A Creepy Crawly Field Trip!

I enjoy going with the kids on their field trips every year. This doesn't necessarily mean that I enjoy where we go. I've been to Harriman Park - in the rain. I've been to a Mountain Man Redezvous - in the rain. I've gone to Mesa Falls - in the rain, and yesterday, to many different places between St. Anthony and Warm River - in PeRfeCt field trip weather! It was great! And for this wonderful weathered field trip, we got to...CoLLeCt iNseCts! Ugh! I am so not an insect person!

We stopped at a dessert type area west of Ashton for our third stop of the day. Within the first 3 minutes we were there, a girl hollered, "I found a praying mantis!" Then, another kid found one. The teacher told them, "If there's two, there's more. Start looking!" It turned out that every kid in the class found one to add to their precious bug collection! She said this was the first time in the 38 years she has been teaching that every student had one in their collection. They found close to 30 of the little critters. I was trying my best to help the kids put the ugly things in their bottles. It was going fine until one started crawling up my hand. I don't know how to spell my panic stricken voice on the computer, but I was not thrilled to say the least. I calmly said, "Mrs. Stephens, I really don't like this touching me!" She came in and saved me. (Laughing pretty good.) She was the same teacher I had when I was in 5th grade, so yes, I had to do the bug collection as well. I didn't like the creatures anymore then than I do now. Instead of pinning the things to Styrofoam and creating a "beautiful" display, I Elmer's glued them in an old box and called it good. (Not my best grade earned.)

She wanted the students to keep the praying mantis that they caught as a pet until "d-day" when they would put them into their decorated, Styrofoam box. Hunter named him Jerry.

We then went to Warm River to wade in the not-so-warm water and look for water bugs. They found these bugs under rocks in the river and they were disgusting! Apparently I wasn't listening because I don't know what the names of these bugs were. Each child who found one & brought it to her, earned points toward a party or something. (Still would not be enough incentive for me.) I enjoyed taking pictures of them (the kids, not the bugs) That's me, the picture taker!