Another of the organizations participating in Start with a Book’s on-the-ground learning project this summer is the Early Start program at Jubilee Housing in Washington, DC. Jubilee Youth Services provide Jubilee Housing residents and community members with out-of-school-time programming and a six-week summer camp with the goals of improving student outcomes in academics, health and wellness, community service, belonging, community building, and socioemotional growth. Nevaeh Pittman, Early Start Program Associate, is here to share how Bug Buddies contributed to their hive of activity.
— Rachael Walker, Reading Rockets’ Book Life
Gaining Appreciation for Insects by Nevaeh Pittman
Hey there!
I am Nevaeh Pittman, and I have the pleasure of serving Jubilee Housing’s Early Start Program. During the summer we offer a 5-week camp for rising 1st-3rd graders. Bug Buddies was the perfect addition to camp this year and gave our nature week an interesting twist. Not only did Early Start students try to better understand why we fall below mosquitoes on the food chain, but they also had the chance to break in our new reading corner with the books we were provided.
Overall, the Bug Buddies curriculum is very flexible and includes a variety of hands-on activities that keep students engaged. We started off our nature week with the Bugs vs Insects Activity.
Early Start students did great job of identifying insects and are now experts thanks to the “Parts of an Insect” song!
As the days went on, the children were surprised that bugs have a bigger purpose than “biting and buzzing.” They were able to learn firsthand how bugs affect plants while caring for their garden and even had questions for the staff during our trip to an orchard that connected bugs to crops. In addition, the children asked more about their new pet hermit crabs which lead to us talking more about their life cycle and why they are identified as crustaceans.
How to Build an Insect by Roberta Gibson was the fan favorite this summer. This was often the book of choice during buddy reading and free time.
All of the information the children were learning helped them become more aware of the smaller life forms around them. They even discussed whether a bug inside our center should be let out or “taken care of.” Fortunately or unfortunately, flies did not receive the benefit of doubt!
Resources
- Start with a Book: Bug Buddies
- Start with a Book: Bugs
- Start with a Book: Nature: Our Green World
- Start with a Book: Washington DC for Kids: Places to Go
