It's A Bugs Life

We are awash with children. The school is closed for an Inset day (In Service Training day or – if you don't do school-speak – a day off for staff to learn how to teach better). So far we've had sticking and cutting, bouncing on the mini trampoline in the garden, Operation, computer games and miscellaneous toys that beep and play bad music a lot. At the last count there were five children running around our small living room. At the moment they are sat in a circle having a picnic.

One of the children in Sam's class at school informed his mother that their teacher, Mrs W, was going to spend the day learning about bugs. This puzzled the mother who had heard that the staff were attending a conference on best practice. “Are you sure?” the mother asked. “Yes,” replied the boy. “They are going learn about all sorts of bugs. Big ones, little ones, ones that fly and ones that sting.” It was possible, the mother supposed, but it seemed unlikely. “How do you know?” She asked. “Mrs W told us,” explained the boy. “She said she was having an Insect day.”