Flying Lizards

Event Year: 2025
Event Location: Cocoa-FL
Competition: Critter Comfort Cottage
Division: 3-5
School: Suntree Elementary
Team Name: Flying Lizards
Project Name: The Leaping Lizard Cottage
Team Size: 4

Team Members:

Lilly B.-3rd grade, Nina C.-4th grade, Evie C.-3rd grade, Lillian R. -3rd grade

We made a house for a Brown Anole Lizard because they are very common in Florida. We all have access to the Brown Anole Lizard. We decided to make a house for a lizard because they don’t have common homes. We wanted to put the house in a tree so that predators like snakes and cats can’t get to them. We also wanted to build a home for the for lizards because they eat pests like ants, spiders, and cockroaches. When we researched we found that lizards are great climbers so we put the house in a tree with a string so they can get in. They also like warm places so we made the roof with aluminum cans so the lizard can sunbathe. We made the walls out of sticks from our yard. On the inside we put two beds and a plant. One bed was made of a jar top and an old T shirt. The other was made of sticks and an old towel.

Materials:

– sticks from outside	– aluminum cans
– hot glue	– popsicle sticks
– top of a plastic bottle	– plywood
– plant	– old T shirt (lizard bed)
– old towel (lizard bed)	– garden twine
– clip

Video:

Meeting Log:

February 10 2025	We picked an animal and designed our cottage on paper. We researched a little bit of the brown anole lizards.
February 17 2025	We came up with what materials to use and continued designing.
February 24 2025	The team built the frame of the lizard cottage and some of the walls.
March 3 2025	We finished building the walls of the lizard house and started designing the inside.
March 10 2025	The team put the lizard’s furniture in the house and put on the roof. We also started working on the website.
March 24 2025	We put the lizard cottage on the tree for the critter test and continued working on the website.
March 31 2025	We worked on the video and talked about the critter test.
April 7 2025	We taped the video and worked on the marketing commercial.

Critter Test:

We let the lizard cottage hang in a tree for twelve days. Some days it was windy and rainy. It survived! We checked on it every day. Sadly we didn’t see a lizard. Then we put it on a porch for 4 days. But still no lizards.

Outside Help:

Lillian’s dad helped cut the plywood (bottom). Lillian’s mom helped cut the bottle top. She also cut the cans (roof).

Resources:

Museum of Arts & Science- https://www.moas.org/Lizards-of-Florida-1-7779.html

Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens- https://www.jacksonvillezoo.org/blog/posts/local-lizards#:~:text=Brown%20Anole&text=They%20are%20always%20brown%20(cannot,have%20a%20red%2Forange%20dewlap.

Kids Britannica- https://www.britannica.com/animal/anole