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PlayOwl

31 topics · Preschool to Grade 8

How animals work

How do fish breathe underwater, and how do bats find their way in the dark? These topics look closely at the clever ways animals live. Children see how honey bees share directions with a waggle dance, how spiders build webs, how ants follow trails and how birds build nests. Pets get their own topics: cat whiskers and claws, why dogs pant and what a dog's body language means. Farm animals are here too, from how a cow digests grass to how sheep grow wool and how a chick hatches. Each topic has an animated explanation, a look inside, a simulation to try and a challenge, at three levels from preschool to middle school.

  1. 1Watch it
  2. 2Look inside
  3. 3Try it
  4. 4Solve a challenge
  5. 5Go deeper

31 topics in Animals

Animals

#94 Animals How do bees make honey? Follow nectar from flowers to the hive. Explore how bees process it, remove water, and store the resulting honey in honeycomb cells. #95 Animals How does a caterpillar become a butterfly? Arrange the egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, and butterfly stages. Use a time slider and close-up animations to explore the changes during metamorphosis. #96 Animals How do fish breathe underwater? Follow water across a fish's gills and explore oxygen moving into its blood. Compare the structures and functions of gills and lungs. #97 Animals How do bats find their way in the dark? Send sound pulses through a dark virtual cave and interpret returning echoes. Use their timing and direction to locate obstacles and insects. #98 Animals How do spiders spin webs? Explore silk production and build an orb web using anchor lines, spokes, and a spiral. Touch different sections and watch vibrations travel. #100 Animals How do coral reefs grow? Zoom into reef-building coral polyps and watch their skeletons accumulate over time. Explore how growing reefs provide shelter for many other living things. #201 Animals How do a cat's whiskers work? Explore how whiskers detect contact and nearby air movement around a virtual cat. #202 Animals How does panting help dogs cool down? Follow airflow and compare evaporation under different simulated conditions. #203 Animals How do pets learn commands and routines? Teach a virtual pet actions using clear cues and consistent positive rewards. #204 Animals How do cats extend and retract their claws? Operate the muscles and tendons inside a transparent paw. #205 Animals How does an aquarium stay clean and healthy? Balance feeding, filtration, oxygen, and helpful bacteria in a virtual aquarium. #206 Animals How do dogs communicate without words? Compare posture, expressions, sounds, and context to explore different signals. #207 Animals How do mosquitoes develop and find food? Follow their life cycle and compare how adult females and males obtain food. #208 Animals How can flies transfer germs between surfaces? Track harmless markers on virtual fly feet as they contact different surfaces. #209 Animals How do fleas live on pets and around homes? Follow eggs, larvae, pupae, and adults through a model home. #210 Animals How do ants follow scent trails? Lay scent trails, introduce obstacles, and watch ants find routes to food. #211 Animals How do honeybees share the location of food? Decode a simplified waggle dance and guide bees toward the matching flower patch. #212 Animals How do paper wasps build nests? Follow wood fibers through chewing and shaping into a nest's paper cells. #213 Animals How do birds build nests? Compare designs and arrange virtual materials that support model eggs. #214 Animals How does a chick grow and hatch inside an egg? Use a transparent egg and time slider to explore development and hatching. #215 Animals How do ducks keep their feathers water-resistant? Inspect feather structure, animate preening, and compare water on different surfaces. #216 Animals How do squirrels store and find food? Hide virtual nuts and explore how changing landmarks affect finding them again. #217 Animals How does hibernation help animals survive winter? Follow changes in activity, temperature, and energy use during a simulated winter. #218 Animals How do snails build their shells? Follow calcium into a growing shell using a simplified growth model. #219 Animals How does animal fur keep warmth in? Compare coats and explore how trapped air affects heat loss. #220 Animals How do cows digest grass? Follow grass through a ruminant digestive system, including cud-chewing and microbial fermentation. #221 Animals How do cows produce milk? Trace nutrients into milk-producing tissue and follow milk through a simplified udder. #222 Animals How do sheep grow wool? Explore follicles, fiber growth, and changes in fleece before and after shearing. #223 Animals How do chickens grind food without teeth? Follow feed through the crop and gizzard, observing storage and grinding. #224 Animals How do homing pigeons find their way back? Compare navigation cues such as landmarks and sunlight in a simplified journey. #225 Animals How do cats clean themselves with their tongues? Zoom into tongue structures and follow their role in grooming fur.

Keep exploring

Games to play

  • Habitat Builder 3DFind the right home for frogs, camels, polar bears and more.
  • Classification ExplorerSort living things by what you can see, then follow and build yes-or-no keys.
  • Forest Trails PhotosCreep up on the animals of a big forest valley and take the closest, best wildlife photos you can, without startling them.

Guide for grown-ups

Science games by grade

Science worksheets by grade