Easy Roly Poly Experiments for Young Learners

Are your students captivated by roly polies? I often hear shrieks of delight outside as my kids find roly polies in the mulch, pick them up, and let them run on their hands. They love watching the roly polies curl up in a ball and patiently wait for them to unroll and start walking again. What if you could turn those moments of excitement into fun and educational science experiments to explore the world of roly polies?

These two hands-on experiments will help your students from toddlers to early elementary understand the type of habitat that roly polies prefer, and exercise their observational skills!

A Little Background on Roly Polies

Roly polies, also known as pill bugs, woodlice, or potato bugs, are small crustaceans often found in damp places like under rocks or logs. They are decomposers, eating decaying plants and dead animals to help recycle nutrients into the soil. Being nocturnal, they are most active at night searching for food. Here’s free poster with roly poly (pill bug) facts.

For these experiments you will need to collect at least six roly polies per class or small group to provide enough data to record. To find roly polies for these look in shady areas under flowerpots, old logs, damp leaves, or mulch.

Safety and Ethical Considerations

• Remind children to hold roly polies gently and wash their hands afterward.
• Emphasize the importance of always returning the roly polies to their natural habitat after the experiment. We should be good stewards of our environment while completing our observations! If possible, release the roly polies as a class.

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Two Easy Roly Poly Experiments

Get your students excited about roly polies with these two simple experiments! Both activities have similar setups.

To make your planning easier, you can purchase Roly Poly/Pill Bug Science Experiments in my TPT store. The resource includes lesson plans, observation sheets for different levels, a blank template to create your own experiments, and additional variable ideas to test.

Experiment 1: Do Roly Polies Prefer Dry or Damp Habitats?

Objective:

Your students will observe whether roly polies prefer damp or dry environments.

Materials:

• Foil container with paper lid (4”x6” food containers on Amazon)
• Snap-together building blocks OR small pieces of cardboard from container lid
• Tape
• Paper towel
• Spray bottle with water
• Observation sheet (available in my store)
• 6 or more roly polies per person or group

Getting Started:

• Ask students what they know about roly polies. (Optional: Make an anchor chart of their responses. Make your own or get your free anchor chart labels here.)
• If your students have encountered roly polies outside, ask them where they found them.
• Explain that, students will observe roly poly behavior to see if they prefer a damp or dry habitat.
• Pass around a roly poly in a clear container for students to observe.

Setting Up the Experiment:

1. Use small building blocks to make a wall in the middle of the foil container, leaving a small opening in the center. Secure the wall with tape if needed. Optionally, a wall can be set up with pieces of cardboard and tape. See photos below.
2. Place a damp paper towel on one side.
3. Now, put a dry paper towel on the other side.
4. Add an even number of roly polies near the center of the container.

Observation and Recording:

• Check the roly polies after 10 minutes.
• Count the number on each side and record your data on your chart. For younger children, observe and talk about what you see.
• If desired, check and record after another 5-10 minutes.

Share the Observations:

• Discuss which side the roly polies preferred: damp or dry.
• Ask students why they think the roly polies move to the wet or the dry side.
• Discuss what we can learn about where roly polies like to live.

Conclusion:

Summarize the experiment with your students. Highlight that roly polies prefer damp locations because they need moisture to breathe. Moist areas are often cooler than dry areas, and roly polies like to stay cool. Explain to your students that animals choose places to live that meet their needs.

Objective:

Students will observe whether roly polies prefer dark or light habitats.

Materials:

• Foil containers with paper lids (approximately 4”x6”)
• Snap-together building blocks or pieces of cardboard from lid
• Tape
• Spray bottle with water
• Observation sheet (make your own or purchase here)
• 6 or more roly polies per group
• Flashlight or small lamp (optional)

Getting Started:

If you did Experiment #1, review what your class discovered. You should have seen that roly polies prefer damp habitats. Ask students what they know about roly polies now. (Optional: Make an anchor chart of their responses. Make your own or get your free anchor chart labels here.)

Setting Up the Experiment:

1. Use small building blocks to make a wall in the middle of the foil container, leaving a small opening in the center. Secure the wall with tape if needed. Option: Make a wall using pieces of cardboard and tap.
2. Mist the bottom of the container slightly to keep it damp.
3. Place an even number of roly polies near the center of the container.
4. Cut the cardboard lid in half and cover one side of the container. If desired, shine a flashlight or lamp on the open side to make a light source.

Observing and Recording:

• After 10 minutes, check which side of the container the roly polies prefer.
• Count and record the number of roly polies on each side. For younger children, observe and discuss without formal recording.
• If students are engaged, leave the roly polies for 10 more minutes and compare the numbers with the first observation.

Sharing the Discoveries:

• Discuss with the children which side the roly polies preferred and why they think that might be.
• Encourage them to think about where rolie polies live and what factors might influence their preference for dark or light environments.

Conclusion:

Wrap up by summarizing the findings with the children. You should have found that roly polies prefer dark environments, which are cool and damp. This not only gives them the right conditions to breathe but also provides a place they can hide from predators.

If you students love roly polies as much as mine do, you’ll want to add more roly poly activities to your day. In my TPT shop there is a bundle that contains these two experiments and two additional roly poly activities. Get it here:

Do you want your students to learn the parts of plants with hands-on activities? Read about two easy, low-cost experiments here: Grow Basil from Cuttings and Regrowing Mint.

STEM Skills & Lesson Objectives

Subject	Skill
Science	Observing roly poly behavior to see if they prefer wet or dry habitats and whether they like dark or light habitats.
Technology
Engineering	Building a container to conduct the experiements.
Math	Counting roly polies, timing the experiment and comparing results with other students.
Additional Skills	Asking questions, recording observations, and designing additional experiments.

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Age Group Adaptations & Tips

Two-Year-Olds: This age group wants to explore! Focus on simple observation without formal counting. After each experiment, ask the children which side of the container has more roly polies.

Three-Year-Olds: Introduce basic counting and comparison skills without formal recording. Children can compare the number of roly polies on each side of the container. If you have divided the class into groups to set up multiple experiments, the class can compare the results of all the groups.

Four-Year-Olds: Use a recording sheet to keep track of observations. Ask the students if they have any ideas why the roly polies acted like they did.

Kindergarten and Up: Use more detailed recording sheets and encourage independent or small group observations.