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Why are so many people scared of bugs?

Biodiversity

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DISCUSS:

How do you feel about bugs?

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Step
01/21

Get your supplies.

Step
02/21

You need a long strip of paper. So fold your paper the long way, then
cut along the fold to make two pieces.

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Step
03/21

This simple centipede has 16 legs. It would take a long time to cut out
all those legs! Think about this:

Step
04/21

Fold one of your pieces of paper in half the long way. Run your finger
along the fold to make a good crease. Then unfold it.

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Step
05/21

Draw a wiggly line down the fold you just made. Fold the paper again,
with the line on the outside.

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Step
06/21

Now fold this long strip in half, like this. Fold it again, like this.

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Step
07/21

Find the wiggly line you drew on the first fold you made. Line your
finger up with that fold. Draw a line along the side of your finger,
like this.

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Step
08/21

Draw a V on your folded paper. Line up one side of a finger with one
side of the V. Draw a line on the other side of your finger. Write LEG
or scribble in this leg.

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Step
09/21

Line up the side of a finger with the other side of the V. Draw a line
on the other side of the finger. Write LEG or scribble in this leg.

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Step
10/21

Before you start cutting, think about this:

Step
11/21

Cut around the legs on your centipede. If it’s too hard to cut through
all the layers, ask a grown-up for help.

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Step
12/21

Carefully unfold your centipede. Count the legs. Think about this:
How did you cut so many legs so quickly?

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Step
13/21

Look at how colorful real centipedes can be. Think about what your
centipede could look like.

Step
14/21

Put a blank sheet of paper under your centipede. Start at the body
and color outward. Add eyes. Fold the front legs forward to make
antennae.

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Step
15/21

Now that you’ve made one centipede, use the other half of your
paper to make another. Here’s a reminder of how to fold the paper.
There are also pictures of different ways to make the legs!

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Step
16/21

YOUNGER STUDENTS: you're all done!
OLDER STUDENTS: If you have time, here are more things to try.

Step
17/21

Now that you’ve tried our folding trick, think about why it works.
Discuss:

Step
18/21

Here’s how they’re the same: You can fold them down the middle and
the sides match. That’s why you can fold the paper and cut out both
sides at the same time.

Step
19/21

Here’s how they are different: The top half of the centipede and the
spider matches the bottom half. That’s not true of the heart. Discuss:

Step
20/21

The top of the folded centipede matches the bottom—so you can
fold it one more time. The spider has one last super tricky fold.

Step
21/21

When you fold a shape and the sides match, people say the shape is
“symmetrical.” Knowing this makes it easy to cut out hearts, flowers,
centipedes, or spiders!

Extend this lesson

Discussions