Big Questions With Kids and Bugs
With the warmer weather in full swing, expect to enjoy lots of frozen treats, catching your breath from all the outdoor sports, and bugs to swarming in. Lots and lots of bugs.
Whether you have a kid that likes to study them buggies with a microscope, paint pictures of our multi-legged friends, or generally avoid anything to do with the little dudes, there are opportunities to turn any encounter with creepy crawlies into some big questions!
Big questions for the bug lover:
Are tiny things less powerful than big things? What kind of power do bugs have?
If bugs could speak a human language, what do you think they would tell us? Do you think bugs talk to each other? How do you know?
If you got the chance to switch places with a bug, would you? How would a bug’s life be different than a human being’s life?
Big questions for the bug runner:
Why do we think it is okay to squash a bug or trap it in a jar? Is this really okay? Why or why not?
Why do we get upset when bugs come into our house? Where do they belong?
Why do bugs make you feel the way you feel? Is this a fair way of thinking?
The best part of asking critical thinking questions about bugs in the summer is that there are so many of them around as inspiration! Plus, big questions about bugs can lead to other discussions about the environment and our place in it.
For even more big questions about nature (and lots of activities to go with them), check out "Think Green”, part of our “ThinkAboutIt” book and app series!
Happy thinking, little entomologists!
