BUG INFORMATION!

Here is some basic background information on various BUGS!

        - Bedbugs in your bed!
        - Cricket Curriculums
        - Mealworm Curriculums
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        - Animals in the Classroom

ANIMALS IN THE CLASSROOM – Besides you and the students!

Living animals in the classroom can foster in students a positive and responsible attitude that is reflected in many ways. Using the care of the animal as part of the class routine and student responsibilities helps give students a sense of ownership, and something to look forward to in the classroom.

But the best part is the amazing power animals have to get children’s attention! And there are infinite ways to use them in your lesson plans.

Some general guidelines for keeping animals in the classroom

• Remember we are HUGE - emphasize respectful interactions
  
  
• Be prepared to deal with death, sex and poop
  • Many adults shelter children from these three topics, but they are useful and important biology. Any subject can be taught to anybody in an intellectually honest way. Animals in the classroom give teachers a great tool to put these concepts in a constructive context.
  
  
• Most animals and plants will need care over breaks
• Many buildings have no furnaces operating during the holidays – your room might get very cold
• Some teachers allow students to care for classroom animals at home over breaks
  
  
• Be sure to account for expenses of food and proper care for life of animal or duration of its stay
  (P.R. Mantis says: BUGS are cheap and easy!)
• Many teachers set up care duty rotations for their students – most often, children eagerly and proudly enjoy caring for animals.
• “Primary” care of an animal has been used to alleviate ‘attention-getting’ or bored behavior
• You might ‘randomly’ assign some of these chores to a particular child in need of some extra responsibility.
• Then ‘forget’ to re-assign them for a while!
• Can be used as low competition ‘reward’ or incentive for certain classroom objectives or activities

• Use the animals in your curriculum – make them part of the learning environment
• Find places for them to fit into your curriculum
• Can you use them for art? For math? For social studies or georgraphy? For writing or reading? (The answer is 'yes' in all of those cases!)
  
  
• Don’t be afraid to take advantage of (sometimes unexpected) things the animals do – these can be valuable, spontaneous teaching opportunities - the time will always be worthwhile if students are engaged in carefully observing the natural world
  
  
• Unless your animals are collected locally, they should live out their
  "natural lives" in your care
• It is better - more respectful - to keep an animal until it dies
  than to release it to a non-native environment
  • This is a very important and useful ecological discussion
    to have with your class. We were not taught these
    lessons when we were in school.
  • If you buy any animals from a pet shop or the Internet,
    you should never let it go into the natural habitat
  • Many historically and economically significant "invasive
    exotic" relases have led to major pest problems,
    including Ggypsy Moths, Africanized (Killer) Honeybees,
    and Asian Multi-colored Ladybugs that live in people's
    houses over the winter instead of in the woods.
  • The most recent popular example is the Emerald Ash
    Borer Beetle which has caused the death of millions
    of Ash trees in the midwestern and northeastern United
    States over the past decade
• Locally collected animals should be considered "visitors"
  • Students should help in arranging their release and
    they should participate in the event, showing gratitude
    to their guest
  • This also provides tacit incentive to 'get the most out
    of their visit' and may help motivate student involvement
    
    
• How will they be “disposed of?"
• There should be no problem exposing children to this process,
  they will face it in their lives – just be honest and let them get their feelings out.
• This may provide a good context for lessons on natural recycling and scavengers
  • What will happen to it if you bury it in the schoolyard?
  • Should you 'put it in something' (like a 'casket' or plastic bag)?
    
• Lessons on proper museum mounting of insects are available online or from BEE (bugman@bugs.org). This is another valuable skill a professional entomologist must learn.
• Local area humane societies, animal shelters and government offices (usually Fish and Wildlife, Natural Resources or Environmental Department) might have information on disposal of larger animals.
  • A local taxidermist may be interested in unusual specimens
• It is a good example to make something useful of the ‘disposal’ of your animal.
  
  
• Never keep anything you bring in from the local wild for longer than you need to
• Caterpillars with known, available host plant can be given a safe place for an extended visit and to become adults
• Eggs or cocoons may be given a safe place to emerge for observation then release
  • Do a little research - or have students do it. You don't want to come in after a weekend to find babies all over your room!
• Tadpoles may be reared to frogs if they are given what they need to be ‘comfortable’
• How do you know if a tadpole is comfortable or not?
• Use your resources – well, have your students use their resources - contact local wildlife managers at municipal parks, use the Internet, contact local university department offices – maybe they’ll have a volunteer visit!
• Or - Ask BUGMAN!

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