Why do kids love bugs? I don't know, but parents seem to fall into two camps: those that tolerate bugs for science's sake and those that don't. The latter are always apologetic. They know bugs are a part of nature and they know their kids love bugs. Whether you're a bug tolerator or not, treat your kids to these creepy creatures. They will thank you for it!
Created by a neuroscientist working on bee vision, this unusual site shows you how honey bees perceive the world. Bees, like most other insects, have compound eyes, an array of hundreds of single eyes each with its own lens and each looking in a different direction. You can choose any of eighteen images to view through the "B-Eye".
Like most Americans, cockroaches came to this country as immigrants. Try your hand at guessing each roach's country of origin in "Around the World", the cockroach equivalent of "Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?" Then on to "Tall Tales Forum" to submit a story of your own worst cockroach encounter. If your kids are anything like mine, you must go to "Activities" to learn how to trap cockroaches and keep them as pets. The things we do for our kids! This is a five-star site because of the breadth of its engaging activities. From science to geography to creative writing -- it has it all.
This is a site for middle and high school students with an interesting twist. Learn how insects have changed major battles, altered governments, and shaped human history. Described as a virtual lecture, this site is in outline format and has links to many other sites for further study. Did you know that the Haitian Republic was formed in 1804 because mosquito-transmitted yellow fever killed virtually all of the French troops Napoleon sent to quash the revolution?
Learn that an insect is an air breathing animal with a hard exoskeleton and a body divided into three parts: the head with two antennae, the thorax which carries six legs and usually four wings, and the abdomen. This site is a good introduction to entomology (the study of insects), and has interesting stuff on the largest, smallest, and the most abundant bugs.
The following links are either new discoveries or sites that didn't make it into my newspaper column because of space constraints. Enjoy!
Alien EmpireClass: Insecta | Virtual Fly Lab: Design and Mate FliesQuia! Insects and Spiders |
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