BUG CHARADES - This game gives your children the chance to act like bugs. To begin, make a set of bug cards. Attach pictures of an insect or a spider to each of several index cards. Laminate the cards for durability. To play, one child chooses a bug card and thinks about how it would move. The child pantomimes the bug's movements for his or her classmates. The child who correctly guesses the identity of the bug is the next player to select a card.

MUSICAL BUGS - For this musical game, have your children sit together in a circle. Then, with music playing, have them pass a small ball (or a stuffed bug, if you have one). When the music stops, the child holding the ball has to name a bug and tell whether it is an insect or an arachnid. Invite other children to share interesting information they know about the bug mentioned. Then turn on the music again and continue to pass the ball or bug.

IDENTIFYING INSECTS AND SPIDERS - Spend short, frequent sessions familiarizing students with the names of insects and spiders on the cards and facts about them. Make up simple guessing games to make the learning more interesting. For example: pass out cards, give clues about an animal ("It's an insect that makes honey"), the child with that card brings it to you and gives the name of the insect or spider.

INSECT CONCENTRATION - Make two copies of the cards. You may want to start with a small number of pairs until your students have developed some skill at the game. To make the cards more sturdy, glue on a construction paper back and laminate them.

Lay the cards face down in rows. The first player turns over two cards. If the cards are the same, the child keeps the pair. If the cards are different, the child turns them over, trying to remember their position for a later turn. The next player then takes a turn. The game continues until all the pairs have been matched.

"BUG" BINGO - To make bingo cards you will need to reduce the picture cards several times using a photocopier. Make several copies of each card. To vary the Bingo boards, arrange the cards in a number of ways on separate pieces of tag board. Laminate. Use plastic spiders or ants as markers. Teacher keeps a master board to verify which cards are called.

LADYBUG, MAY I? - Materials: large, open space (inside or outside) Directions: Play the game Mother, May l?, but use "Ladybug" in place of "Mother." To play, one child is the "ladybug. " He or she stands at a distance across from the other children. The rest of the class stands in a row, side by side. The ladybug calls the name of one child and says, for example, "Brian, you may take three hops." Brian must respond, "Ladybug, may 1?" to which the ladybug says, "Yes." If Brian does not ask the question or wait for the answer before moving, he cannot take the hops. Use special commands that a ladybug would do such as crawl, fly, or roll over. Make up other commands as well. For example, a "pupa roll" could be a somersault and a "larva leap" could be a giant step.

FOOD CHAIN FREEZE TAG - Materials: large, open space (inside or outside) straight or safety pins (two per child) 9" x 12" (23 cm x 30 cm) construction paper (green, red, orange, and brown) Directions: Divide the class as evenly as possible into four groups. Each group represents animals in the food chain: aphids (green construction paper), ladybugs (red construction paper), robins (orange construction paper), and foxes (brown construction paper). Cut each piece of construction paper in half Pin half to the front of each child's clothing and half to the back for easy identification. Review the food chain concept and which animal (color) eats which other animal (color). Have the children spread out over a large space in random order. When given a signal, each animal chases after its prey and tries to "eat" it (tagged by tapping gently with one hand). If touched, the animal is "eaten" and must "freeze." (For very young children, you may wish to prepare a piece of chart paper, displaying construction paper color sheets and arrows identifying who may touch [eat] whom.). To extend the activity with the circle-of-life concept, instruct the "aphids" to chase the "foxes' Explain to the children that when the foxes die, their bodies decay and nourish the earth. The earth nourishes the plants, and the plants nourish the aphids. Therefore, the circle is complete.

LADYBUG LIFE CYCLE LINES - Materials: large, open space (inside or outside), masking tape. Directions: Place long strips of masking tape on the ground surface as starting line A. Approximately 30 yards (25 meters) away, place parallel masking tape strips on the ground surface as starting line B. Divide the class in half to form two teams. Divide the teams in half again, placing half of the team members behind starting lines A and B (facing each other in relay-race style). When given the signal to begin, the first child behind line A hops-squats-hops-squats to line B (ladybug laying eggs on a leaf) and touches the hand of team member B. Team member B crawls on the ground surface on all fours back to line A (ladybug baby going toward an aphid meal) and touches the next team member A. This team member somersaults or hops back to line B (ladybug in pupa stage) and touches the next team member B. This team member runs with arms extended (flying adult ladybug) back to line A, and the cycle begins again until all team members have participated. (Note: This can be a true relay race or just done for fun.)

LADYBUG FACTS - Materials: Fact or False cards, large, open space (inside or outside). Directions: Duplicate and cut apart the cards. Let the children spread out across the open area. Read a card. (Do not read the word "true" or "false." Let the children determine for themselves.) If the statement is a fact, the children should run around with their arms outstretched (like a ladybug in flight). If it is false, they should crawl around on all fours (like a ladybug walking). To make a competition of the facts, have the children who walk when they should crawl (or vice versa) leave the playing field area. The last ladybug on the field wins.

SPOT 'EM; THEN SWAT 'EM! - Use this activity to hone your youngsters' eye-hand coordination while reinforcing color and shape recognition. From tag board, cut out a number of different-colored geometric shapes; then draw a fly on each shape. Arrange the shapes in a: open area on the floor. Give a volunteer a flyswatter, then direction to swat one of the flies. For example, say, "Swat the fly on the red circle." Once she spies the correct bug. Have the remaining students help her sing the song below, saying, -Splat!" as she swats the bug. Next have her give the swatter to another child, and then direct that child to swat a specific bug.

Have kids pretend they are snails and slugs.

Some insect ideas compiled from many sources by: Sheila Smith