School science technicians are essential to the running of any science department. It has been a pleasure to see so much interest and support for Moss Safari from them. This term I have been invited to present Moss Safari at two technician conferences. One in Portsmouth and one in Worthing.
Portsmouth Moss Safari
It’s not often that we get more than 2 or 3 of the Big Five in one session of Moss Safari and I haven’t seen the Big Five in one sitting, but the Bohunt Schools Science Technicians managed to get four of the five!
I was invited to present a Moss Safari at The Priory School in Portsmouth on Tuesday 27th June 2023 to all the science technicians who work for the Bohunt Multi-Academy Trust schools as part of their INSET.
I was a bit worried about the moss I had brought with me, as I had collected it from the drain down pipe after the rain storms last week. It had been extremely dry, so I kept in mineral water in my office for about 8 days ahead of the event. Although it was soaked, in the heat, it had become a bit smelly! Though I needn’t have worried.
I did a live Moss Safari for the group of about 20 technicians and we saw rotifers doing various things: stationary, walking and feeding. There were a couple that were probably dead which could have a closer look at.
Up next came some nematodes, they were mostly adults, one over a millimeter long.
Along the way we saw a variety of other things including a scale from a butterfly wing and something that may have been a bird feather barb, but the latter I am unsure. We also saw some beautiful leaves of the moss, that were about 0.5 long and we could see the cell structure.
Just as we were giving up on the slide, we came across a tardigrade. A red, armored tardigrade that was stationary and we could have a good look at the mouth, red eye spots and claws on its legs.
The technicians then had a go themselves and found nematodes, rotifers, a couple of tardigrades and a moss mite!
Worthing Moss Safari
This took place at Worthing College where I was invited back by Surrey and Sussex Science Learning Partnership to their annual technician conference. I presented in the morning of Tuesday 4th July to about 20 technicians. We had a tardigrade bonanza! With many sightings of active eutardigrades and a few other mystery organisms.
Here are a selection of pictures of the tardigrades an egg (possibly tardigrade) and a UMO (Unidentified Microscopic Organism) which might be a worm, but looks like a bent slug!
Feedback
I always ask Moss Safari participants to complete a feedback form to help me evaluate and improve Moss Safari. From the technicians that completed the feedback, this is a sample of what they said:
What, for you, were the highlights of the Moss Safari?
Finding tardigrade
I saw a nemotode and that is pretty snazzy
It’s interesting
Learning something new and being able to carry this out as a practical for the students
Finding a tardigrade!!
Living rotifer eating something
Finding a moss Mite
Seeing the single cell organisms
Looking for samples ourselves
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Thank you. And happy mossing!
Moss Safari 