Strollerderby : bugs

Kitchenista: Edible Bugs

Adrienne Martini — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 13:30:00 GMT

The Diva, my six-year old, was sitting in the back of the minivan (don't judge) while I was running errand last week. In her hands was a Ranger Rick magazine. What follows is a Tim Gunn-worthy tale of making it work.

"Mom," she yelled from the back, "can we make strawberry ladybugs?"

"Sure," I said, not because I'm a mom who always says sure but because we were going to the grocery anyway and I needed something to keep her occupied while I wrote Strollerderby posts. "What do we need?"

She rattled off a list: strawberries, blueberries, mini chocolate chips and licorice.

Of those four things, we only managed to get two. Blueberries were phenomenally expensive so I convinced her that blackberries would make a fine (if bulbous) head. The licorice vines needed to be gluten-free (the Diva has Celiac Disease), which I couldn't find in my local grocery. So our ladybugs wound up legless.

Still, I think they were pretty dang cute. And tasty. And an hour's worth of amusement on a hot summer's day.

They Say: Use All-Natural Bug Spray that works

Brett Singer — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:00:00 GMT

The worst thing about going outside in the summer is the bugs. When its hot, you can always drink more water, take a shower, hire some local kids to fan you... wait, scratch that last one. But with bugs, they bite, and that itchy gift stays with you long after you go inside. It's even more difficult to protect your kids since they tend to be having too much fun to notice when a flock of horseflies are attacking.

We all want to keep chemicals off of our kids' bodies as much as possible. The thing about Deet is, it works. New York Magazine points to a product called Herbal Armor that is relatively cheap (the mag says $8.99, but it's less at Amazon, although shipping adds a lot) and is also, they claim, sweat-proof. So you slap it on and go. It's all-natural, so no worries about junior growing a third arm out of his back as a result of too much Deet-exposure. I haven't tried it, but I'm going to look for it in stores and report back. If anyone has used this stuff, let us know if it works.

image: Amazon

Principal Pulls Awesome Stunt To Boost Grades

Kelly Mills — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 20:33:00 GMT

What can I say? I'm a sucker for serious dedication to kids and a flair for showmanship. In an effort to boost grades and win better behavior from students, Principal Bob Vicari has basically made students offers they couldn't refuse: Improve, and I'll take one for the team. In his six years as a middle school principal, he's rewarded students for meeting his challenges by lettting them peg him with water balloons and smash pies in his face, and he's moved his office to the roof--twice.

So how do you top that? Well, this time he promised to eat bugs if students stepped up. And actually a record number of them made the honor roll, so he chomped down live crickets three times, one for each grade. "I was told you have to floss afterwards because the legs get caught between your teeth," he quipped to students. It's truly a nice story to read, and he sounds like a helluva guy.

Bugs and Kids. Of Course.

Karen Murphy — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 15:08:00 GMT

In my house, bugs are treated like revered pets. Not that we have all that many of them, fortunately, but the ones that do wander in from wherever, especially caterpillars, are usually pronounced "cute" before they are escorted outside. Except spiders. What is everyone's freaking problem with spiders, and when did I get appointed Spider Monitor? Oh well, I don't mind them anymore, and I take them outside too.

So it only makes sense that kids be given an opportunity to examine bugs on a one-on-one basis. After all, there's a natural fascination there. When we lived in Colorado, one of our favorite places was the Butterfly Pavilion, special because of the giant green preying mantis outside and the room full of butterflies inside. So how about an insect festival? Roach races? Well, they may not be for everyone. Neither are the meal-worm lollipops or the chocolate-covered crickets. Um...EWWW. And, yes, bugs are eaten in many cultures, but my kids think they're cute and aren't likely to want to eat them.

But back to learning about bugs. I think it's essential to understand that as inconvenient as it may be at times, they have a necessary (I guess) place in our lives and as part of the environment. Plus, kids love them.

I leave you with this:

Nobody likes me, everybody hates me,
Guess I'll go eat worms,
Long, thin, slimy ones; Short, fat, juicy ones,
Itsy, bitsy, fuzzy wuzzy worms.