Catch the Reading Bug

Our library launched their summer reading program a few weeks ago called "Catch the Reading Bug." I took the boys to the open house and picked up their reading chart, a Taco Bell summer reading card, as well as an Incentive Game. This worksheet has 9 different activities for the boys to complete, after which they will earn a prize. I did some of the activities with them. Here are two of the activities we did together.

"Write a poem about a bug."

I Found These Bugs by Todd

I found a orange and black and red bug.
I don't know what its name is.

I like little ladybugs.
They are so cute.
They are so small I can't even tell what kind of bug it is.

One day I found a spider.
It popped right out of the grass.

Disappearance of a Chrysalis a haiku by Rebecca

Sad day in garden
Caterpillar eats the leaves
Makes him big and fat

Happy day comes now
Makes a chrysalis on stem
Must wait two long weeks

Sad day in garden
Chrysalis no longer here
Too soon to emerge

Winds may have blown it
Animals may have eaten
No beauty to see

I admit that I have no talent in poetry. My poem may not be much better than Todd's, but can you feel the pathos in it? I had been looking forward to watching a beautiful butterfly emerge from its chrysalis. But in less than a week it went missing. I still don't know what happened to it. To make matters worse, this is what I found the very next day in exactly the same spot where the chrysalis should have been. Since that day I have seen quite a few black swallowtail butterflies around--perhaps they are the siblings of our lost one. I got a good close-up of one that came into our porch.

The next activity we all did together was to "Write a short story (100 words or less) that begins with 'When I got home, my pet tarantula was missing.'"

"My Pet Spider" by Ryan

When I got home, my pet tarantula was missing. I looked for my pet spider. I looked for him under the clouds. Now I looked for him under the plants. I looked for him under a chair. I saw him. I took him and put him back in the dirt. And then he never came out.

"My Pet Tarantula Was Missing" by Todd

When I got home, my pet tarantula was missing. First, I looked in the bedroom, and I looked under the bed. There was just a terrarium. I looked in the terrarium again. Then I looked in the kitchen. He was not there! Then I looked back in my terrarium. He was hiding under the dirt.

"Tarry Wants a Bath?" by Rebecca

When I got home, my pet tarantula was missing. How did Tarry get out? What will happen if the dogs find him first? Will they eat him? Will they pounce on him and hurt him? I better find him before they do! I looked everywhere, and finally found him in the bathtub. I don't really think that Tarry wants a bath, but maybe he's trying to tell me that his terrarium needs to be cleaned. I guess I know what I'll be doing today, and it won't be bathing my spider!

I hope that you have enjoyed our creative efforts. Feel free to share your own versions of the above activities: Write a poem about a bug or Write a short story that begins with "When I got home, my pet tarantula was missing."