We’ve Got Bugs! ((Don’t Call The Exterminator))

The bugs are here! The bugs are here! Those are four words no one ever wants to hear, let alone utter from their own mouth. Then why did that phrase elicit squeals of delight and stampeding children this afternoon when the UPS man rang the doorbell? And why, one might ask, would one be getting bugs delivered via UPS anyway? What is this world coming to?

Next week kicks off our big Animal Life unit, and part of our study revolves around how living things grow and change. What better way is there to learn about science than to see it happening first hand? I ordered Painted Lady Caterpillars, live ladybug larvae, and earthworm eggs, each with their unique habitats, from Insect Lore on Tuesday and they arrived this afternoon! The kids will see first hand how things grow and change and come to understand a bit about how the life cycle works.

The packages said, “Open Immediately” and we did just that. First, we opened the Ladybug kit. The tiny larvae arrived in a plastic vile. We snapped together their habitat and added a bit of water, then emptied the larvae and food into the see-through, domed habitat.  We’ll watch the larvae eat, drink and grow as the metamorphosis process occurs right before us!

My little scientist

Ladybug Land

What is this?

The Earthworm Habitat came next. The earthworm eggs came in clay balls, and we had to soak them for 30 minutes. The clay loosened and came off, revealing the earthworm eggs inside. They looked a lot like brown apple seeds. We soaked the dirt brick and put the soft dirt into the Earthworm Nursery, then placed the eggs and water in the Hatchery. According to the pamphlet, the earthworms will start hatching any day! We’re excited to watch the worms grow from eggs and eventually let them go in the flowerbed when we plant our spring flowers.

Our earthworm eggs are soaking

Earthworm eggs!

Earthworm Habitat

Our butterfly larvae must stay in their container until they turn into cocoons in a few weeks. We’ll then place the cocoons in a butterfly pavilion. We’ll watch them grow from caterpillars to chrysalis to beautiful spring butterflies. We can hardly wait!

Caterpillars!

The older two kids will be keeping a journal about the bugs and worms as they grow and develop. They were excited to start this evening, drawing pictures of the tiny babies and writing a bit about them.

Hard at work writing about worms

Ethan checks out the earthworm eggs through the magnifying glass

Alex's Worm Observation Book

The next few weeks will be exciting and brimming with new experiences. I never thought I’d have pet bugs in my house. Homeschooling really changes how you view things, I guess! It’s an awesome experiment and I think the kids will remember it for years to come. We’ll be sure to post updates as our bugs and worms grow and develop.

This will be a month to remember.