Kids' Cicada Hunt!

Are Your Kids Afraid of Bugs?

Then here are some resources that make be of help.

Periodical Cicada Home

Cicada
Blog

Cicada Hunt 2007 Photo Stories

Things to Do This Spring

Kids afraid of bugs?

Cicada Citizen Science

Cicada Hunt 2003 Photo Story

Local Cicada Exhibits

Local Cicada
Programs

Cicadas in the News

Cicada Books

Cicadas on the Web

Tracking Use of Cicada Websites

If your kids are having trouble overcoming their fears of cicadas and other bugs, you should check out this article, entitled “Helping Children Enjoy the Cicadas” by Susan K. Walker. It was written for the 2004 Periodical Cicada emergence in the Eastern United States. A few of the links no longer work, but the article itself seems really useful. (It even links to our site!) Also, be sure to check out the links at the end of the article.

Here's a great book that introduces Periodical Cicadas to younger children in ways that may help them overcome their fears:

Cecily Cicada / words by Kita Helmetag Murdock and Patsy Helmetag. Annapolis, MD: Possum Products, 2004. 26 p.

Here is Dad's review, from his CicadaBlog:

Many articles and blog posts about Periodical Cicadas emphasize adults’ dislike, disgust, and even fear of these insects. Bloggers sometimes trace their feelings to childhood experiences—stepping on cicadas, bumping into flying cicadas, or feeling a cicada dropped down their shirt. This gets me wondering—what can we do for today’s kids to help them enjoy these amazing bugs? (My own boys have already promised not to force cicadas on their bug-phobic friends, but there must be something more.)

Before the big Cicada Emergence of 2004, a mother and grandmother in Washington, DC, felt similar concerns. They wrote and illustrated a book—Cecily Cicada—especially for preschoolers who needed help with that year’s cicadas. Cecily Cicada tells her life story in terms young kids relate to—by giving her human feelings. Wouldn’t seventeen years underground get boring? Then let’s imagine how Cecily might pass the time. How does it feel to shed your skin and grow wings? Cecily was surprised—she didn’t know what was coming. What do cicada songs sound like to Cecily? Of course, they’re so beautiful that she fell in love with the singer!

Reading Amazon.com reviews, it’s clear that Cecily Cicada helped lots of kids in 2004—it’s a parent-tested and child-approved way to subvert cicada-phobia. I asked my neighbor to try the book with her children, and she said it communicated lots of facts about cicadas along with all the fantasy. However, it might not be as effective with children older than about 1st grade.

If there’s a child in your life who might need help preparing for this year’s Periodical Cicadas, you can visit the following Web page for information about purchasing the book:
http://www.cecilycicadabook.com/

You can also buy copies at:
      Magic Tree Bookstore in Oak Park, IL
      The Morton Arboretum store in Lisle, IL (Also check out their exhibits and programs about Periodical Cicadas)
      The Grove Store at The Grove Interpretive Center in Glenview IL. (Also check out their exhibit on Periodical Cicadas.