The Inspiration behind Interesting Insects: 
I was inspired to start learning about insects from my own 2 children. I started using bugs as a teaching tool when my kids were in pre-school. My children became fascinated with the insects that I would show them on our neighborhood walks or in Granny’s garden. So I used those bugs when introducing the different letters and sounds of the alphabet: A was for ant, B was for butterfly, C was for caterpillar and so on. I shared this idea with a few close girlfriends whose children were the same age as mine, and we started meeting twice a week to work together teaching our kids the alphabet using the world around them. We all noticed that the kids responded best when we used an insect or animal to represent the letter or sound. We found ourselves searching for the honey bees, playing with the mealworms from the pet store, hunting for the ladybug larva and exploring for ant trails as a part of our everyday life. My son and daughter would ask questions about bugs that I had never thought of. So off I would go to the library twice a week to find out all I could to feed their growing curiosity about God’s littlest creatures. 

Once my son started kindergarten, his teachers were taken back by his extraordinary knowledge of bugs. They would ask me how he knew all of this unusual information. So I shared with them about our family and it’s love for insect information. Soon I found myself volunteering at the school to teach ladybug classes to the entire kindergarten and first grade. Before long, the teachers were using me as a resource for their student’s questions about all types of insects. I found myself craving even more information and ways to make it palatable for children.

During the summertime my children would participate in a weekly science program at the park started by a few wonderful moms that just wanted to enrich their children’s science experiences. I became the resident “bug expert” and taught several classes. 

In 2004, the PTA at my son’s school started a program called “Parents Sharing Knowledge”. I volunteered to teach grades K-3 about insects. Children began stopping me in the halls to tell me a great story about a peculiar insect they had come across. Some students would even bring their findings to school in a jar to share with me. I became known around campus for my silly ladybug hat that I wore when I taught. Students would wave and say “there goes the bug lady”. 

I expanded my classes to cover 8 common insects that the students may encounter in their everyday explorations. In 2005, I joined the after school enrichment program at my children’s school teaching 4 week sessions called “Interesting Insects I & II”. I even brought my own children in as “experts” during the presentations. The feedback from parents, students, administration and teachers was so positive, that I knew that this was something I was called to do beyond my own backyard. 

The opportunity to expand Interesting Insects outside my own community, is very exciting for me. I know, from my 6 years as a parent of children attending a public school, about the lack of money and resources being invested into elementary science programs. I know from close observation, the frustration of the overworked teachers trying to research for a science lesson while keeping up with their demanding schedule and workload. I hope to spread a little help by offering an interesting and animated environment for children to learn about the world crawling and flying around them.

By Desiree Martinez
Creator of Interesting Insects