A r c h i v e d I n f o r m a t i o n

BUGS!

Some bugs help us, some annoy us, and some are downright dangerous. But you can learn a lot from bugs.

What you'll need

An insect guide and a spider guide from the bookstore or library--preferably ones with pictures
Your magnifying glass
Your science journal

What to do

Search your home and neighborhood for bugs.
Grown-up alert!
Look:
Around your front door
In cracks in the sidewalk
On lamps
On lights hanging from the center of the room
On plants
In crevices in drawers
In corners of rooms
Identify types of bugs using the guides. Did you find:
Ants?
Spiders?
Fleas?
Silverfish?
Moths?
Flies?
Ladybugs?
Ants can teach us how some insects work together as a community.
Watch ants scurry in and out of their ant hills or find some spilled food on the sidewalk.
Do they eat their food on the spot, or carry it back to their anthill?
When an ant finds food, it runs back to the hill to "tell" the others. As it runs, it leaves a trail that other ants in the hill can smell. The ants find the food by smelling their way along the trail.
Find out what the difference is between an insect and a spider.
Why do spiders spin webs?
What are webs made of?
Write down possible answers to all these questions in your journal or draw pictures of what you see.

Bugs do what they do to survive. They are constantly looking for food. Some bugs are both good and bad. Termites, for example, have a nasty reputation because they destroy peoples houses by eating the wood. But they also break down old trees, keeping the forest floor from becoming too cluttered with dead trees.

Bubbles It Floats!