Bug school

"Bug School" was in session for the month of June at Sundance Elementary School's summer session. Students in grades kindergarten through sixth grade enjoyed a plethora of activities devoted to the study and learning of insects.

The upper grades collected, pinned and identified insects from the playground, pond area and the Sundance hill near the school. The collection will live in the library for all students to learn from and observe.

The students researched entomophagy (eating insects) and baked with cricket powder, studied exoskeletons, insect pheromones, and taxonomy of living things, and created insect traps.

The younger students learned through a variety of crafts, snacks and other hands-on lessons to keep them engaged all month. They made whisk dragonflies, embroidered bees on flyswatters, knotted yarn centipedes, danced and recited entomologist tunes, cooked up some ants on a log and butterfly quesadillas, researched and wrote about ladybugs and dragonflies and caught insects on the playground (and at home) to share with classmates.

All students enjoyed trying cricket powder chocolate chip cookies and dill pickle-flavored crickets, a visit from Rocky Courchaine and Doug Carter with their honey bees, a presentation and sweep net activity with UW researcher and entomologist Scott Schell, learning how monarch butterflies are tracked and released from ranger Katie from Keyhole State Park, and weekly visits with Miss Tonia from the library and Miss Sara from the UW extension office.

While "Bug School" has come to an end, the enthusiasm for these not-so-creepy critters will likely live on. If you hear a student declaring they have "lepidoptera" in their stomach, that they are as quick as "orthoptera," or that they saw "footless larvae of Diptera," be sure to ask these young entomologists to tell you more!