Students were thrilled to participate in the Bug Club, led by Office Administrator Brit Morris and her husband, who own a local business dedicated to some of nature’s most exotic creatures.
Office Administrator Brit Morris and her husband run Outlaw Arachnids, a local business specializing in exotic creatures, and brought in different insects each week for 28 scholars to learn about and see up close. Students in kindergarten through sixth grade participated in weekly age-appropriate activities and learned about each insect’s habitat, geographic origins, and diets.
From scorpions to roly-polies to tarantulas, students welcomed some of nature’s most extraordinary creatures into the classroom. The club had the opportunity to handle some of the bugs with adult supervision, and Morris said seeing students grow in their comfort level with bugs was impressive.
The praying mantis, shown here, is one of the many insects students learned about and interacted with in Landmark’s Bug Club.
“Many students start out hesitant, sometimes even fearful of handling insects, but handling is always optional,” Morris said. “What’s been amazing to see is that by the end of the club, those same students often go from nervous to eager and ask if they can hold the insects themselves.”
Some scholars were hesitant to touch bugs at first but became eager to interact with insects over the course of the year.
One of the highlights of the club was when students got to hold a live tarantula. Morris said the tarantula was one of the group’s favorite insects to see and mentioned it’s activities like these that help kids become more comfortable with bugs. With so many engaging extracurricular activities, it’s no wonder Landmark has outperformed the local district since it opened nearly 20 years ago.
The excitement is apparent on students’ faces when they interact with these insects each week, but Morris said she hopes students take away an appreciation for nature.
“Our biggest hope is that students walk away with a newfound appreciation and understanding of the insects around them,” Morris said.
“Our biggest hope is that students walk away with a newfound appreciation and understanding of the insects around them,” Morris said. “We want them to see bugs not as something to fear, but as fascinating and essential creatures in our world.”
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About Landmark Academy at Reunion
Landmark Academy at Reunion is a tuition-free, public charter school in Commerce City, Colorado, serving students in kindergarten through eighth grade. It is part of the National Heritage Academies (NHA®) network, which includes more than 100 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.
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