Show the child an online picture of a dragonfly with the parts identified.
Point out the major parts of the dragonfly, including the head, thorax, legs, compound eyes, wings, genitalia and nine abdominal segments. Have the child note the identification of male and female dragonflies based on the location of the genitalia.
Give the child a blank outline and have her label each part of the dragonfly.
Discuss the feeding habits of dragonflies with the child. Tell her that dragonflies are carnivores and eat other insects such as flies, mosquitoes and even other dragonflies.
Have the child identify the natural habitat of the dragonfly. Dragonflies typically live in wet or swampy areas around lakes, rivers and large puddles of water. Dragonflies live all around the world, including North America, China, Africa, Europe and South America.
Talk with the child about how dragonflies typically live in the country, but also show up in the city after a heavy rainfall. Ask the child if he can recall ever seeing dragonflies near his home.
Discuss the basic life cycle of the dragonfly with the child. Explain how the dragonfly has several life stages, including the egg, nymph and adult stage.
Have the child identify pictures of the dragonfly in different life stages. Allow the child to describe how the dragonfly changes from one stage to another.
Discuss with the child how the dragonfly typically lives less than one year, and how they spend most of their time in each life stage. A dragonfly egg incubates for two to five weeks before hatching into the nymph stage. The dragonfly nymph lives under the water and eats other insects. The nymph can stay in this stage for as long as it wants, often waiting until the following spring to emerge as an adult. The adult dragonflies spend most of their time eating and preparing eggs for the next generation. Adults live about two months.
Roll the clay between your fingers to soften it.
Form the body parts of the dragonfly from realistic colors, such as white for the wings, blue for the body and black for the head and legs.
Stick the body parts of the dragonfly together to form a realistic-looking clay dragonfly.
Allow the clay to air dry for 24 hours before taking the dragonfly home.