Pets with six legs

I had an experience today that made me laugh and run for my camera, so I thought I'd share it. It was recess time in fourth grade and suddenly, Alicia came back with this bug crawling on her hand, wanting to show it to Miss Nancy (the fourth grade teacher) and I. It was about the size of a ladybug, but sporting stripes instead of spots. She wanted to know what kind it was. Of course, being the great bug aficionado I am, I knew right away. Not! Actually, I didn't really think much of it. I thought she'd found it on the floor. Then I saw someone else with a similar-looking bug and I began to wonder. And then I saw Magna fishing them out of the bottom of her backpack. Upon further investigation, I found out she caught them in her yard, thought they were pretty cool looking, and decided to make pets of them. So she found a small box, put grass in it, and stuck it in her backpack. She spent a few minutes fishing little bugs out of the bottom of her backpack pocket and putting them back in their home. Well, this was just too interesting to resist and pretty soon the vast majority of fourth grade was involved in the unfolding drama of the bugs. These tiny six-legged pets (some even had names!) were definitely the choice entertainment for the half-hour recess time. I think maybe one or two of the students actually went out to recess. Most of the rest of them were sitting watching the antics of Magna's new pets as they crawled around and kicked their little feet in the air when they got flipped on their backs. They were, in fact, so engrossed in watching this miniature entertainment that they didn't even seem to notice when I got out my camera and started taking pictures. The hilarity of the whole situation cracked me up, so I thought I'd share it.
Shannon suggested maybe I bring a box of bugs to school in my backpack as back up in case I need a backup plan in the middle of class. Hmmm...not a bad idea!