Create a Classroom Roly Poly Habitat: Easy STEM Project

Setting up a classroom roly poly habitat is an exciting way to bring science into your classroom.  Originally, I created a holding tank to supply roly polies for classroom experiments. After the experiments ended, I noticed the kids couldn’t get enough of watching the roly polies. They were so interested that we decided to turn the temporary tank into a classroom roly poly habitat for the school year.

Not only are roly polies easy to care for, but they also provide a fun way to connect kids with nature. They’re safe to handle and don’t bite, making them a great “classroom pet.”

Why Roly Polies Are Great for Classroom Habitats

Roly polies, also known as pill bugs or woodlice, are an excellent choice for classroom science for several reasons:

• Low Maintenance: Compared to other pets, they’re easy to care for. No one needs to take them home over the weekend or vacations during the school year.
• Safe: They don’t bite or sting, and most kids enjoy holding them.
• Fun to Watch: Roly polies have interesting behaviors, like rolling into balls when touched.
• Connect Kids with Nature: Students can look for roly polies at home with their families and learn how these little creatures are part of the ecosystem.
• Free: If you live in an area with roly polies, take your class on a roly poly hunt to stock your habitat.
• Set Them Free: When your class has tired of the roly poly habitat, you can release the isopods back to where you found them.

How to Set Up a Classroom Roly Poly Habitat

Creating a roly poly habitat is easy! Here’s how you can do it:

• Use a terrarium or an unused aquarium with a lid with small holes for air circulation. If you have a fishbowl or other container without a lid, poke holes in a piece of plastic wrap and attach it to the container with a rubber band.

• Add a layer of damp soil. I used a mixture of peat moss and organic potting soil for our habitat.
• Add a mix of decomposing leaves, bark, and small sticks. I found that the roly polies love to collect on the underside of damp bark.

• Roly polies like dark, damp places to hide. Add moss, small rocks, and wood pieces.
• For food, give them small amounts of fruits and veggies, like apple slices or carrot peels. One week, we added a small stem of broccoli to the habitat. Over the next two weeks, we watched as the roly polies ate the florets and then slowly consumed the stem. This led to conversations about which vegetables my students liked to eat.  
• Try different foods to provide a variety of nutrients. Have the students keep track of which foods the roly polies eat.

• Mist the soil weekly to keep it moist. Remove leftover food so it doesn’t mold.
• Each month, change out the bark, sticks, and leaves to keep the habitat fresh.

• Place your habitat in a shady spot in the classroom.
• Avoid heating units. Roly polies prefer cooler temperatures.

Once the roly polies are in the habitat, there’s so much you can do with them:

• Observation Pages: Have kids draw what they see, like how the roly polies move or interact. My habitat guide includes printable pages for this.
• Simple Experiments: Explore how they respond to light, moisture, or other changes.
• Classroom Jobs: Give kids the weekly job of feeding the roly polies or changing out the leaves and bark.
• Home/School Connection: Kids love discovering things they can find in their backyards. Encourage them to go on a “roly-poly hunt” with their families at home or in a park.

More Ways to Explore Roly Poly Habitats with STEM Connections

Pair your roly poly habitat with other science activities:

• Observation Memory Game: Remove an item from the habitat and see if kids can find what’s missing. This sharpens observation skills and is great for group activities. (read more about observation games here)
• Use Pipettes: Instead of misting the habitat, give one student the job of watering the habitat by using a pipette and a small cup of water. Remind them to water the habitat and not the roly polies because, while roly polies like damp spaces, they don’t like to be watered.  (Check out my blog post, Pipettes in Preschool: Fun Science and Fine-Motor Activities)
• Magnifying Glass Fun: Let kids get an up-close look at the roly polies’ legs, antennae, and movements. (Check out my blog post, Introducing Preschoolers to Magnifying Fun.)
• Roly Poly Experiments: Set up experiments to see if roly polies like a dark or light habitat and whether they like damp or dry ground. (Read more about these experiments here: Easy Roly Poly Experiments for Young Learners

Tips to Keep Your Habitat Healthy

• Don’t handle the roly polies too much so they stay happy and healthy.
• Refresh the soil, leaves, and other materials monthly.
• Let kids help care for the habitat—it’s a great way to teach responsibility.
• Keep the habitat is a cool place away from heat sources.
• Keep the roly poly habitat out of the window and away from bright light sources.

Building a roly poly habitat in the classroom allows kids to exercise many different valuable STEM skills, including:

A classroom roly poly habitat is an easy and exciting way to bring science to life. It’s hands-on, low-cost, and keeps kids engaged as they watch, learn, and even help care for their new “classroom pets.”

If you’re ready to set one up, check out my Build a Roly Poly Habitat guide. It has everything you need to get started, including tips, observation pages, and experiments. Whether it’s a temporary project or a permanent addition to your classroom, your students will love it!