Cooperative Living Northern Virginia Electric - June 2020
Kids’ Korner
Anne M. Dellinger 2020-05-21 09:49:44
Coexisting with Nature’s Unlovables
Have you ever wished that certain plants and animals did not exist on planet Earth? You know, the ones that often ruin your summer fun, like …
Depending on your own personal experiences, just reading this list could trigger bad memories.
It’s not pleasant to live alongside species that are mostly recognized for their “badness.” In fact, you might wonder … “why were they ever created in the first place?”
But Mother Nature always has a plan for every living thing, including the undesirables. Like it or not, they are contributing to the planet’s diversity of life and are here to stay.
BE AWARE, NOT AFRAID
No need to panic about sharing your summer with biters, stingers, bloodsuckers or itchers.
When you happen upon them, simply:
1. Stay alert
2. Consider your options
3. Act wisely
KIDS! CLIP AND KEEP YOUR KIDS’ KORNER COLUMNS IN A THREE-RING BINDER AND YOU’LL HAVE A NOTEBOOK CHOCK FULL OF FUN IDEAS AND ACTIVITIES FOR THE FUTURE!
Ready to test your coexisting skills?
Just follow the boot prints on the imaginary hike described below … you’ll be sure to meet some of nature’s infamous critters along the way!
INTO THE FOREST
Picture yourself entering the woods … suddenly you cross paths with a big, hairy spider.
This is no itsy-bitsy arachnid! It moves really fast, pounces on a cricket and drags it into a hole in the ground. You recognize this fierce hunter as a wolf spider.
What will you do?
____ Grab your phone and take a picture when it reappears.
____ Stomp it because it’s a scary biter.
____ Back away and let it live because it is nonthreatening.
You make your decision and move on, warily watching for more 8-legged creatures.
Next, you notice poison ivy growing on the side of a tree. Steering clear of this wicked weed, your eyes follow the vine up the tree and make a frightening discovery! Hanging from a tree limb is a basketball-sized, papery nest! It looks like a piñata but woe to anyone who is tempted to hit this house of “stingers!”
What will you do?
____ Take another picture.
____ Decide to observe a hornet’s nest safely at home on YouTube.
____ Maybe, take one quick swipe with a stick because you think you can run faster than stinging female hornets can fly.
____ Resolve to return during winter to collect the abandoned nest and explore its mysteries.
As you steadily move away from hornet territory, you approach a pond near the forest’s edge.
AROUND THE POND
There is a water snake basking on the rocks.
What will you do?
____ Scream in terror and run away.
____ Watch quietly as it slips into the water to feed on small fish and amphibians.
____ Try to kill it by throwing big rocks at its head.
____ Take a picture, from a safe distance.
While considering your options about this harmless reptile, you hear a high-pitched buzz near your ear. Suddenly you become painfully aware of another pond dweller … the blood-sucking mosquito.
This is your first personal attack by an aggressive animal!
What will you do?
____ Squish the attacker.
____ Apply bug repellant and continue exploring even though the vegetation is full of blood-thirsty female mosquitoes.
____ Decide to come back on a windy day when the mosquitoes are grounded.
Reluctantly, you leave the pond with a few itching welts.
Arriving home, you remove your boots and are horrified to discover another bloodsucker hidden under the top of your sock.
A hungry tick has hitched a ride but has not yet begun its blood-sucking meal.
What will you do?
____ Scream because you are terrified of a tick disease.
____ Destroy it immediately, washing hands carefully.
____ Do a thorough tick check and relax.
With the pretend hike completed, look over your reaction choices. Did you remember to use the three guidelines in each situation?
Acting wisely becomes easier to do when you have a better understanding of the animals sharing your world. Look over the following exercise and test your nature-knowledge by matching the animals to their functions. The facts could surprise you and possibly affect your next critter-encounter in a positive way.
The four choices may be used several times; some blanks may have more than one answer.
a. Spiders
b. Hornets
c. Mosquitoes
d. Ticks
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____________ are predators that help control insects harmful to agricultural crops.
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____________ provide squirrels, woodpeckers and blue jays with winter treats high in fat when any remaining larvae freeze in the abandoned nest.
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____________ are part of an opossum’s diet.
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____________ provide snacks for fish and other aquatic animals while in the larval stage.
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____________ aid in the pollination of flowers.
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____________ are a favorite food of guinea hens.
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____________ are consumed by the thousands by hungry bats at night.
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____________ provide pest-control in your house.
Clearly, these animals serve many purposes in the ecological scheme of things. And even though they can be bothersome or dangerous, they should not be wished away. You don’t have to love them … just take precautions and give them some space to do their jobs.
Answers: 1. a, b; 2. b; 3. d; 4. c; 5. b; 6. d; 7. c; 8. a
CALLING ALL SUPER SLEUTHS:
Hay Seed and City Slicker are learning about blood-sucking worms that have been used medically since the time of ancient Egypt.
In the past, physicians applied these worms to a sick patient’s body to sip his/her blood for curing everything from headaches to pneumonia to tonsillitis.
Today, this little animal has helped heal wounds and restore circulation in blocked blood vessels, especially in modern-day surgeries involving reattachment of a body part.
For a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card, do some research and answer the following:
• Give the page number where the jar is located.
• Identify the bloodsuckers.
• Learn more about these animals’ medicinal abilities by watching a YouTube video.
• Would you feel comfortable having medical treatment provided by blood-sucking worms?
Enter online at co-opliving.com or send answers with your name, address and phone number to:
Cooperative Living Super Sleuth
P.O. Box 2340
Glen Allen, VA 23058-2340
MARCH-APRIL ISSUE SUPER SLEUTH
The March-April KIDS’ KORNER talked about Earth Day and all the things you can do to make our planet a beautiful place to live. For a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card, kids were asked: to give the page number where the Earth Day symbol is found; tell what each of the R’s represent; and how you celebrated Earth Day. The correct answers are:
• Page 15
• Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
• I celebrated Earth Day by kissing the ground and planting flowers and trees.
Our winner is Bethany Yoder of Gladys, Va. Congratulations, Bethany!
The Kids’ Korner submissions are for children under the age of 16.
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Kids’ Korner
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