Kids & Bugs: Helping Turn “Eeks!” Into “Oohs!”

Digging for worms,
her favorite outdoor pastime.
Does your child scream “Eeeek!!” and run away at the sight of a bug, even one as innocuous as a small ant? (What about you? 😊) Some kids (and adults!) are fascinated by bugs, while others are petrified of anything crawling or flying with more than 4 legs. My daughter, age 2½, really started pointing out and taking an interest in various bugs just a few months ago and, now that the weather is warmer and we’re spending more time outside in our yard, she’s seeing quite a lot! This has been somewhat of a challenge for me, since I fall somewhere in the middle of the “eeks” and the “oohs” – neutral toward most bugs (provided they stay over there), with a few that I like and a few (SPIDERS!) that give me the shivers. My husband and I wanted to encourage her to fall more into the “Ooh!” camp than the “Eek!” one however, so here I’ll share a few of the ways we’re doing so.

Holding an inchworm.
First, show an interest in bugs, and point them out as you see them. For example, my daughter and I often see ants on our walks around the neighborhood. These are a topic of much interest to my daughter and we make a point to stop, look, and describe them (big or small, walking in a line, moving their eggs, brown vs. black ants, etc.). For another example, we’ve been doing a lot of yard work and gardening, and I call my daughter over to look when I find a bug such as a worm, grub, or slug. She and I had a great few minutes watching and helping a grub - which I would normally have stepped on - crawl across our front walkway. My daughter has also taken an interest in worms and has a ‘worm pit’ in our backyard to dig in. The worms got scarce after the first week, but we’ve found and held quite a few. On a humorous note, we found a particularly long worm one day, and my daughter – very excited - picked it up and walked away. A few minutes later, my husband and I heard an upset-sounding, “Uh-oh, I broke it!” I thought, ‘What? How can you break a worm? I must have misheard.’ Sure enough, though, she came running up holding… the two halves of the worm! At that minute, I decided larger pets like gerbils or cats would have to wait! I could have used that as a teaching moment on how worms can be split and still have both pieces survive, but we just put the worms back in the dirt ‘to go to the worm hospital.’ A conversation for another day! As a final example, my daughter was startled and a bit concerned when an inchworm dangled near her (see the picture at left). With some encouragement, however, she put it on her hand and was fascinated by it and how it moved.

Watching caterpillars in her new caterpillar kit.
As I said earlier, I’m not inherently fascinated with insects, so showing an interest can be a challenge, particularly with the creepier ones. However, I try to find out an interesting fact about the bugs she or I don’t like and focus on their unique and special features vs. the ick-factor. For example, I usually move in the opposite direction pretty quickly when I see a spider in its web. However, if my daughter is watching, I try to point out the interesting features of the web, such as dew drops, or the way the spider catches and wraps up its food … while standing at a safe distance! When ants swarmed out of the dirt after I’d accidentally dislodged their home while weeding (unsettling!), I called my daughter over to show her how they carried their eggs away. When I did some research on ants, I was amazed at how orderly their colonies are, and I’ll share a fun fact I learned: Scientists are watching how ant colonies move in hopes of making the Internet faster (“Ultimate,” 2013, pp 102-3)! I have a hard time even reading about spiders, but I was impressed to learn that the goliath bird-eating spider is wider than a basketball (!!), and the world’s smallest spider is smaller than a pinhead (“Ultimate,” 2013, p 119).

Releasing the butterflies
a few days after hatching.
The second way we’re encouraging bugs is by raising some at home. My mother-in-law bought us a butterfly hatching kit (readily available on Amazon, Walmart, Michaels, and other sellers for $25-$40), and we spent two weeks watching the caterpillars/butterflies. My daughter liked seeing the caterpillars, but she really got interested when the butterflies emerged. After a bit of resentment that we had to feed them one of her blueberries, she enjoyed watching them as much as I! She even held a few of them when it was time to let them go. Other bugs you can raise are ants, worms, and even praying mantises! Do what you’re comfortable with, though; we are NOT getting a pet tarantula, for example!

A final encouragement is to read about bugs and/or watch videos about them. The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a hit in our house, but there are many more. Below are a number of resources from the Library System that you can use – books, MCLS blogs, and videos on the MCLS YouTube channel. Best of luck and happy learning!

YouTube Videos

Factual videos and toddler story time videos created by MCLS Youth Services Librarians.

Books

There are a number of great books about insects in the Library System, both fiction and non-fiction. Below is a sampling – some of my favorites – including picture books and non-fiction (fact) books written at various children’s age levels. More non-fiction can be found mostly in the E 595.7, ER 595.7, and J 595.7 areas. (Non-fiction books are shelved using the Dewey Decimal System of numbers. If this sounds confusing, any of our librarians would love to help you find what you’re looking for!)
  • Ten Little Caterpillars by Bill Martin, Jr. (Shelf #: E MAR)
    Illustrations and rhyming text follow ten caterpillars as one wriggles up a flower stem, another sails across a garden pool, and one reaches an apple leaf, where something amazing happens.

  • Aaaarrgghh! Spider by Lydia Monks (Shelf #: E MON)
    A clever spider is lonely and longs to become a family pet.

  • In the Tall, Tall Grass by Denise Fleming (Shelf #: E FLE)
    Rhymed text (crunch, munch, caterpillars lunch) presents a toddler's view of creatures found in the grass from lunchtime till nightfall, such as bees, ants, and moles.

  • Noisy Bug Sing-along by John Himmelman (Shelf #: E HIM)
    Listen closely to the sounds of insects. Together they make a concert! Learn about how they do it.

  • I’m Trying to Love Spiders by Bethany Barton (Shelf #: E 595.4 BAR 2015)
    This fresh and very funny non-fiction picture book shares lots of fascinating facts about spiders in an entirely captivating way. If I'm Trying to Love Spiders doesn't cure your spider phobia, it'll at least make you appreciate how amazing they are...and laugh a lot as you learn about them.

  • Step Gently Out by Helen Frost & Rick Lieder (Shelf #: E 811 FRO 2012)
    Close-up photos and lightly-rhymed declarative verse capture a bug's-eye view of nature and encourage children to experience the world outside their doors with care and openness. Includes insect facts.

  • Ultimate Explorer Field Guide: Insects by Libby Romero (Shelf #: J 595.7 ROM 2017)
    This fun, photo-filled, and fact-packed guide to insects will make kids stop and look for all kinds of these crawling and flying creatures right in their own backyards. From bees to beetles, walking sticks to inchworms, kids will learn how, where, and when to spot these animals all over the United States (and how to keep a safe distance when necessary).

  • You Wouldn’t Want to Live Without Insects by A. Rooney, D. Antram, & D. Salariya (Shelf #: J 595.7 ROO 2015)
    Without insects to pollinate flowers, we would have no fruit.This series takes readers (Ages 8-12) on a historical journey, examining how people coped in the past and how they developed ingenious ways to make life safer and less unpleasant.

  • Incredible Insects by Lisa M. Herrington (Shelf # E 595.7 HER 2016)
    Introduces the reader to incredible insects.

  • Fly Guy Presents: Insects! by Tedd Arnold (Shelf #: ER 595.7 ARN LV2)
    Fly Guy is buzzing around outside today learning about insects.

Blog Posts

  • Bug Blog, by Barbara S.
    More for adults that kids, but a fun read! Some neat close-up photos of bugs, plus some sites that help ID bugs.

  • Flitter Flutter Butterfly, by Michelle C.
    Written more for kids. Walks through the hatching of butterflies with photos, then gives a list of butterfly-related kids’ books.

  • Summer with the Butterflies, by Kaneeze
    Recommends the Kate Gorrie Butterfly House at the Watershed Institute in Pennington, NJ to see butterflies, including monarchs! Open seasonally, and free from dawn to dusk.

  • Milkweed to Monarchs, by Tracy S.
    Walks you through rearing monarch butterflies (with photos!), gives locations where you can see monarchs, and offers a few recommendations on butterfly-related library materials. Written more for adults, but kids will appreciate the pictures.

Sources Used

- by Jennifer Crabtree, Youth Services, Lawrence Branch

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