I chose this activity because we have been working outdoors, writing in journals, finding things for the rotting log activity, and I wanted to have something to study for the entire school year. I liked this activity because the students enjoyed creating the terrarium and watching the changes. It became especially exciting when we added a wolf spider and were able to watch her make an egg sac. The only thing I did change for my students is the amount of observation. We observed the terrarium once a month. The terrarium is still in our room and we plan on taking everything back to the woods near the end of school. I used this activity in relation to the SFO Water Cycle activity. Since there is always condensation on the terrarium glass, my students could tie-in the water cycle models with our terrarium. We are now wolf spider experts! The great thing about the terrarium is that students were able to see the spider make the base of her egg sac, pat it down with her legs, drop her eggs into the sac, then attach the sac to her backside. When the eggs didn't hatch and the spider died, the lesson was able to return to decomposition!

Sherie Davis
Seventh and Eighth Grade Special Education
New Richmond Middle School
New Richmond, Ohio 45157

---

My students enjoyed having a slice of the forest in their classroom.

Mia Celium--Teacher
Sowbug Elementary
Leavesville, OH