Bug Bucket W/ Magnifying Glass Cover, How Insects See Viewing Set & Insect Guide

Description

This
vintage insect viewing set
is
awesome
!  It is
in excellent condition, considering how long I have had it
!  And, the
book is brand new
!
I used the insect viewing set, in my kindergarten classroom, during the month of May, when we did a unit on bugs.
This
set is clean and comes from a smoke free home
.
This
set consists of a bug habitat bucket, a "How Insects See!" bug viewing kit, and a children's field guide to insects
.  The
habitat bucket was made by Educational Educatif
and
is for ages 5+ yrs.
The
"How Insects See!" kit was made by Safari Ltd
and has a
copyright date of 2000
.  It is
suitable for children ages 4+ yrs.
And, the
"Looking at Bugs" paperback was written by Laura Driscoll, illustrated by Deborah and Allan Drew-Brook-Cormack and Tim Haggerty
, and has
a copyright date of 2001
.  The book was
published by Grosset & Dunlap
.
If kids want to go bug hunting, all they need is a back yard or a playground and this field guide!
The
habitat bucket is plastic, has a high-power, magnifying glass cover, and a handle for carrying
.  It
measures 3.875" in height and 4.125" in width
.  It
has slits in the top, so insects or small animals (a baby frog, toad, etc.) can breathe.
It
could also be used for closeup images of non-living things (coins, stamps, etc.)
.
The
"How Insects See!" kit lets children see like bugs do
!
Insects have compound eyes that receive images through multiple lenses.
This
kit contains the following 5 plastic items: a red viewing tube, a clear retainer ring, and 3 different types of lenses (elongated, ocelli, and ommatidium)
.
I have also enclosed a clear, orange, plastic object that looks like a cone.  This did not come with the "How Insects See!" set, but the 3 lenses will also fit into this viewing object, using the retainer ring to keep them in place.  There is a loop on this piece, so that it can be strung with cord, and children can wear it around their neck.  On the back of the "How Insects See!" kit, there are illustrated directions on how to insert and change the lenses, using the viewing tube and retainer ring.  There is also information about the 3 different lenses.
Unlike humans, insects have compound eyes that specialize in detecting movement, which is why they can do things like catch a fly.  Compound eyes are composed of hundreds of tiny hexagonal units called ommatidium, similar to the squares in the ommatidium lens.  Flying insects usually have larger compound eyes than walking insects, since they need to judge distances more quickly to evade capture or to catch prey.
In addition to compound eyes, insects have 3 simplified eyes called ocelli, similar to the clear space in the center of the ocelli lens.  Although compound eyes detect detail poorly, the ocelli probably are not used to locate objects at all.  Instead, their primary purpose might be to differentiate shade and sunlight.
If one facet of the hexagonal lens is magnified 4,000 times, the structure of the surface contains both round and elongated tubercles.
The
image created by these lens shapes might layer the object like the elongated lens, which could act as a filter for the polarization of light (not used by humans, but very beneficial to insects that forage and mate using the light spectrum)
.
The
"Looking at Bugs" field guide measures 5.375" x 7"
.  It i
ncludes a "pocket poster" to help kids identify bugs and 20 insect stickers that are to be used on pages within the book
.  I have
enclosed photos of both the "pocket poster" and stickers
.
Inside this book are fun facts about the bugs kids will find, along with special, write-in notebook pages.
This
paperback is really great
!  It is
illustrated with both photos and cartoons
!
I would have liked to include more photos in my listing, but ran out of space.  So, I am going to describe a little more about it.
The
book begins with a page titled "What Makes a Bug a Bug?"
.
Then, there is an "Insect Checklist" with a labeled diagram.  That is followed by a section titled "Growing Up" about baby insects.  Next, there is a section on "Bug Hunting" and "Calling All Bugs!".  In "Calling All Bugs!", a suggestion is given on how kids can get bugs to come to them.
The
suggestion consists of 5 sequenced sentences with illustrations for each
.
Then, "Be Careful" tells kids how to protect themselves when bug hunting.  Next, there is a section on "When to Look" and "How to Use This Book".
After "How to Use This Book", individual insects are then looked at (ants, bees, wasps, flies, spiders, beetles, ladybugs, fireflies, butterflies, moths, grasshoppers, crickets, cockroaches, mosquitoes, dragonflies, and water striders).  This is where the insect stickers come into play, as there is a place to put one to represent each insect.  Within these insect sections, are headings such as the following: What to Look For, Where to Look, Size, and Careful!  Different types of insects, under each category, are also shown and labeled.  Other items included in the insect section are the following: insect experiments, different homes for insects under the same category, pretending to be a specific insect, and differences between insects that are similar (ex. butterflies and moths).
The
last part of this book focuses on note-taking when bug hunting
.
Here children record and draw.
The
left-side pages look like ruled, notebook paper
.
This is where children write.
The
right-side pages look like a spiral-bound flip pad, with a line down the middle which separates the page in half
.
This is where children draw.  Under this section are the following headings: Be a Bug's Shadow, Bug Homes, Bug Food, Busy Bugs, and Mystery Bugs.  Under "Mystery Bugs", there are places for children to record color, size, where they saw it, and their notes on the ruled notebook page.  And, they can draw what it looked like on the blank, right-side, page.
The
very last ruled page of the book is titled "More Notes"
.
Here kids can write any extra findings they came across when bug hunting.
The
"Looking at Bugs": My First Field Guide is very difficult to find in brand new condition
!  The
only ones I have seen online have been pre-owned
.
This
set would make a wonderful addition to a household with young children who have an interest in insects
!  I am hoping to find it a good home.