper Mache Fennec Fox as a desert animal model? Great for presentations in co-op the deserts of Arizona, New Mexico, Southern California, and Mexico or just as a final project for a desert unit study.
Snakes in The Desert is another sweet craft for younger kids to explore the reptiles that reside in a desert habitat.
The creepy crawly tarantula, specifically the Desert blonde tarantula can be found in the deserts of Arizona, New Mexico, Southern California, and Mexico Tarantula Printable Craft
This step by step guide on How to Draw a Scorpion will turn your child into an artist.
This video shows you the steps for Making Cardboard Armadillo, a resident of the deserts and semi deserts of north and south America.
Finally, look at how to make a pipe cleaner scorpion creation
PIPE CLEANER SCORPION CREATION
You will need:
- 6 pipe cleaners
- 2 small black beads
- Pencil or dowel rod
- Hot glue/tacky glue
- scissors
First, bend one pipe cleaner in half.
Attach a second one by wrapping one end around the bend in the first like this.
Form a circle at the end of the 3 pipe cleaners to form the tail by twisting each side around once to hold it in place.
Repeat these steps all the way down the length of the pipe cleaners until you reach the end.
Wrap the end of another pipe cleaner around the base of the tail on the excess.
Hold a pencil or dowel against the excess pipe cleaner and wrap the one you just added around it, creating tight coils to the end.
Repeat with another pipe cleaner, overlapping your coils to create a thick portion for the head of your scorpion, remove the pencil by sliding it out.
Take the end of the pipe cleaner and bend it into two small mouth parts called the chelicerae which are the claw-like mouthparts then cut off the excess.
Take the ends of another pipe cleaner into a claw, slip it through the base of the head and repeat making a pincher on the other end too.
Cut the last pieces of pipe cleaner into 4 pieces.
Bend and then slip each one along the body, if you like you can secure the pieces with a dab of hot glue to help them stay in place better.
Put a dot of hot glue on the beads. And press them inside the curled pipe cleaner of the face area.
Bend the tail portion so it arches over the body. Give the pedipalps (pincers) a little curve inward as well.
