Hydra in the classroom

Resources and information for K-12 Educators and Community Outreach programs

Hydra are easy to work with and provide opportunities for students of all ages to
experience hands-on exploration of a range of biological concepts.

Hydra provide great opportunities for students to observe a living creature under the microscope, but are also large enough to see with the naked eye.

They are great hunters, and students can watch how they catch and devour brine shrimp (sea monkeys).

But most fascinating of all: students can watch Hydra regenerate missing body parts, or completely regrow from a small piece of dissected tissue – in a matter of days!

Get started

The following is a list of suggested resources and tools for introducing young students to biological research in Hydra.

LESSON PLANS

Watch for more lesson plans to come – and if you have suggestions for lessons, Abby Primack, Juliano Lab at UC Davis would love to hear from you.

GET STARTED
Contact Abby to order Hydra and brine shrimp (their food source) for your classroom.

Cell Rep. 2017 Feb 7;18(6):1410-1421

Questions? Contact the Juliano Lab.