Become a bug

Imagine what your life would be like if you were an aquatic invertebrate! Read this story with your family or have them read it to you. Act out the story as it unfolds or close your eyes and imagine all the wonders of wetlands.

  • Take a deep breath and close your eyes (or leave them open).
  • Imagine that you are standing at the edge of a pond in Calgary. You begin to wonder: What would it be like to live in the pond water?
  • Standing at the water's edge, you jump into the air, and then enter the water with a splash.
  • Practice holding your breath for a count of five. Then, you can go back to breathing normally.
  • As you swim through the cool water you begin to feel a little bit hungry. The only menu options include tiny floating algae, cattails, or rotting vegetation piled up along the pond bottom.
  • As you continue to swim through the cool water, a friendly water boatman paces peacefully along beside you with long graceful strokes of their oar like arms. One the other side, however, the bugs look a little less friendly.
  • A water tiger begins to swim closer and you wonder if he is looking at you the way that you look at a slice of pizza!
  • You swim faster, but the water tiger has been joined by a backswimmer. The backswimmer inches closer and closer and closer!
  • You swim to the left, but they’re still right behind you. You swim to the right, but they’re closer still.
  • To escape, you push up toward the surface of the water. Your head breaks through the surface and you gasp for breath. You climb safely out of the pond.
  • You are very tired from your wetland journey and decide to curl up and rest before moving on with your day. As you rest, you wonder how all those curious creatures survive in that underwater world all day.
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