This post brought to you by The Orkin Ecologist. All opinions are 100% mine.
As Halloween is approaching, it’s easy to dismiss bugs as a scary and annoying part of life.
But did you know that bugs are used as medicine around the world?
I came across this challenge to do an educational ecology project with my daughter. Although she is only 2 and half, she had fun putting this project together and so did I.
My idea was to do a “haunted medicine cabinet.” Instead of having regular medicine in the cabinet, they would be bug-themed medicine.
Each bottle has the name of the bug, what conditions it treats, and what country this treatment is used in. This would be an excellent project for a science fair!
Some interesting facts:
Bee Products (North America) – aids in a healthy immune system, improves circulation, and decreases inflammation
Centipede (China) – treats Tetanus, seizures, and convulsions
Fly Maggots (South America) – prevents wound infections
Grasshopper (Africa and Mexico) – relieves pain, treats kidney disease, sooths intestinal disorders
Jatropha Leaf Miner (India) – reduces fever, eases stomachaches
Red Harvester Ant (Central America) – treats arthritis, Rheumatism, and Polimyelitis
Termites (India) – cures ulcers, anemia, and Rheumatic diseases
Here are instructions on how to recreate this project.
You’ll need:
- Empty Vitamin or Pill bottles
- 1 Sheet of White Paper
- Shoebox
- 2 Pieces of Cardboard Cut to Fit the Shoebox as the Shelf
- Fake Spider Webbing
- Plastic Bugs
- Packing Labels
- Packing Tape
- Double-Sided Tape
- Scissors
1. Design labels.
a. Use Word to make labels.
b. Find clipart online.
c. Print labels.
d. Adhere to empty bottles
2. Put together Medicine Cabinet.
a. Cut paper to cover the inside width of the shoebox. This is to hide ugly flaps.
b. Make the shelf. Tape together the 2 pieces of cardboard. One cardboard is too flimsy. That’s why you need 2 pieces.
c. Wrap shelf with white paper and tape to the center of the shoebox.
3. Stretch spider webbing over corners of the shelf, taping in place.
4. Place the plastic bugs in various places on the shelf.
Surprisingly, this project was a lot of fun to design and put together. I hope it inspires you to learn more about bugs and see them in a new light.
I found all the information at The Orkin Ecologist site. You can find other interesting facts about bugs there.
I would love to know your thoughts! Let me know what you think about the site and this project in the comments below.
