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To many young children, the lure for collecting and observing insects is as natural to them as anything they do. Maybe it’s because we’re all interested when something new or exciting or unique happens our way. A lot of adults have likely seen thousands of fire engines roaring down the street, but most of us still watch closely whenever we see one. I think this same innate attraction applies to everything we observe in our lives. Think of it – aren’t you going to spend at least a few seconds observing a ladybug that lands on your shirt sleeve? Or a butterfly flittering about in your backyard?
Fostering and encouraging this natural curiosity in a child is one of the greatest gifts we can give them. And nowhere is this easier to do than with entomology. Think about this fact. Scientists estimate that the average number of insects for each square mile of land on earth is equal to the total number of people on the entire planet. Whether you live in the mountains, the beach, the desert, a farm, or the one hundredth floor of an apartment building in New York City, insects are everywhere.
Why Insects?
As noted above, insects are everywhere and most of us have access to at least hundreds of different species. Most of us could walk to our backyard, look under a flower pot or rock or a board under our porch and find a dozen different insects in about ten minutes. Venture out to a nearby park or lake on a warm spring day and you could literally find dozens more. How many other hobbies have something you collect so ubiquitous yet also so unique?
Another reason children enjoy observing and collecting insects is simply that insects are so interesting. If you’ve ever seen an ant’s leg under a microscope you’ll understand. The ant’s leg itself is about the thickness of a human hair, yet each of his legs has hundreds of hairs as well. How could this be? What a great question for any child to ask. And what a joy it is for us as parents to watch our child’s critical thinking develop as they ask and answer these types of questions.
Searching for, capturing and observing insects is a great way to develop a child’s interest in science and nature. And with a little cultivating from us as parents, it’s a hobby that many children will never grow tired of.
Some Basic Insect Facts
Entomologists have identified over 1.5 million species of animals on Earth and of these, about 1 million are insects.
Some scientists believe that there are from 1-10 million more species to discover.
Insects have six, and only six legs. While spiders, centipedes, and the common roly poly bugs are fun to collect and observe, they are not true insects.
An insect’s body is divided into three parts: the head, thorax and abdomen.
Insects don’t have bones, but rather an exoskeleton of which the insect’s muscles attach to the inside walls. The exoskeleton is a hard, protective shell (think of a crab) which must be shed as the animal grows.
Insects are the only animals besides birds and bats that have wings. While obviously not all insects fly, most do have one, or two pairs of wings.
What do you Need?
One of the greatest advantages of insect collecting as a hobby is that it is very inexpensive and the equipment used can be very minimal. A child with a rinsed-out jelly jar and a magnifying glass has all he needs to study entomology. Even for a child who wants to take the hobby to the next level it’s still very inexpensive. Her list of equipment might now include a butterfly net, a few more jars, a mounting board and a couple of books on butterflies.
For the student who really wants to get serious in entomology, he may need nothing more than the above basic items, a journal, a digital camera, more storage boxes, some basic traps, killing jars and preserving chemicals.
Conclusion
The next time you’re thinking about what extracurricular educational activity to introduce to your child, consider insect collecting. It’s an easy hobby to get started in and one that just may spark a love of science and nature in them that lasts a lifetime.
Sources
One of the sources used was Dr. David Keith and Dr. Tiffany Heng-Moss’s insect collecting page. Both are professors of entomology at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln.
Another source was the insect page at 42explore.com
