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Cricket Capers
Get the jump on crickets with these activities!
On an August night, you can hear crickets chirping almost anywhere: in parks and woods, in fields and lawns, even along country roadsides. There are lots of things to explore about crickets, starting with their chirps and jumps.
What you need:
- nail file
- piece of stiff paper
- thermometer
- string (2 feet long)
- yardstick or tape measure
What you do:
Try these three activities.
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Join the chorus: Have your child rub a nail file against a piece of stiff paper. The sound comes close to a male cricket's chirp.
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How hot is it? Children who can add two-digit numbers can make a fair guess about the current temperature by listening to crickets chirp. Ask your child to count the chirps as you time them for 15 seconds. Then add 40 to the number of chirps. Compare this sum to the current temperature (in degrees Fahrenheit) on a thermometer. The results should be pretty close. Why does this work? Crickets are more active in warmer weather, so the chirps are more frequent.
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Cricket calisthenics: Did you know that crickets can jump about two feet? Place a piece of string on soft ground to form a starting line. Use a yardstick or tape measure to mark off two feet from the line. Urge your child to jump as far as possible while standing at the line.