View

• George Shrinks - "Migrate-est Adventure"
  When George finds a monarch butterfly caterpillar in his backyard, he becomes part of a project to track the migration of the mysterious monarchs. George's involvement grows as he climbs on the back of Archie the butterfly and makes the trip on butterfly back. George and crew save the day as the migrating butterflies find themselves stranded just short of the lush, treed meadow that is to be their winter resting place.
• Reading Rainbow - "Bugs"
  The Reading Rainbow book today includes general information, jokes and descriptions of the physical characteristics, habits, and natural environment of a variety of common insects. With the assistance of an entomologist, LeVar discovers the uniqueness of a wide variety of bugs and insects at the Cincinnati Zoo's Insect World. Viewers take a trip to mountains in Mexico to find out where monarch butterflies go when they migrate for the winter.

Do in Class

• Between the Lions: Bug Museum - Make bug sculptures from found materials, and then set up a bug museum of exhibits that display, name, and describe the creatures.
• Dragonfly TV: Snakes: Take it Outside -Set up an experiment to learn about what types of smells attract insects. (Advanced Activity)
• Dragonfly TV: Remotely Operated Vehicles: Take it Outside - Research and plant the kinds of wildflowers and plants that attract butterflies, and that will grow in your climate. (Advanced Activity)
• Dragon Tales: Don't Bug Me - Take a bug-watching walk, and have children share how the bugs make them feel.
• It's a Big Big World: It's a Big Big World: Do You Speak Bee? - Discover that animals communicate with each other in a number of different ways. Bees use dancing to communicate information to other bees.
• It's a Big Big World: Growing Up and Getting Bigger, but Still Me! - Learn that animals change as they grow, and in some animals, like caterpillars and tadpoles, this change can be dramatic.
• George Shrinks: Insect Safari - Learn about the characteristics of insects and make sculptures. (Section 2)
• Reading Rainbow: Bugs - Overcome your fear of bugs. Try these activities to become more comfortable with the insect world.
• ZOOM: CafeZOOM - Ants on a Log - Make a crunchy snack that will remind you of our six-legged friends.
• ZOOM: CafeZOOM - Bugsy - Make an edible insect model using pretzels, a banana, raisins and fruity cereal O's.

Play Online

• Fetch!: Link-o-Vision - Examine pictures and read facts about animals. Match the pictures with the correct facts.
• PBS Parents Guide to Creativity: Designer Butterflies - Design virtual butterflies by combining different bodies and wings. Select a background and animate the butterflies.

Read

• Bug Off! A Swarm of Insect Words
  By Cathi Hepworth
  Published September 1988 by William Morrow
  Learning words has never bugged you this much! Ants and other bugs will present children, grades 3-6, with new words through facial expressions, body language and sophisticated humor.
• Insectlopedia
  By Douglas Florian
  Published March 1998 by Harcourt
  Elementary school students will delight in the playful language and hysterical illustrations of this book while learning about 21 different spiders and insects. The pages are filled with realistic, colorful pictures and thoughtful, informative poems. This is one group of bugs children will love to have at home!

*As most PBS children's programs offer one year extended taping rights for teachers, please feel free to tape them now and save them for use in your classroom during the school year.