Ant in Amber
“LORD, how many are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all; The earth is full of Your possessions”
Pict. Att: Mila Zinkova – Wikipedia
In ancient times it was called the gold of the North. Amber has been called freezing gold, a window to the past, a time capsule, captured sunshine and a golden tear. It is all of these things.
Amber has long been prized for its beauty in jewelry. The beautiful warm golden color fascinates jewelry admirers everywhere. However, it is so much more than a piece of art.
When amber captures and holds insects, some intact, it becomes a treasure, a fossil. Each and every form of fossil is precious. Why? Because they provide so much information about past life on earth.
What is amber? How is it formed? Why are insects attracted to it? What kind of insects became fossilized in tree sap?
It’s a sticky situation…
Have you ever seen a dead bug or insect and wanted to preserve him? Amber is a natural preservative, an embalmer. It is a piece of history frozen in time. Even scientist cannot make a better storage system than one that is already provided by God. The Bible says at Psalm 104:24, “LORD, howmany are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all; Theearth is full of Yourpossessions.”
Amber – nature’s freezing gold just touches on the many facets and fascinating topics about insects and science.
Because this unit is aimed at a middle school student or an introductory unit for a high schooler, I have just generally classified fossils in two groups. If your student is older, he can determine the difference between an imprint and trace fossil.
Insects-a blessing or curse is another topic to discover. Insects play a vital role as scavengers and soil builders. What would happen if these insects were wiped off the earth? Flowering plants depend on honeybees, bumblebees and moths to name a few for their existence and pollination.
Finally, what do these small chunks of treasures tell us about the fascinating creatures of God that they hold prisoner?
A poem we liked by Garry Platt:
‘Amber, the freezing gold, that is not hot and is not cold
Has caught within its dreaming arms, the insects and the flowers charms
Time has kept as still as death, holding instant, every breath
Now from out our fading past, a scene which can forever last’
Mosquito trapped in Amber
Lapbook Picture
(Download Part 1 and Part 2 of the lapbook at the bottom)
Cover
Two tab mini book What is a fossil mini book
Pocket for Types of Fossils Can you extract DNA from a mosquito?
T or F mini flip book Insect – Friend or Foe?
Mini Bible Verse
Vocabulary
Pages for Notebook
About Insects Poem by Gary Platt
We enjoyed the poem so much by Gary Platt that we made a simple notebook page with some scrapbook font, illustrated his poem in the oval and we all memorized it. So it can be used as memory work or a notebook page. However, we did not have the kids write it, just enjoy it and soak up all the beautiful words that were so moving to us.
Links we liked:
How to preserve insect in an amber mold– Not for young kids to do unsupervised.
What’s bugging you? – 64 page pdf with vocabulary words and lessons about bugs.
Amber – Window to the Past Wonderful pictures of insects inside them and explanation as to what resin in. Museum site.
This sounds like such a good unit study for kids. Amber is simply fascinating and this unit study even more so. What a great way to learn about natural resources, and one of the best!