Bugs

I've never been really interested in bugs. I just thought of them as insignificant creatures that just happen to share this world with us humans. As a kid I didn't exactly go digging through dirt to find bugs. However, I remember a bunch of potato bugs in the sand next to the swing set. During recess my friends and I used to catch these bugs and let them run up and down our arms, tickling us as they crawled along on their scrawny legs. My view of bugs back then was that they were amusing little toys which you never had to wind up to get them moving. When we were assigned to do a lab on bugs, my view of them altered.

We were assigned to bring five insects into class, dead. So the weekend before the assignment was due, I went exploring in my back yard. I searched in various places where I thought bugs would hang out. The first bug I found was a tiny cockroach who had been hiding beneath a pot next to my house. As I went to catch the little fellow in my handy-dandy ziplock bag, he quickly escaped through a hole in the pot and into the grass, where I lost track of him. Although I was bummed about missing my first specimen, I pressed on.

I found a heap of soil resign beside my fence. In the soil were rocks. I lifted up the rocks to find swarms of ants, tiny roaches, and some already-cracked-open lizard eggs. I caught the roaches and continued on my bug safari.

The next place I searched was beneath a concrete slab which serves as a stepping stone towards my front door. This was a cool shaded area overgrown with moss. When I lifted up the slab of concrete, I encountered bugs that I never knew existed in my own back yard. This must have been the Ala Moana Shopping Center of bugs, because it was packed! There were worms, millipedes, slugs, snails, and beetles. The bugs I found most interesting were the snails. They were very timid creatures who hid in their cone-shaped shells until they felt confident enough to come out. A unique characteristic of these snails was that their bodies are fluourescent yellow. I caught three of these to take to class, along with some other bugs.

The insect lab made me appreciate bugs as living things that have homes and lifestyles. I realize now that they are not just little creatures that buzz in your ear. Bugs are living organisms and should be treated with some respect.

Question to ponder: Do bugs have emotional lives? What do they think about?

Squid Dissection

When I first heard we would be dissecting a squid in science, I got really worried. What if I accidently cut open the wrong thing? There's no way to glue it back together. I was very glad to be grouped with two boys who were looking forward to this hands-on experience. I never had to cut the squid once!! : ) Even though I didn't actually dissect the squid I learned a lot about how it lives and its unique body features. The inside of the squid was really gross and sort of mushy. Even after the squid was cooked, it wasn't very appealing. (I'm not much of a seafood lover.) I feel bad for fish. I think Disney's movie, The Little Mermaid, had a major influence on my view of sea creatures. In that move humans were classified as "fish-eating barbarians." I don't want to be known as that, so I never eat seafood or fish. I am interested in studying them. I have always found the Waikiki Aquarium and Sea Life Park interesting. This past summer I went to Sea World in Florida. Although there were many informative exhibits, I feel sorry for the animals who are trained to perform in shows. I don't think it's right to keep dolphins or killer whales captive.

Never Have I

     Never have I dissected

Never have I seen what's really "inside"

Never have I heard such squeals of delight and disgust

          Never have I "touched someone's heart"

               Never have I smelled the stench

     forcing it's way into my nostrils

Never have I used a scalpel,

          Never have I been so disgusted

Never have I been so intrigued