Bug Note Episode 4: For the Kid Who Loves Bugs
About Episode 4
Kids are curious little creatures, and that curiosity manifests itself differently in every child. Some kids love dinosaurs, while others get excited about history or art. As parents encourage their children to embrace that curiosity, it can lead to increased empathy, media literacy, and critical thinking skills.
This week’s episode of Bug Note is for the kids who love bugs. Host Daniel Potter chats with Jason Cryan, NHMU’s Sarah B. George Executive Director, and Christy Bills, NHMU's Invertebrate Collections Manager, about how parents can support their child’s insect interests. Listen to the podcast here or scroll down to watch the video version.
Bug Note is now available wherever you get your podcasts.
| Listen on Spotify | Listen on Apple | Listen on Amazon | Listen on iHeartRadio |
How To Encourage Curiosity About Bugs
Practice Observation Skills
One of the best ways to support your child’s curiosity about nature is by observing it. Set aside time to go outside together, and discuss the plants, animals, and insects around you. These conversations will open the door to new avenues of thinking and may prompt questions or topics for future exploration.
Read & Research
For questions that require a bit more research to answer, consider starting your search at the library. Bills emphasizes that utilizing library resources also helps in developing media literacy skills. Unlike the internet, which is sometimes full of false or contradictory information that’s hard to sort through, the library is full of free, credible resources — making it an easy place to start.
Connect With an Expert
Parents can reach out to local nature centers to connect their kids with professionals who share their interests. For the kids who love bugs, this might look like attending free talks by entomologists, who can answer questions and pass along some of the passion they feel toward bugs.
Tie Bugs to Other Topics
One of Bills biggest suggestions for encouraging a child’s love of bugs is to incorporate that interest into their studies of other topics. Kids who love bugs can create art inspired by insects, write poems or stories about bugs and their abilities, or read about how bugs have had an impact on specific communities throughout history.
Bug Note on YouTube
Check out the extended version of Episode 4 on YouTube. Be sure to like and subscribe to receive notice of upcoming episodes.
About Bug Note
Bug Note is hosted by Daniel Potter, a science writer who's also worked in the world of public radio for many years, and who loves fresh air and storytime. He's joined by Dr. Jason Cryan, NHMU’s Sarah B. George Executive Director and trained entomologist, and Christy Bills, NHMU's Invertebrate Collections Manager, as well as other bug-loving guests. Video production by Blank Space. The podcast is created in collaboration with the Natural History Museum of Utah, with the expertise and support of its scientific, philanthropic, marketing, and education teams. Special thanks to NHMU friend and insect enthusiast Ted Fridirici.
Episode 4 at a Glance
Authors
-
By Olivia Barney
Olivia serves as NHMU’s Marketing Copywriter/Coordinator, where she collaborates across departments to craft engaging stories that help bring groundbreaking research projects to life. She might be the Oxford comma’s number one fan.
-
By Jason Cryan, Ph.D.
Areas of Expertise • Museum administration and leadership • Evolutionary biology • Entomology • Plant-feeding insects of the Order Hemiptera • Planthoppers, spittlebugs, treehoppers Background Jason Cryan, Ph.D., serves as the fourth executive director of the Natural History Museum of Utah. With its rich, 50-year history as the most important natural history museum in America’s...
-
By Christy Bills
Areas of Expertise • Insect collection curation • Science communication • Fireflies in the Western U.S. • Community Science Background Christy joined the Museum staff in 1998 and has been managing the invertebrate collections with the help of volunteers and interns ever since. Moving from 19th century technologies, she shepherded the collection from outdated housing to archival...
-
By Dan Potter
Daniel Potter is a science writer and audio producer based in Nashville, Tennessee. He's reported for Nashville Public Radio and KQED in San Francisco, and has appeared on Science Friday and PBS NewsHour. He's also written for the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Some of his writing appears in the 2023 book Bay Curious: Exploring the Hidden True Stories of the San Francisco Bay Area.
