Articles

Professional articles and fact pages feature "all-about" information on insects and bugs from the common bumblebee to the praying mantis.

Curriculum Builders: Discovering Science in Nature
An article on the ins and outs of facilitating a nature unit in your curriculum.

Scholastic Titles for Younger Grades

Bugs
(Grades K-3)
Sixteen commonly known insects are described through lively couplets, illustrations, and diagrams.
Big Book; Teaching Guide

Bugs, Bugs, Bugs Collection
(Grades K-2)
Contains:

• Bugs Bugs! Bugs! Bugs!
• Busy, Buzzy Bees Flies Are Fascinating
• Have You Seen Bugs? I'm a Caterpillar
• Inside an Ant Colony It Could Still Be a Butterfly
• It's a Good Thing There Are Insects Mighty Spiders

The Butterfly Alphabet Book
(Grades K-2)
Stunning butterfly images spell magic in this award-winning picture book. A world-renowned nature photographer presents photographs of butterflies from around the world using close-up views of wing designs that look like letters of the alphabet.  

A Pill Bug's Life
(Grades K-3)
Strikingly original watercolors depict the pill bug's world from it's unique perspective. Simple text describes her life cycle, as she hatches to when she hibernates. This book will spark questions is young readers. 

Science Interactive Packs: Insects and Spiders
(Grades PreK-2)
Our new Science Interactive Packs are helpful teaching tools to complement your curriculum. The Insects and Spiders Pack contains:

Big Book
What Do Insects Do?

Little Books
What Do Insects Do?

Posters
What Do Insects Do?
What Do Bugs Look Like?
Where Do Insects Live?
What is This Spiders Name?
What is an Insect?

From Caterpillar to Butterfly
(Grades K-3)
This series traces the growth process of a particular plant or animal, using simple, clear texts and detailed, full-color artwork.

Thematic Poetry Series - Creepy Crawlies
(Grades PreK-2)
Add pizzazz to thematic units, daily lessons, and shared-reading time with this irresistible collection of easy-to-read poems. Each book includes literacy-building activities and easy cross-curricular projects.
Creepy Crawlies includes butterflies, spiders, ladybugs, worms, grasshoppers, ants, and everything in between.

The Amazing Book of Insect Records
(Grades K-1)
The komodo dragon can weigh up to 230 pounds! The world's laziest mammal, the koala, sleeps 22 hours a day! A goliath beetle is so strong, it can peel a banana with it's forelegs! These and more incredible facts are revealed in these Amazing Books! Background and science information are combined with vivid color photographs and humorous cartoons which will keep young naturalists smiling!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar
(Grades PreK-K)
A very hungry caterpillar eats his way through a variety of foods - and even the book! - before spinning his cocoon and changing into a butterfly.

A Hive for the Honeybee
(Grades PreK-K)
Presenting a smart, original fantasy from one of Ireland's bright new stars. Out of the great lyrical tradition of Irish writing comes this astonishing tale: the story of a group of bee characters more movingly human than most "people" in contemporary fiction. With the help of two unusual, philosophical drones, worker bees Thora and Belle begin to look at their lives in a radical new way.

A House Spider's Life
(Grades K-3)
Strikingly original watercolors depict the spider's world from it's unique perspective. Simple text describes the spider's movement through life and the activities it does to survive.
Perfect for sparking questions in young readers.

Anansi does the Impossible
(Grades K-3)
The Sky God is asking a high price for the folktales that Anansi feels belong to mankind. The Sky God wants Anansi to bring him a live python, a real fairy, and forty-seven stinging hornets! Luckily, behind every ambitious spider is a clever wife, and with her help, Anansi performs all three impossible tasks. A glossary details the African words used in this folktale. "Brilliant collage illustrations bring out the humor of this tale." -Horn Book.

Scholastic Titles for Middle Grades

National Audubon Society First Field Guide: Insects
(Grades 2-8)
These unique field guides -- the only such books developed specifically for children -- offer beginning naturalists easy-to-use, visually stunning resources to help them observe and investigate the natural world.

Spiders Complete Cross-Curricular Theme Unit that Teaches About These Incredible Creepy Crawlies
(Grades 1-3)
A complete theme unit on these eight-legged wonders is presented here, including up-to-date information, hands-on activities, and a GIANT, colorful poster.

Do Tarantulas Have Teeth?
(Grades 2-3)
Explain the mystery surrounding a topic that fascinates elementary-age kids -- poisonous creatures! From questions like "Can doctors treat snakebites?" to "How does a scorpion sting?" and using dramatic, full-color illustrations, this reference tool will satisfy any child's curiosity about these puzzling creatures.

Do All Spiders Spin Webs?
(Grades 2-3)
Delivers the answers to questions like "How many spiders live in your house?" and "How do spiders spin webs?" in a format kids will respond to and understand.

How Do Flies Walk Upside Down?
(Grades 2-3)
Developed specifically for second and third graders, this easy-to-follow book answers over 75 simple and complex questions about insects.

Games

SciMan wants to turn your students into scientific thinkers! He's thinking of something related to science, and your class has to discover what it is. The SciMan will provide four clues to help students figure out the mystery science subject. Students can use the Internet to research clues.

Exoskeletons Grades 3-8

Mosquitoes Grades 3-8

Internet Field Trips

Bugs Caught in the Web Grades K-8

Lesson Plans

Can You Spot the Imposter Ant?
Students try to figure out which ant's description is fictional.
Grades 3-5

Hackley's Hints: Insect Zoo
Grades K-2
Students collect insects for an insect museum.

The Magic School Bus Gets Ants in Its Pants
Grades K-2
Students use observation skills as they find out how ants work together.

The Magic School Bus: The Honey-Bee-Bop
Grades K-2
This activity introduces students to the way in which bees communicate about food sources.

Mealworms in the Spotlight
Grades 3-8
Explore characteristics of mealworms with these experiments.

Minibeasts
Grades K-2, 3-5
Students learn about insects and other small creatures in this cross-curricular lesson.

Study Life Cycles With Butterflies
Grades K-2, 3-5
This article contains hands-on investigations that compare butterfly and human life cycles and help you connect math and science.

Reproducibles

Butterfly Spanish Mini-Book (PDF)
Grades K-2
Review the stages of a butterfly's life cycle with this Spanish mini-book.

Butterfly Wings (PDF)
Grades K-2 Find suggestions for butterfly activities.

Follow the Butterflies (PDF)
Grades K-2 Use this reproducible to discuss how monarch butterflies migrate south in the fall.

Software

How Many Bugs in a Box? (software)
( Grades PreK-1)
Based on the best-selling pop-up counting books, this program provides hours of educational fun. You'll "bug out" over activities like the musical memory game Spots-on-a-Bug and the brain-teaser Same-and-Different. The Bug Meter lets you adjust game difficulty to suit specific skill levels, and ensure that kids have new challenges for years to come.

Videos

The Magic School Bus : Gets Ants In Its Pants
(Grades K-6)
The Magic School Bus goes into show business when Keesha directs a movie about social animals for the school science fair.

Based on the book series by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen. Starring Lily Tomlin as the voice of Ms. Frizzle.

Websites

PestWorld for Kids
PestWorld for Kids has many facts, in-depth information, interactive games, and curricular lesson plans about pests.

Bugbios
Profiles of 14 bugs, including a gallery with photo enlargement capabilities.

Butterflies and Bugs
Activities for all curriculum areas, including, science, art, math, and games.

Deadly Bugs
A site of dangerous bugs intended for older students. Great graphics and interactive technology.