In my house, bugs are treated like revered pets. Not that we have all that many of them, fortunately, but the ones that do wander in from wherever, especially caterpillars, are usually pronounced "cute" before they are escorted outside. Except spiders. What is everyone's freaking problem with spiders, and when did I get appointed Spider Monitor? Oh well, I don't mind them anymore, and I take them outside too.
So it only makes sense that kids be given an opportunity to examine bugs on a one-on-one basis. After all, there's a natural fascination there. When we lived in Colorado, one of our favorite places was the Butterfly
Pavilion, special because of the giant green preying mantis outside and
the room full of butterflies inside. So how about an insect festival? Roach races? Well, they may not be for everyone. Neither are the meal-worm lollipops or the chocolate-covered crickets. Um...EWWW. And, yes, bugs are eaten in many cultures, but my kids think they're cute and aren't likely to want to eat them.
But back to learning about bugs. I think it's essential to understand that as inconvenient as it may be at times, they have a necessary (I guess) place in our lives and as part of the environment. Plus, kids love them.
I leave you with this:
Nobody likes me, everybody hates me,
Guess I'll go eat worms,
Long, thin, slimy ones; Short, fat, juicy ones,
Itsy, bitsy, fuzzy wuzzy worms.
