Tiny Creatures, Big Impact: Animating Insect Helpers with Keynote

Kindergartners may be small, but their ideas are mighty—especially when it comes to understanding the natural world. In this project, our littlest learners stepped into the role of environmental scientists and animators, uncovering how insects impact the Earth in helpful ways. Armed with curiosity and creativity, they turned their discoveries into motion graphic stories using Keynote on iPad. 

Launch:

We began with a big question: “How might we help our outdoor environment at EPiC?” Students explored outside with iPad capturing results of their investigation. We curated all our ideas on sticky notes. Students decided one of the best ways to help our outdoor environment was to take care of insects and critters!

Research:

Students dove into research, learning about pollination, seed dispersal, decomposition, and more. As they explored books, videos, and hands-on discussions, they began to see insects not just as bugs, but as essential players in the ecosystems around us. Bees, for instance, pollinate flowers and help grow the food we eat. Worms aerate the soil. Birds are great seed dispersers.

Create:

With their newfound knowledge, students selected an insect to showcase and drafted a plan for how they would animate it in action. Using Keynote, they created layered visuals with shapes and motion paths to show how their chosen insect helps the Earth. Some students even used Apple Pencil to add unique artistic flair to their backgrounds and characters.

Showcase:

And then came the best part—sharing their work! We hosted a “Tiny Creatures, Big Impact” showcase for families and school community members. Students proudly presented their videos, explaining the role of their insect and the design choices behind their animations. It was a celebration not just of learning, but of voice, creativity, and confidence.

Reflection:

Through this project, our kindergarteners became scientists, artists, designers, and communicators. With iPad as their creative tool, they discovered that even the smallest creatures—and the smallest learners—can make a big impact.

➡️ How could you use motion graphics to bring learning alive?