Joey was happy when his mother dropped him off at preschool. His teacher, Miss Bates, had told the class that today was Insect Day. At first, Joey wasn’t sure what an insect was. But Miss Bates said that insect was just another name for bug.

Joey loved bugs. He liked crouching on the sidewalk to watch ants scurry in and out of their anthills. He liked chasing after fireflies and listening to the crickets singing at night. Joey knew that Insect Day was going to be fun.

Miss Bates began by reading a book about butterflies. She showed everyone how to cross their thumbs and wave their hands back and forth like the butterflies in the story.

During playtime, the class pretended to be insects. Some of the kids crept across the floor like inchworms. Some hopped around the room like grasshoppers. Others buzzed around like honeybees.
During craft time, the boys and girls colored black dots on the ladybug Miss Bates had drawn. Joey tried hard to stay inside the lines.

Soon it was snack time. “Today we are having a special snack called ‘Ants on a Log,’ ” Miss Bates told the class.
Joey frowned. Even though he loved to watch ants, he certainly did not want to eat them!

When Miss Bates brought the snacks to the table, Joey saw that “Ants on a Log” was really peanut butter spread on a celery stalk with raisins stuck on top. Miss Bates said the raisins looked like ants marching in a line across a log. Joey’s frown turned into a smile again.

When Joey’s mother came to pick him up from preschool, Joey ran over to give her a hug.

“Guess what, Mommy—I ate ants today!”

His mother looked at him in surprise. “You didn’t really eat ants, did you, Joey?”

Joey smiled. “Not real ants, Mommy. They were raisin ants. And they were good!”