Insect All Around 2nd Grade Presentation Chicago Public Schools Spring 2015 YouTube Video

That one time mom volunteered in a classroom to present the 5 year old insect collection. I love sharing kids passions, and little kids love to explore the tiny world all around them.

So when I had the chance to go into the classroom and bring our insects into a classroom at Chicago Public Schools - I said OH YEAH

I LOVE BUGS! I talked about this so much that family members promoted my passion and I got to go into classrooms to share my passion.

Since this presentation I have much improved the experience, passing around the boxes FIRST and then answering questions. But I think the kids loved it either way.

Insect All Around 2nd Grade Presentation Chicago Public Schools Spring 2015 YouTube Video

2nd Grade Presentation at CPS school on The Wonder of the Insect World. "Insects are All Around" was created & based on our family hobby: Insect Collecting. We have over 1,000 insects collected over a 4-year period (at the time this video was shot) in Spring 2015. We are amateur entomologists, self taught through research on proper insect pinning, preservation, labeling, insect mounting, etc. We are still collecting, learning and exploring our Insect World. See more in the video "Insect All Around, 2nd Grade Presentation, Chicago Public Schools, Spring 2015"

Insect All Around 2nd Grade Presentation

Chicago Public Schools

Spring 2015

Are You Sure About That Blog Youtube Videos

See the video here > > > 
Insect All Around, 2nd Grade Presentation, Chicago Public Schools, Spring 2015

If you want the "notes" of what we talked about in the video - those are here Insect Presentation and Notes for 2nd grade show and tell on our real insect collection
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Our Very First EVER Insect Collection Bug Box it only took 2 years

Exploring Insects has been tremendous for our family. Learning, experiencing, and sharing wonderful moments together.

Our Very First EVER Insect Collection Bug Box it only took 2 years

The big reveal!

We are excited to share our FIRST BUG BOX! 

We made plenty of mistakes in making this collection. AND we learned more then our mistakes. That's probably why we keep doing it? We are avid bug collectors as our family hobby - Learn more at areyousureaboutthatblog.blogspot.com

Our Very First EVER Insect Collection Bug Box it only took 2 years 

These were some of the tools - totally amateur that made this bug box collection happen. 

• Empty containers (cleaned after the nutella was gone!)
• Pin cushion (I would use a box tho - little yucky bug bits and all)
• Clear nail polish - that is ONLY for the bugs.
• Nail polish remover - the poison that kills them in the bug jar (on a cotton ball- toxic!)
• Plastic tupperware container - to hold the stages bug in an air tight lid while they "cure"
• That PLUS Sign cut out - was for the moth balls. Now we just shave bits into the box directly . . . easier and clean.

We love insect collecting. Check out our blog to learn more about how to set up your own supplies. areyousureaboutthatblog.blogspot.com

How about in video versions. . . 

Our Very First EVER Insect Collection Bug Box it only took 2 years

A Four Year Olds Questions on Bugs - Entomology and Why We Collect Insects - one of my favorite posts

One of my FAVORITE posts! Children are smart, treat them that way!

My high school friend and her 4 year old daughter follows me on facebook and sees our many Insect Posts. She and her mom had a chat and here are some of the questions that resulted.

"E has a load of questions for you about the bug collection.  We've narrowed it down to the most important: do you collect your bugs alive or dead? Why do you put them in a box? How do catch them if they are alive? Did you ever get stung or bit when looking at the bugs?"

A Four Year Olds Questions on Bugs - Entomology and Why We Collect Insects - one of my favorite posts

I L.O.V.E. Kids questions! They are so genuine and absolutely curious about every aspect of things "new to them." I took a lot of time to answer her questions and add a little more detail where I could.  These were good questions for a kid, and adults too.

Follow me on Twitter to see more of our (Mis)Adventures

Suddenly I See that I am a part of this amazing world, and my job is to raise my two Gentleman and a Lady to the best of my ability. I share our adventures, bug collecting, and general mom at home joys.

The @Minstr0Interior part? I am the "Minister of the Interior" (of my home), of our lives. Until my kids grow up, I am in charge of doing my best, and teaching them everything I know and I'm learning, so they have an (as) excellent as possible example on how they can do it all in their own lives.

We had a nice conversation with friends about life as a stay at home mom, money, life with kids, running a business and all that comes with these life roles rolled into one. Just like a department, in the Ministry, with many sub-jobs helping the Minister run the Interior.


Follow Us on Twitter

I'm still fun, mostly funny, and ALWAYS enjoying time with my kids. We bug collect in Chicago and during all of our explorations of this Amazing World.

   


And see lots of Pinterest Options for some of my Inspirations and Creations at 
My Pinner Name: Are You Sure About That
Pinterest/com/areyousureaboutthat

Make Mistakes. Breathe, reflect and Laugh.Out.Loud

Cicada Emerging from Nymph Shell. In Our Playlot, Upclose View

We came home from an outing, accomplishing one of our many visits to somewhere on the Summer Bucket List, and the kids immediately hit our playlot. But today we had a surprise visitor, this dog day cicada got a little stuck on his was out emerging from his nymph shell. The emerging process was slow. . . . We stood there observing him for nearly 30 minutes. The initial moment he broke out his head he stood motionless. We went inside to eat, and when we're turned he was gone, success! Yes, we did collect the nymph shell. It's in our now designated cicada box, July 2013. Make mistakes, breathe, reflect, Laugh.Out.Loud, and go Bug Collecting!

Frozen Bugs - An Alternative way to Kill Jars and prepare Specimens for Pinning

Our Summer 2014 bug collection is getting enourmous! We have exceeded all expectations and crossed the 1,000 specimens mark. Our two biggest finds with nearly 200 insects each added a whopping 400 insects in a brief 2 month (or so) period. We don't always use my unique kill jar method (Acetone nail polish remover on a cotton ball). We often use the freezer method when accessible.

Frozen Bugs - An Alternative way to Kill Jars and prepare Specimens for Pinning 

Which luckily freezers seem to always be accessible. Once we capture an insect, either dead or injured, we put them in our jars, or mom's makeshift bug envelope and freeze them. Freezing is a nice humane method. The insect nearly instantly gets drowsy / gets stunned from the cold. Their so small, the chill affects them instantly. The freezer method is also sterile because the jars (which we clean with soap and water after each capture) don't use chemicals like with traditional kill jars. Any bacteria the insects carry is within the safety of the jar.

In this picture I removed the lid and one fly for a size example. As always, I prefer plastic jars when working with my kids. We simply keep and clean plastic containers from what we love to eat - Nutella containers (with the paper lining from the inner lid removed), a Polish mustard jar (I make my awesome salad dressing with it & of course use a schmear on grilled Polish Sausage), and the blue point is a quickly made envelope (from paper we looked for when we found the Western Conifer Hemiptera).

Insect Pinning Disaster - Fixing a Dragonfly Tail and Leg

At the beginning of the summer I knew this years goal was to:

1. teach the kids hands on pinning and

2. catch a dragonfly.

Insects have their seasonal cycles, so dragonfly's wouldn't be found until August through September.

Insect Pinning Disaster - Fixing a Dragonfly Tail and Leg

Our first goal was achieved and fast. Baby girl started pinning quickly. We organized and outing with our cousins to go bug collecting and pin some specimens (that I gathered previously) to pin when we get back home. That was a fun day helping get others addicted to our hobby.

Back to dragonflies. We had a wonderful friend send us a "Lion Ant" dragonfly she found near her home in McHenry County. We talked about packaging him securely in a plastic bag, adding him to a box a firm envelope so he doesn't break further. Yes we get everyone involved in our collecting! ! ! And all are welcome!

You can see that the specimen had its limb and tail broken off. However, no worries, we can easily fix these kind of problems.


First pin the dragonfly. Luckily I didn't have to rehydrate (soften) the specimen.

Then using as little clear nail polish as possible, I attached the limb. I tend to blow on the glue spot (where the Nail polish is added) to quicken the drying process.

Ladybugs shadow box has a home - found lots of insects

When we found our PAYLOAD of ladybugs at Loyola beach this summer, I already had a plan in the back of my mind to display them in some interesting (to me) way. We did label almost 50 of them when I remembered that I had a shadow box at home that I could use to make a display for them. Nice enough that husband would like seeing it on the wall.

The box needed some TLC, the walls holding the glass needed to be wiped down and glued in place. It's a thrifty find, so I also pulled out (okay, just ripped) the ceramic tiny vases it displayed. I also washed and dried the glass. Then I pulled out the velvet backing and added a styrofoam layer to hold the pins more securely. Then, to be sure I didnt out in all this effort and have to make changes to the design and layoutlater, I added a few pins on each corner as a test if I could anchor the box where the backing "slips in" and have the lady's go into the box undisturbed also. Once I determined how much room I needed on each side, I only had to sketch out my design for the pin layout. That was a fast drawing since I saw the layout in my minds eye already.

Ladybugs shadow box has a home - found lots of insects

At first, I added both the pinned and card point ones, however the white of the card points stood out too much against the black velvet background. I first took one lady off her card point, then easily removed another, and another. One may have lost a leg, but for the most part they "came off" easily. It's clear nail polish that we use as their glue. I could've applied effort and use nail polish remover and a q-tip, however I was so excited and in the moment I couldn't pull myself away (and I had to get the kids to bed in 30 minutes and a meeting in the morning, so... No polish remover!).

New Book on American Bumble Bee and Chart on Insect Specimen Identification

At the library tonight we came across a great new book on American Bumble Bee has wonderful species identification references inside. (Maybe this method of species identification is just "new" to me?) So easy to review which species you may have based on the color coded variations. Brilliant!!! I cant believe I haven't seen this before?! And I am amazed at the subtle variations from species to species.

This is a page reference on species of bee. Look at the minor variation between sketches, where yellow is filled in and isn't.
Here she included specimen names next to the sketch, for newbie entomologists like me. . . This is young love!

This is my old way of keeping an identification method for bees. Pure pictures we find by chance, like this billboard at the LaPorte County Fair which we visit in Indiana every year.

Trouble with Mold and Insect Collecting - Take Out Containers As Storage

As we go about collecting our insects, I often arrive at overflow issues. My 2 metal "cookie containers" are full, as is my large Tupperware container storing all our ladybugs from the Loyola beach visit (waiting for labels). I started using our takeout containers to store and pin some of the bugs, and I noticed this soft white growth on my specimens.

Trouble with Mold and Insect Collecting - Take Out Containers As Storage

These boxes have all been filled in the last few days, since it's the end of summer and the insects are "dropping like flies, or bees - as the case may be. These specimens we've collected in our neighborhood - many of which are found in the afternoon en route to pick up the boys after school or after our late afternoon park visit. We don't see these on our morning walks to school (except for the Bumble Bee in the left box, without Pollen baskets, he was sitting on a flower on a chilly September morning, alive but stunned). We always have a big jar with us this time of year. My Older son found it and collected him off the weeds my neighbor grows, and then when we returned home he was frozen. But not before he started buzzing about in the warmth of my pocket.

Apparently these containers, which don't have any apparent cracks, are not air tight. I store the insect supplies and specimens pending labels in our kitchen bench (moved off the dining room table - yaay!). Life with kids is busy, and labeling is so time consuming. (Note to self: find a pre-made label solution.)
Here's our temporary storage (in takeout containers) where we keep the bugs after they are pinned, they "cure" in the positions I've staged them in, keeping there legs out, antennae up, etc. They await their labels too, so I keep scrap paper in the box with my shortcut note on the bug type, date found, by whom, and where. 

Trouble with Mold and Insect Collecting, Take Out Containers As Storage, a photo by areyousureaboutthatblog on Flickr.

Our Relaxing - Insect Hydration - Chamber for Pinning Bugs

We found a very, very, very small wasp on our sidewalk today. So small he was a must keep!! When I held him by the leg, I tried to push in another leg, which when a fresh specimen just dies it stays flexible. His leg was very firm. That's an indication that when we try to pin him his legs or head may POP off, dice he's starting to harden. That's when we know we need to relax the insect in preparation for pinning.

Our Relaxing - Insect Hydration - Chamber for Pinning Bugs

Here I'm using a glass jar with a tight fitting lid, and another smaller container, prescription bottle sized, to hold a 50/50 mix of pine sol and water.

Our Relaxing - Hydration - Chamber for Pinning Bugs, a photo by areyousureaboutthatblog on Flickr.

Bug Collecting with Kids - Showing off their Insect Specimen

Bug collecting has become something more then a hobby for our family. At 1,000 + specimens I am wondering if it's our obsession? We end up collecting everywhere we go. We recently were at a friends house warming party, and we brought our bug collection jars, yes really! The jars go everywhere with us. Turns out our friends are on an acre of land with an amazing Prarie in their backyard. So with my after dessert coffee in tow, as well as baby girl, we hit the yard. 

Bug Collecting with Kids - Showing off their Insect Specimen

Quietly. I don't make a big deal about collecting, we just take our jars an go off to look at plants, and under the leafs (where bugs often hide). We didn't get 10 steps in when I suddenly had 3 more kids following us asking loads of questions!

Kids are naturally curious, they want to know everything. So without agenda we answer their questions. The old me would have certain things I want to be sure to tell the kids, however I've learned over these 9 years of parenting that the core information does get across, even if it's in a simple discussion format. We talked about how we capture them, and then the kids true their attempts at capture. We put the jar over the bugs, and either "seal" them in plant and all like with the Leaf Hoppers that jump. Or with the green Dog Bane beetle, they just fall off the plant (that's their defense mechanism) into the jar.

The kids also learned quickly that bugs like the warmth of the sun. We didn't find any insects in the shade, and the few we did find that late in the afternoon (5:00 pm) were sitting on plants in the late afternoon sun.
The insects collected at Green Oaks (top row, from left, Wasp, leaf hopper, bottom row, dog bane beetle, assassin bug)

Bug Collecting with Kids - Showing off their Specimen, a photo by areyousureaboutthatblog on Flickr.

Unsolicited Hitch Hikers, Ticks (a chart)

We love spending family outings in Indiana and Wisconsin. And with our joy of hiking and bug collecting comes the unsolicited hitchhiker, the tick.

Thru reviewing tickencounter.org we've learned that only adult ticks carry Lyme disease. The larva stages do not. So knowing your tick sizes is imperative to understanding possible infection.

Unsolicited Hitch Hikers, Ticks (a chart), a photo by areyousureaboutthatblog on Flickr.

Even tho we cover ourselves well, and use bug spray designed to help prevent ticks, we always check ourselves (in a strip search method) when returning from walks. Checking hairlines, in between our finger folds, and shake out our hair.

Make mistakes. Breathe, reflect, and Laugh.Out.Loud.

School Started and More Insect Labels

Of course we love insect collecting! It's fun family time, it's interesting, and extremely exciting we we find a new unknown (to us) specimen.

However, now with my computer on the fritz, pending a new windows installation and file backup... I'm stuck handwriting labels. We have had some tremendous finds this year, most recently finding over 100 Lady Bugs at Loyola Beach.

School Started and More Insect Labels

We were at the beach in the afternoon, the boys played football and built sand castles while baby girl and I collected the Lady's who wandered over to the shoreline. I have approximately 50 or so, which includes a few bees. Then we headed home at 4:00 p.m.

Later that day I realized I left our bags at the parking lot near the beach :-(. 2 hours later we drove back after rush hour. The bags were there!! And of course, baby girl, who came along for the ride wanted to stay at the beach. So we did. Why drive back immediately?

Ladybug Collecting at the End of Summer

We were recently at the beach along the Chicago lakefront. Late August is a nice time to find lots of dead bugs. . . especially ladybugs along the shoreline. It was an average Tuesday, last week of August. It did storm in the morning, so the sand was very wet, wet enough for the kids to make sand castles without water, well into the afternoon when we arrived. I don't think we found this abundant supply of ladybugs because of the rain. I think this is a seasonal effect and our timing is spot on.

Ladybug Collecting at the End of Summer

Baby girl was very helpful finding all the bugs and gathering them into our bug jar. The lady's are along the shoreline, where the waves meet the sand and leave marks along the shoreline. They are usually found upside down with their wings unfolded, exposed and their elytra (the hard wing shell) also up / exposing the body. These most likely drowned because we saw so many walking towards the shoreline. The water was warm for this time of year, but still stunned them as they went into the waves. Lady's overwinter in hiding places and lay eggs in spring. They get their water for hydration from the few on plants and from what they eat. I still haven't uncovered why they were so drawn to the water.

Wisconsin Dells Bugs Insect Display Box

Our summer adventures took us for a week to Wisconsin Dells. June of 2014 was cool, so surprisingly we didn't spend a lot of time at the Waterparks. Also, we discovered the Dells closed the Riverview Waterpark which we loved so much for their buy one day, get one free tickets. 

We enjoyed walking in town, playing in our pool at our cottage, and of course, collecting bugs. When we arrive at the cabin there's always little visitors who have entered the mobile home - mostly lady bugs and flys in the summer months. This year we did find 1 cockroach and a few fire flys. We also surprisingly found a wasp too.

Wisconsin Dells Bugs Insect Display Box 

We pinned over 100 bugs from the dells. There were a few evening I found grasshoppers that landed ON the house siding! At dusk the kids would run around and try to catch grasshoppers. Amongst five kids, they caught 4 tiny grasshoppers.

Burrowing Bees in Evanston

We came across these black and white abdomen, green eyed bees at an Evanston park. Again, we are making the most of having to run errands, today we drove my brother in law to his new job. We spent way too much time in the car, so once again we found a nearby park to run around in for a while.

In the sand box area I spotted a dead bee. The head was missing, but nonetheless baby girl wanted to put it in her bug jar. Then a bee, same species, flew by and began digging. We waited patiently for him to land and captured him with our jar, upside down.

Shortly thereafter, a 2nd flying bee carrying something yellow flew by, picked a spot in the sand and began digging. He was also captured using a nearby cup and paper from the park. The yellow thing he was carrying looks like a mimic fly.

Burrowing Bees in Evanston, a photo by areyousureaboutthatblog on Flickr.

The 1st burrowing bee made his way to the bottom of the bug jar, and dug his way under the sand he was captured with.

Burrowing Bees in Evanston, a photo by areyousureaboutthatblog on Flickr.

Make Mistakes, breathe, reflect and Laugh.Out.Loud.

Finding Bug Boxes for our Insect Collection

We recently found 198 insects on an impromptu bug hunt at Indiana Dunes Beach. Now I need a place to store them. I found these amazing microphone storage cases at Goodwill for $2.00 each. They close to a perfect seal (so no flies or tiny bugs can get in.) I'll still add my moth ball case for added security and prevention of infestation.

Finding Bug Boxes for our Insect Collection

I checked at the store that the cushioning is removable, which it was. I ripped out the lining - and here's what they look like.

A Beach Outing And impromtu Bug Collection - The Insect results

After our wonderful morning, where just baby girl and I enjoyed the beach, and found and impromptu bug hunt, I am happy To report the bug count. We should taken estimates at home for some math fun :-/ next time. It turns out this bottom full of bugs yielded a count of 198. Most we card point pinned using the rest of my plain stainless steel pins. Those even ran out and I did have to use my good bug 002 pins. I just did t want to Run out before summer collection season is over.

A Beach Outing And impromtu Bug Collection - The Insect results

These photos show the 198 before they have been sorted by species (color and size sorting). That'll help when i need to create all their labels. In the 2013 bug collection season I made the mistake of waiting until the end of the season to print all my labels - never again!! 

Insect Cemetery - a Bug Collectors Goldmine at Indiana Dunes State Park

On a visit today to babcias house in Indiana, baby girl wanted to visit the beach. It was a chilly start to Memorial Day weekend! We sorted through some rocks, and were parked for maybe 10 minutes when she wanted to leave!!

Insect Cemetery - a Bug Collectors Goldmine at Indiana Dunes State Park

On our way out we decided to climb a sand dune. But we were suddenly interrupted when we came across this pile of sticks. You can see how small of a pile it is compared to baby girl. There were dozens of dead lady bugs, ants, and a wife variety of beetles.