Moss Safari as a Science Club Activity

I asked my local secondary school if they would like to have a Moss Safari as part of their science club. The science team agreed and I worked with two science teachers in delivery three one hour after school sessions of Moss Safari. The sessions were run for Year 8 (12 & 13 year olds) and we had between 12 and 15 students for the three sessions. They were advertised via their tutor groups and science teachers.

Image 1. Science teacher looking at the finds of students (Permission given to use this photograph – with thanks).

Session 1: Introducing Moss Safari

This was a demonstration lesson where I introduced moss, the organisms that they may observe and showed the group a live Moss Safari using a camera image projected onto the laboratory board.

I started by asking what the students thought might live in moss.

The students offered ideas that included:

• The vague unscientific: “small bugs” and “creatures”
• Reasonable, but incorrect,  guesses: “small ants” and “woodlice”
• The general accurate: “microscopic insects” and “bacteria and viruses”
• The specific accurate: “tiny worms” and “tardigrades”

Then students were given the ‘Big Five at low magnification’ and the ‘Big Five at low magnification’ identification sheets.

The live Moss Safari took place where we found a few nematodes and a possible moving rotifer.

For the next session students were encouraged to bring in their own small piece of moss to study using their school microscopes.

Image 2. Ryan looking at his moss sample (Parental permission to use photo – with thanks)

Sessions 2 and 3: Doing your own Moss Safari

Most students brought their own moss sample from home, a few collected moss from a nearby outdoor area near the school laboratory.

We had students who worked in pairs or alone, using their school microscopes. We used the Big Five at low and high magnifications

Students said that the best part about the session was:

• Finding two tardigrades
• Looking at moss through a microscope
• Looking to see all the creatures
• Getting to understand the world
• Doing the practical

Image 3. Taking photos of their finds. (Permission granted to use photograph – with thanks)

Concluding thoughts

I really enjoyed working with these students. They were so enthusiastic. They were fascinated by the introductory Moss Safari and they enjoyed searching their own moss samples. It was great seeing them arrive with moss they had found, doing the moss squeeze and finding the organisms they had learnt about.

We had one students who seemed to find numerous nematodes, others faced the challenge finding anything, but there was always excitement whenever someone encountered a tardigrade.

Thanks to the staff at Longhill School, Brighton who allowed me to try out a Moss Safari with their Science Club and to the lab technician, Pat who prepared the equipment each week.