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ANIMALS AND BUGS
Blood Suckers!
Setting Large and small groups

Materials Life Cycle of a Mosquito, colored modeling clay, toothpicks, pipettes, and plastic cups; if
doing the first MW Twist, use toothpicks, plus teacher provides bowls, plastic spoons, cornstarch, red
food coloring, powdered cocoa, clear syrup (used for cooking, not for pancakes), and water; if doing the
second MW Twist, teacher provides balloons and dice

Preparation Students will be divided into pairs, and each pair needs a cup filled with approximately 1
inch of water; all cups should have an equal amount of liquid.

Instructions
Ask students to name what they think is the deadliest creature.
An interesting fact to share is that, although crocodiles kill approximately 1,000 people per year
and sharks kill approximately 10 people per year, the annoying mosquito kills more than one
million people each year.
Mosquitos kill people by infecting them with deadly diseases such as these:
o Malaria
o West Nile virus
o Dengue fever
Ask students if mosquitos are attracted to them.
o Some people produce more mosquito attractants such as CO2 and lactic acid than others,
making them more attractive to mosquitos.
Ask students what they know about mosquitos.
Share the following facts:
o Only female mosquitos bite.
o There are more than 3,500 species in the world but only 176 species in the United States.
o They dont have teeth.
o The best time to be outdoors and avoid mosquitos is in the afternoon when temperatures
are hottest and they rest in cooler areas.
o Mosquitos fly an estimated 1 to 1.5 miles per hour.
Tell students there are four stages of the mosquitos life cycle, and show them the four plastic
stages included in the Life Cycle of a Mosquito set. Explain the following regarding each stage:
o Eggs: Mosquitos begin life in the water where their eggs are deposited either as rafts
floating on the surface of the water or on the ground in areas that often flood.
 ANIMALS AND BUGS
o Larvae: When the eggs hatch, larvae emerge; theyre also called wigglers because that
is how they swim. Larvae feed on organic material in the water and shed their skin four
times during a week.
o Pupae: Theyre also called tumblers because they fall into the deep part of the water
when threatened by predators. Theyre shaped like commas, with a head at one end and
small flippers at the other. They stop feeding at this stage and emerge into adult mosquitos
in a few days.
o Adults: After they emerge from the water, they dry their bodies and fly away.
Divide students into four groups, and assign each group a different stage in the mosquitos life
cycle.
Hand each group the plastic piece from the Life Cycle of a Mosquito kit as an example to copy.
Tell each group to use the colored clay, and toothpicks if desired, to make their creation.
Once the models are completed, tell students they will be bloodsuckers as if they were mosquitos.
Students within groups stay as a group but break up into pairs.
This first race will determine a winning pair from each group.
Hand each pair the following:
o Empty cup
o Cup with approximately 1 inch of water
o Pipette
Tell students the water represents blood, and they are to take their pipette and suck up the blood
as quickly as possible and transfer it into the empty cup.
When the teacher says, Go, pairs race to fill their empty cup using the pipette.
The winning pair from each group competes with each other.
The fastest pair to empty their cup is declared the winner.

MW Twists:
Make fake blood by using cornstarch, red food coloring, powdered cocoa, clear
syrup (the kind used for cooking not for pouring on pancakes), and water. In a
bowl, place two spoonsful of syrup and 1 spoonful of water. Stir mixture with a
toothpick, and add two drops red food coloring; stir again. Add two pinches of
cornstarch and 1 pinch of powdered cocoa. Stir until completely mixed.

Ticks get bigger as they suck blood; tell students theyre going to compete to see
who can make the largest tick. Divide students into groups; each group receives
one die, and each student gets a balloon. Players within groups take turns rolling
the die. All players within the group blow air into their balloon the number of
times that matches the number on the die. The largest balloon after two rounds is
the biggest tick.
DOWNRIGHT GROSS
Fart Wars
Setting Large and small groups

Materials Oh, Ick! by Joy Masoff, Potty Putty, white glue, Borax powder, liquid starch, corn starch, dish
soap, large bowls, small bowls, plastic containers with lids, wooden spoons, plastic spoons, measuring
cups, measuring spoons, parchment paper, and Three Recipe Cards found in Appendix, plus teacher
provides water; if doing the third MW Twist, teacher provides straws

Preparation Pre-read page 77 of Oh, Ick!, and determine what information to read aloud to students.
Photocopy recipe cards from Appendix.

Instructions
Read aloud the preselected information from page 77 of Oh, Ick! regarding farts.
Divide students into three groups.
Tell each group they are going to follow a unique recipe for making their own fart
putty.
Hand each group its recipe card along with all its supplies. Recipes are found in
Appendix but also written below.
Fart Putty Recipe #1: This recipe contains Borax, so it might be best for older students.
o Step 1:
Pour 8 ounces of white glue into a large bowl.
Add 1 cup of water.
Add enough food coloring to create the desired shade of color.
Stir the ingredients until evenly mixed.
o Step 2:
Pour one cup of very warm water into a second bowl.
Add 1 teaspoons of Borax.
Stir until borax is completely dissolved.
Use a clean spoon (either a plastic spoon or wash the glue off the first
spoon) to mix the Borax.
For thicker fart putty, add more Borax, teaspoon at a time.
o Step 3:
Pour the Borax solution into the bowl with the glue mixture.
Stir constantly for at least two minutes until the consistency is even.
If the coloring or texture seems uneven, continue stirring until satisfied.
 DOWNRIGHT GROSS
o Step 4:
Lay down parchment paper on the table for easy clean-up.
Once the mixture is cool enough to touch, remove it from the bowl.
Massage and knead the putty on the paper until its texture is smooth all over and
stretchy.
Let the putty sit for approximately 10 minutes before playing with it!
Fart Putty Recipe #2: This recipe has liquid starch instead of Borax.
o Step 1:
In a large bowl, pour 8 ounces of white glue.
Add food coloring until the desired color is achieved.
Stir well.
o Step 2:
Pour 8 ounces of liquid starch into the glue mixture.
Stir well until the consistency is even.
Let the mixture rest for approximately five minutes to allow the starch to absorb.
If the texture is lumpy and uneven, continue stirring.
o Step 3:
Lay down parchment paper on a table for easy clean-up.
Remove the mixture from the bowl.
Knead the putty on the paper for approximately five minutes until its texture is
consistently smooth and stretchy.
Let the putty sit for approximately 10 minutes before playing with it!
Fart Putty Recipe #3: This recipe only has two ingredients and is great for younger students.
o Step 1:
Pour 2 tablespoons of dish soap into a bowl.
Add 1 tablespoons of corn starch.
Mix together until the starch dissolves evenly in the dish soap.
Add food coloring until the desired color is achieved.
o Step 2:
With all ingredients still placed inside the bowl, use hands to massage and squeeze
the ingredients together.
Continue doing so until the texture is consistently smooth and stretchy.
o Step 3:
If the putty needs to be more slimy and runny, add more dish soap.
If the putty needs to be more sturdy and dense, add more corn starch.
Knead until the mixture is evenly mixed and has the desired consistency.
After groups make their fart putty, have them come up with a product name.
Teams then conduct a blind test using their fart putty against the Potty Putty provided, to see
which creates the most realistic fart noises.
To begin, Team #1 takes the Potty Putty, along with the fart putty it made, while the two other
groups turn their backs.
DOWNRIGHT GROSS
Team #1 will test the Potty Putty and its fart putty without telling the other teams which product
is being tested.
Teams decide which product they prefer.
Allow all teams to conduct their blind test.
Have teams put their putty in different containers to see if that affects the noises created.

MW Twists:
Teams trade recipe cards to make different fart putty.

Teams make a commercial for their fart putty.

Students make fart noises by using straws. Place the straw in the nook of the elbow
and squeeze the arm tightly so the straw is buried in the flesh. Blow hard into the
straw. Compete to see who can make the loudest fart sound.

 TOP TO BOTTOM
SCABBY
Setting Large and small groups

Materials Grossology by Sylvia Branzie, white glue, green food coloring, red food coloring, small
containers or bowls, craft sticks, toothpicks, petroleum jelly, white tissues, powdered cocoa, measuring
spoons, plastic spoons, and Image of Wound and Image of Scab found in Appendix, plus teacher
provides an optional hair dryer; if doing the second MW Twist, use yellow food coloring

Preparation None

Instructions
Discuss scabs and wounds. Include the following:
o Scabs help protect the body from a wound.
o Scabs begin to form in less than 10 seconds after a person is cut.
o Its not good to pick a scab! If left alone, the scab will heal the wound and fall off by itself.
Ask students about how they got their worst wounds.
Talk about the purpose of a scab.
For older students, read aloud information from pages 50-53 of Grossology.
Tell students they are going to make wounds and scabs.
Instructions for making wounds are as follows:
o In a bowl, scoop a fingerful of petroleum jelly, along with four drops of red food coloring,
and a pinch of powdered cocoa. This will be the blood-colored petroleum jelly.
o Stir the mixture.
o If tissues are 2-ply, separate the sheets to use only one layer.
o Rip out a small rectangle, approximately 2 x 3.
o Select the spot to place the wound; for example, select a forearm.
o Place the tissue at the wound site, and cover it with a small amount of petroleum jelly that
has not been prepared with the food coloring and cocoa.
o Mold the tissue, covered with the petroleum jelly, to form the shape of a wound.
o The side of the wound should be raised slightly higher than the center.
o Smear the blood-colored petroleum jelly in the center of the wound.
o Place extra cocoa powder on the edges of the wound; then gently blend the colors to make
the edges dark.
o Add a little cocoa powder to the center of the wound if desired, and blend as needed.
TOP TO BOTTOM
Instructions for making scabs are as follows:
o In a bowl, mix together one teaspoon of white glue along with six drops of red and one
drop of green food coloring.
o Apply the mixture to the skin with the craft stick.
o The thicker the scab mixture, the more disgusting the scab will appear.
o Use the tip of a toothpick to add stitches or other details to the wound.
o Allow scab mixture to dry.
o Once dried, the mixture will wrinkle and become scab-like.
o Optional: Use a hair dryer to speed up the process.

MW Twists:
Give students challenges of creating different types of wounds, such as a scraped
knee from a bicycle accident.

Use yellow food coloring, or mix several food colors, to make wounds appear
infected.

 OH YUCK
Join the Rat Race
Setting Large and small groups

Materials 1000 Awesomely Gross & Disgusting Facts, remote-controlled rats, and masking tape, plus
teacher provides items from around the classroom; if doing the first MW Twist, use masking tape and re-
mote-controlled rats, plus teacher provides paper; if doing the second MW Twist, teacher provides items
found throughout the classroom

Preparation Pre-read pages 158 and 159, 173, and 213 from 1000 Awesomely Gross & Disgusting Facts,
and decide what to read aloud to students. If doing the first MW Twist, teacher uses masking tape to cre-
ate starting lines and finish lines for each team.

Instructions
Teacher reads pages 162 and 163 aloud from 1000 Awesomely Gross & Disgusting Facts.
Divide students into four teams.
Give each team one set of index cards and one brown bag filled with items.
Instruct students not to look inside the bag.
Make sure the index cards are placed downward so students do not see what is written on them.
Taking turns, players within each team will choose a card and feel around the bag without looking
inside to locate the correct item.
The first team to successfully find all the items is declared the winner.

MW Twists:
Have a rat race. Divide students into two teams, and designate a starting line and a
finish line. Each team takes a wadded-up piece of paper for its rat to push while
racing to the finish line. The team with the fastest rat is declared the winner.

Create an obstacle course for a rat race. Using items found around the classroom,
students create obstacles such as ramps, inclines, tunnels, and turnabouts for their
rats to maneuver around.
THATS DISGUSTING
Eaters of the Dead
Setting Large and small groups

Materials Crazy Bonez, modeling clay, chopsticks, plastic tweezers, sand timer, and masking tape; if
doing the first MW Twist, teacher provides paper and writing utensils; if doing the second MW Twist,
teacher provides black construction paper and chalk

Preparation Set aside three piles of modeling clay, ensuring each pile has the same amount of clay. Use
masking tape to create a starting line for three teams.

Instructions
Discuss animals that eat dead animals. A few examples are as follows:
o Vultures
o Hyenas
o Dogs
Tell students they are going to prepare a dead animal carcass and then compete in a race.
Divide students into three teams.
Give each team one animal skeleton and some modeling clay; the amount of clay needs to be the
same for each team because they will be conducting a race.
Tell students they will be covering their animal skeleton with clay, which will represent animal
skin and muscle.
Instruct teams to strategize about how to place the clay over the skeleton because the race will
entail them trading their skeleton with another team and then competing to be the fastest at
picking off the clay, using chopsticks and tweezers.
After all teams have covered their skeletons with clay, each team will trade skeletons with each
other for the race.
Place the animals at the far end of the room, opposite the starting line for each team.
Place chopsticks and a plastic tweezer next to each animal.
Teacher confirms that each team will be working on an animal it did not create.
To begin the game, the teacher will start the sand timer and say, Go!
The first player from each team will race down to the animal, select either chopsticks or tweezers,
and begin picking off the clay.
When the timer runs out, the teacher will say, Stop, and the players will run back to their team.
Players take turns repeating this process until one of the animals has been completely devoured,
with no clay remaining on the skeleton.
The team that removed the clay the fastest is declared the winner.
 THATS DISGUSTING
MW Twists:
Students create a Roadkill Diner Menu, using their creativity to write humorous
descriptions and, if desired, illustrations.

Students create chalk outlines of roadkill on black construction paper. Once

completed, students can trade their drawings with other students to guess the
animal drawn.