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Behaviour and Discipline (Serious Side of Scouting)

Boys Like Bugs

Any Beaver or Cub leader can tell you that boys like bugs. They like to chase, catch and examine anything small that creeps, crawls, skitters or hops.

Cash in on your boys' fascination and help them learn more about their world with some live "bug" projects. Many of these ideas are drawn from two excellent resources: Janet Nickelsburg's Nature Activities for Early Childhood, published by Addison Wesley (Canada) Ltd.; and The Curious Naturalist by John Mitchell (see book review in Dec '81 Leader). Material available in your public library will give you further ideas and background information. Remember that leaders should know more about the subject than their followers, and many of your boys already are experts.

Catch 'Em

Elaborate specimen "catchers" aren't required, of course. Boys will readily pick up caterpillars, ladybugs and worms whenever they find them, and capturing grasshoppers or crickets in a glass jar is still a favourite pastime for most youngsters.

If you plan to keep your "bugs" for awhile in order to study them, gather up their food on the spot. Take some of the leaves on which you found them crawling, or the soil in which they were hidden.

- Insect Net: To catch bugs that fly or hop, make a long-handled insect net and swish it through the tall grasses in a field.

Undo a wire coathanger, bend it into a hoop, and straighten a few centimetres on each end. Use needle and thread or a stapler to attach a swatch of muslin or mosquito netting around the hoop, and to close sides and bottom of the net. The shape of the net isn't critical.

Make the handle from a piece of broom handle or sturdy dowelling about a metre long. Gouge an 8 cm long groove down each side of one end of the handle, fit the straight ends of the hoop into the grooves, and wrap the connections securely with tape.

- Bernese Funnel: This simple device will help you catch bugs that live in the soil. You need a tin can with top and bottom removed; a glass jar; a funnel; a piece of coarse wire mesh (hardware cloth); and paper towelling.

Moisten the paper towels and place them at the bottom of the jar. Set the funnel into the top of the jar, and the piece of mesh into the funnel. Fill the open-ended tin with freshly-dug soil, and set it in the funnel on top of the wire mesh

Place the device in direct sun or under an electric light. The soil creatures will burrow deeper to escape heat and light, and to find damper surroundings. As a result, they'll fall through the mouth of the funnel onto the paper towels, where you can collect them.

- Plankton Catcher: This net is designed to capture tiny plants and animals that float or swim in the water.

Cut out the toe of a discarded nylon stocking, fit a plastic pill bottle into the hole you've made, and secure it with an elastic band.

Bend a piece of wire into a hoop and attach with staples to the open end of the stocking. Attach three one-foot lengths of string to the hoop and tie the free ends together, then tie a piece of clothesline cord to the strings and you're ready to drag your net through the water.

Cage 'Em

If you're only going to keep your animals for a short period of observation, a glass jar with a piece of net securely attached to the opening will be adequate. Make sure you put some of the bug's food into the jar.

You'll need a more complete environment for longer-term observations; that is, if you want to wait until a caterpillar spins a cocoon or a spider spins a web. Of course, it's not a good idea to keep anything caged forever, so when your study is done, set the critter free.

- Critter Cage: Construct a simple cage from a piece of window screen and two round cake tins. Bend the screen into a cylindrical shape with the same diameter as the tins, and sew the edges together. Cap top and bottom of the cylinder with the cake tins.

To provide a fresh food supply, put some water into a small glass jar. A jar with a lid is best, to keep critters from falling into the water and drowning. Punch holes in the lid, then poke the stems of the critter's food plant through the holes and into the water. If you don't have a lidded jar, prevent accidental drownings by stuffing paper towel or tissue around the stems of the plants.

- Worm House: For earthworms, you need a special kind of cage. This home in a glass jar allows for excellent observation and demonstrates how earthworms aerate and mix soil.

You need some rich garden or potting soil, some sand and some chalk. Put a thick layer of dark soil on the bottom of a large jar. Add a thin layer of sand, another layer of soil, then a thin layer of chalk. Fill the jar almost full with layers in this manner, and moisten the mixture until it's thoroughly damp, but not soggy.

Add three or four earthworms and place some food on top of the soil. Feed worms grass cuttings or decaying leaves, cornmeal, and bits of table food like chopped apple, celery or meat. Every few days, cover the food with a thin layer of soil and add a bit more.

Because worms prefer the dark, make a cardboard cylinder to fit over the jar when you're not observing them. Keep the worm house in a cool place and make sure the soil doesn't dry out. If you cover the jar top with a piece of clear plastic in which you've pricked some air holes, it will help to keep the soil moist.

- Ant House: You can keep ants to observe their tunnelling and building activities even if you can't afford a commercially-produced ant "farm". You need a large baking pan; a small, shallow baking pan that will fit into the large one; and a piece of glass (tape any sharp edges) that covers the small pan but does not extend to the walls of the large one.

Place the small pan inside the larger one and fill the larger one with water. This makes a moat so that the ants can't escape. Fill the small pan with soil.

To acquire ants, find an anthill and, after observing for awhile, dig up a shovelful. Make sure you have captured the queen, who is much larger than the other members of the colony.

Put the ants in the soil-filled pan and cover it with the glass. Put in a tiny, damp sponge, and keep it damp.

Feed the ants only small amounts at a time: a bit of mashed banana; perhaps a dead fly; a couple of bread crumbs or bird seeds; or a drop of honey. If you notice food starting to rot, remove it immediately.

Because ants become very inactive if they're not kept in the dark, put a dark cover over their house when you're not observing them.

Watch 'Em

Let the boys examine the bugs through a magnifying glass. Direct attention to the numbers of legs and body segments. Look closely at the legs, eyes, mouth and antennae of the critter. Watch how the bugs locate their food, and now they eat it. Reinforce the learnings by letting the boys sketch what they see.

Many bugs can be safely handled. Flip a ladybug over on its back and watch what it does. Let a caterpillar crawl on your hand, and watch closely to see how it moves. Do the same with a worm. How does it feel? Later, the boys can imitate the movements and hold their own caterpillar or worm races along the hall floor.

- Spiders: If you keep a spider, give it a large container with a soil floor. Anchor a couple of sticks in the soil, about 10 cm apart, to encourage the spider to make a web. Provide a small container of water and feed the spider flies Or small moths. Throw the food into the web and watch what the spider does.

Look for different kinds of spider webs outdoors, and examine them with a magnifying glass. Try this trick for "catching" a web. You'll need white spray paint, black construction paper, and big sheets of stiff cardboard.

When you find a well-formed web, first make sure that the spider isn't at home. Then protect the building, tree or bush behind the web with a large piece of cardboard. You can prop, tack or have someone hold it in place. Finally, spray the web until it glistens white and bring a piece of black paper up to touch the web's wet side. Cut the strands of web that protrude beyond the edges of the paper, and let the masterpiece dry.

- Ants: Take some honey along with you the next time you're on a ramble. When you find an anthill, lie down close to it and observe the comings and goings for awhile. Then, put about a teaspoonful of honey a couple of feet away from the anthill and watch what happens.

- Caterpillars: If you collect a caterpillar, bring along the leaves you found it on, and always replenish food with the same kind of leaf. When you put fresh food in the cage, look around for cast-off skin because, like a snake, a caterpillar molts as it grows.

If you find a caterpillar crawling along the ground, or up a wall, it's probably looking for a place to build a cocoon and won't need food. Stand some sticks in the cage so that it can attach itself in readiness to go into pupation. Watch it spin a cocoon, and later, watch the butterfly or moth emerge.

Studying insects and other small creatures is fun for boys because it involves them in a variety of activities and outings. More than that, it allows them the responsibility of caring for a small, contained world, and leads them to appreciate the importance of all living creatures in the larger world. Through their observations they can gain a real understanding of the inter-relatedness of nature.

And, of course, your boys will become absolutely convinced that you're the greatest, if you let them play with bugs!