Many are insects they can hold. Last is a collection of preserved insects with representatives of many different types from throughout the world. Some come from tropical rain forests. Always, Grant urges students to go to the map and find the insects' homes. The kids often know quite a bit about insects even before the UT scientists get to their school.
Teachers typically introduce the subject several days or even weeks before the zoo arrives.
Then they continue those topics after his visit. That's the whole point, Grant said. Not just to feel a giant cockroach in your hand, but to become aware of your surroundings, to learn to ask questions, to learn how to learn. As a child growing up in Campbell County, Tennessee, Grant never considered entomology as a career. He'd never heard of such a thing.