Some Animals Come Out at Night

Lab Brief #11

🎯 Your mission

Predict it first. Then prove yourself right (or wrong).

⚡ The twist

Living things break the rules of non-living things — find the rule they break.

What you'll learn

Nocturnal animals such as owls, bats and badgers are awake at night and asleep by day. Big eyes, sharp hearing or a strong sense of smell help them find food in the dark.

Key words

nocturnal
Awake and active at night, asleep during the day.
diurnal
Awake and active during the day, asleep at night.

Make a hypothesis first

Predict: what will happen to the plant if you change the water?

Say your guess out loud — then find out if you were right.

Get ready

🧰 What you need

animal picture cards

⚠️ Safety first

Have an adult check your set-up before you start, and tidy everything away afterwards.

Step 1 of 4 · Read

Think about what you just learned: say what "nocturnal" and "diurnal" mean in your own words before you start.

Step 2 of 4 · Do

Sort ten animal cards into nocturnal and diurnal piles. For each nocturnal animal, name the body part that helps it in the dark.

Step 3 of 4 · Observe

Record what actually happened, including anything that did not match what you expected.

Step 4 of 4 · Record

Write a conclusion that answers the question this lesson opened with, and state your uncertainty.

Question 1 of 2

A nocturnal animal is awake:

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Question 2 of 2

Which helps an owl hunt in the dark?

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Mind = blown

🌳 Trees can talk to each other through underground fungus networks.

Nice work!

You got 0 of 2 right.

All lessons

🎯

Next Smart Experiment

We'll pick an experiment that matches exactly how you're thinking right now.

✨ More to explore

🌍 Where you see this in real life: This is why plants grow toward windows and why scabs form.

🏆 Stretch challenge (try it this week): Watch a plant or pet for 5 minutes today and write down what you noticed.

👨‍👩‍👧 For the dinner table: “Tell me something you noticed about your own body today.”

🐘Share card

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Some Animals Come Out at Night

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