Learning about creepy-crawlies and flying things is as easy as what is in your own backyard.
In many parts of the world, the weather is warm and the bugs are coming out in large numbers. Learning about bugs is a great homeschool lesson or summer activity. If you live in a home with a backyard, there is a whole habitat out there waiting to be explored. For those without their own yard, a park is a great place to look for bugs.
Bug or Insect?
People often use the words "bug" and "insect" to refer to any creepy, crawlie, or small flying thing. However, the words are not actually interchangeable.
Insect
- Insects are invertebates, having no backbone.
- Members of the phylum Arthropoda and of the class Insecta, insects comprise the largest group of living things.
- The body of an insect is in 3 parts - head, thorax, and abdomen.
- Insects usually have three pairs of legs.
- Insects often have two pairs of wings and are born from eggs.
- Insects have exoskeletons, or carry their skeletons on the outside of their body (which is why they make that loud crunch if you step on them! Eeeuuuuww!).
- Examples of insects are termites, dragonflies, and the ground beetle.
Bug
- Insects in the order Hemiptera are known as true bugs. So, bugs are a kind of insect.
- True bugs have certain distinguishing characteristics (that is, if you ever want to get close enough to see them):
- True bugs have a straw-like mouth (called stylets) they use to pierce plants or other bugs to suck out what they need.
- Bugs also have antennae with 4 or 5 segments.
- Bugs mature through three stages: egg, nymph (wingless, looking similar to adult stage), and adult. (Notice that true bugs have no pupa stage, like many other insects.)
- Example of bugs are the stink bug, bed bug, squash bug, and chinch bugs.
Craft
Modeling clay or Playdoh becomes insect art in this project.
- For younger children,have them model simple insects like ants and bees out of clay.
- For older children, have them create clay models of specific insects, as accurate as they can be. Use clay for the bodies, pipe cleaner for antennae and legs, and wax paper or tissue paper for the wings.
- Find a good source for accurate insect pictures to model from. Try Insect ID, Texas A&M's Entymology page (these are bugs common to Texas, but there are many and they have great pictures), or any site or book that has good insect pictures.
Insect Journal
Set aside a special notebook for an insect journal. Keep a list of all insects found. Bug catching tools can be as simple as a pair of teezers and a net or as fancy as an electronic bug-catcher and bug habitat. Remember if you catch insects to keep, make sure they have air holes in their homes!
A handy insect pocket-guide can help identify insects on the spot, or carry a small digital camera to snap pics with to identify later.
Remember, some insects can bite or sting. Always use caution.
Eat An Insect
The University of Kentucky's Department of Entymology has a great web site on insects, plus a whole section of great insect snacks! Well, snacks that go well with an insect lesson - not snacks made of insects! Make some to go wih your lesson.
Check out these websites for more insect info:
- What's That Bug? is a site where readers send in bug pics and ask for help indentifying bugs. The pictures are great and the site is neat. (This is not a kid site, specifically, but generally friendly)
- Believe it or not, the Orkin pest control site has a great section with lesson plans. Visit Orkin's lesson plans section to find good activities.
