Can a fish with a sassy attitude or a crab that looks like a sweet treat teach us how to argue better or design our homes?
What if some animals don’t just have wild names, they’ve got wild lessons to teach us, too!
Here are five categories of Curiosity-Based Thinking activities perfect for grades 1-6 (or any lifelong learner!) to turn any curiosity about animals (or strange names) into lifelong learning about science, nature, and a whole lot more!
🐟 Funny Names – Sarcastic Fringehead
What If...? Fringehead Follies
Meet the Sarcastic Fringehead—a feisty little fish with a giant mouth it flashes to scare off rivals!
In this “What If...?” activity, imagine: “What if the Sarcastic Fringehead could talk? What would it say to its underwater neighbors?”
Instructions: Draw or write what the fish might say. Grades 1-3 can make a speech bubble; grades 4-6 can write a short dialogue. Share your sassiest fish lines!
Mouth-Wrestling for the Win!
CBT Strategy: Curiosity Q&A + Reframing
Sarcastic fringeheads aren’t rude—but they do wrestle each other with their mouths wide open. It’s how they show strength and protect their space.
What to Do:
Watch a short video or look at a picture of fringeheads “mouth-fighting.”
Ask students:
Why might these fish wrestle with their mouths instead of fighting with their bodies?
What does this behavior remind you of in humans (sports? arguing? dance battles?)
Reframe the idea: What if humans settled all arguments with goofy, exaggerated gestures?
As a class or in small groups, invent “peaceful mouth-wrestling” alternatives—gestures or silly signals that could help solve problems non-violently.
Extension: Design a "fringehead signal system" for your classroom.
🦈 Magical Names – Goblin Shark
Goblin Guess
The Goblin Shark lurks in the deep sea with a pointy snout and jaws that stretch out like magic! This activity blends “Discovery Learning” and “Curiosity Q&A.” Start by asking: “What do you think a Goblin Shark looks like, just from its name?”
Instructions: Draw your idea, then check out the real Goblin Shark (hint: it’s pinkish with a stretchy jaw!). Talk about surprises—did it look magical to you? Younger kids draw; older ones add three cool facts they learn.
Slingshot Shark Engineering
CBT Strategy: What? to Wow! + Discovery Learning
The goblin shark launches its jaw forward like a slingshot to snatch prey—one of the fastest bites in the sea!
What to Do:
Explore: Read about how goblin sharks use “slingshot feeding.”
Ask:
What does its slingshot jaw do that other sharks’ jaws can’t?
Who are its predators, prey, or competitors in the deep sea? or Who might be inspired by how this jaw works?
When does the goblin shark launch its jaw? or When was this behavior discovered or studied by scientists?
Why is this strategy useful in a deep-sea habitat?
How does the goblin shark’s jaw actually work? or How could this movement be mimicked in a tool, machine, or design?
Huh? How does the shark know exactly when to launch its jaw? or Huh? How does it aim so accurately in total darkness? or Huh? What part of its body allows for such elastic motion? or …?
Wow! What can we invent or improve using the idea of a slingshot-style grabber? or Wow! How might this jaw motion help people in tight or dangerous spaces? or Wow! Could this lead to new tools, sports gear, kitchen gadgets, or even rescue robots?
Students brainstorm and sketch inventions inspired by this movement: snack launchers, robo-mouths, fast grabbers, etc.
Optional Challenge: Build a simple model using rubber bands or craft supplies.
🐞 Fierce Names – Spined Assassin Bug
Assassin Bug Inquiry
The Spined Assassin Bug is a tiny terror with a sharp beak it uses to zap its prey with venom! In this “Curiosity Q&A” activity, ask: “How does the Spined Assassin Bug hunt, and what would happen if it met a bigger bug?”
Instructions: Write or discuss your questions and answers. Grades 1-3 draw the bug attacking; grades 4-6 make a “bug battle” story with extra questions like, “What if it had no spines?”
Assassin Bug Ethics: Nature’s Ninja Courtroom
CBT Strategy: Reframing + Curiosity Conversations
The spined assassin bug kills prey by stabbing them and turning their insides into goo. Fierce, right? But... it’s also part of a healthy ecosystem.
What to Do:
Share its basic facts: hunting style, role in nature, and fierce name.
Set up a pretend courtroom in class. Students take sides:
Prosecution: Is this bug too violent?
Defense: Why is this bug important?
Judge/Jury: Who wins, and why?
Afterward, reflect with a class discussion:
What makes something seem “bad” in nature?
Can something be scary and helpful at the same time?
Extension: Write a “day in the life” from the assassin bug’s point of view.
🦐 Delicious Names – Candy-Striped Hermit Crab
Candy Crab Conundrum
The candy-striped hermit crab looks like it’s dressed for the holidays—but life in the ocean isn’t always so sweet. With bold red-and-white stripes, no shell of its own, and a need to “borrow” a home, this crab’s survival is a constant puzzle.
Curious Question:
How do its candy-like stripes help or hurt its survival—and what challenges does it face without a shell of its own?
Draw the crab and list three ways its stripes help (like hiding or warning enemies). Younger kids label their drawing; older ones write a “crab survival guide” with ideas like, “What if it lost its shell?”
Shell Swap Design Studio
CBT Strategy: Creation + Discovery Learning
Candy-striped hermit crabs don’t grow their own shells—they borrow them and swap them out as they grow!
What to Do:
Learn: Watch how hermit crabs try on different shells to find the best fit.
Ask students to imagine they had to swap their home every time they outgrew it.
Design time! Each student creates their own “perfectly portable home”—it can be fashionable, functional, or just fun.
Display the shell homes and explain the design choices: “Why did you choose this look? How does it protect you or help you grow?”
Optional Twist: Create a real-world challenge (e.g., “Design a house for a kid that grows a foot taller every year!”)
🐵 Just Plain Weird Names – Aye-Aye
Aye-Aye A-Z
The Aye-Aye is a lemur with huge eyes and creepy-long fingers it taps to find bugs in trees! In this “Curiosity A-Z” activity, challenge yourself: “What can we say about the Aye-Aye from A to Z?”
Instructions: Make an A-Z list (like A for “Awesome fingers,” Z for “Zany looks”). Grades 1-3 pick 5-10 letters as a group; grades 4-6 go for the full A-Z solo or in teams. Share your weirdest words!
Tap to Survive: The Jungle Sound Game
CBT Strategy: Discovery Learning + Curiosity A–Z
Aye-ayes use their creepy long fingers to tap on trees, listening for bugs inside. It’s called percussive foraging, and it’s one of the most unique survival skills in the animal kingdom.
What to Do:
Create a simple sound-based game:
Hide a small object in one of several paper cups or boxes.
Students tap each one (no peeking!) and try to guess where the object is, using sound only.
After playing, ask:
What skills did you need to use?
How might this help an animal that hunts in the dark?
Students complete a Curiosity A–Z page:
“A is for Aye-Aye. B is for Burrow…”
Each letter links to something about survival, senses, or jungle life.
Optional: Journal prompt: “What special sense or body part would YOU want if you had to survive in the jungle?”
Let’s Stay Curious (with Learning)!
This activity is a part of a series of ready-to-use Curiosity-Based Thinking activities to make the final weeks of school (or any week of school for that matter!) joyful, meaningful, and filled with questions. Try the activities, tweak them, make them your own—and share what works! Let’s make curiosity our classroom closer, not just our conversation starter.
The next activity drops soonish, and trust me—it’s going to be a scream.
Stay curious,
Matt
Other Parts of this Series:
Last Days, Lasting Curiosity: Curiosity Sparks a Wild End to the School Year
The Screaming Hairy Armadillo may sound like pure fun (and it is!) but it’s also a launchpad for something deeper: meaningful, memorable learning fueled by curiosity.
Wild Names, Wilder Curiosity: Creature-Powered Learning Adventures
Ever met a bird with an umbrella, a salamander called "snot otter," or a fish that wears lipstick? These real-life oddballs from The Screaming Hairy Armadillo are about to spark your students' curiosity in the wildest ways!
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