When we first walked in, we were greeted by a Bugseum Guide who gave us a short introduction to the museum and let us know that there would be a presentation in a little while during which we could touch a few different critters!
The first room introduced us to the science of Taxonomy and how different bugs are classified and the basic characteristics of bugs in general.
This exhibit highlighted bugs that are considered pests or worst - mosquitos, lice, ticks, etc. But the ceiling of the room was decorated by this spider:
It kind of freaked the kids out :-)
Some of the live insects on display were tarantulas:
Cockroaches:
And honeybees! Their hive had a tube that led to the outside of the building so these busy bees could work work work!
Before we knew it, it was time for the touch presentation. Our guide showed us a hissing cockroach, a millipede, a scorpion, and a tarantula. Sean touched all of the bugs except the scorpion - it was a nonvenomous scorpion, but it was still pretty freaky looking. Clare opted out of petting any of the bugs this time around :-)
The kids had a blast running and crawling around the termite exhibit - two tunnels built from plywood and carpet to mimic those built by termites in the mud - we should really build a couple of these for our house...
After we had our fill of the bug museum, the kids ran around a little bit in the sun while Mommy got their picnic snack ready.
Sean said the outing was "boring" but later on he told me that the museum was "really cool" and he told our neighbors all about the museum today and was very proud that he'd pet the tarantula!
