Ticks, Bugs and Bites: Protect and Check
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What you will learn
- 1Dress to protect your skin from ticks and biting bugs
- 2Stay in the middle of the trail
- 3Do an after-walk check with a grown-up
- 4Tell a grown-up about a tick instead of touching it
- 5Walk away calmly from bees and wasps
Mini Lesson
Woods and fields are full of tiny bugs. Most of them will not bother you. Some, like ticks, mosquitoes, bees, and wasps, can bite or sting. A tick is a tiny bug that can hold on to your skin. The survival rule is simple: recognize it, keep safe, and get help from your grown-up.
🌿 The Wild Way (cover up and check)
- COVER UP: wear long sleeves and long pants, and tuck your pants into your socks.
- GO LIGHT: light colors make tiny bugs easy to spot on your clothes.
- STAY IN THE MIDDLE: walk in the middle of the trail, away from tall grass and bushes.
- BUG SPRAY: a grown-up decides if you need it and puts it on for you.
- CHECK AFTER: back home, check your clothes and skin with a grown-up.
- TELL, DON’T TOUCH: if you find a tick, do not pull it or squeeze it. Tell your grown-up, who takes care of it.
Bees and wasps
- STAY CALM: if a bee or wasp flies near you, walk away slowly. Do not swat at it.
- TELL: if you get stung, tell your grown-up right away.
A grown-up is in charge of bug spray and of any tick you find - never pull or squeeze a tick yourself. If a bite or sting gets very swollen, or someone has trouble breathing, get your grown-up at once. The adult calls your local emergency number.
Words to know
tick
A tiny bug that can hold on to your skin.
e.g. My grown-up checked me for ticks after the walk.
bite
When a bug pokes your skin with its mouth.
e.g. The mosquito bite made my arm itchy.
sting
When a bee or wasp pokes your skin and it hurts.
e.g. I walked away calmly so I did not get a sting.
tuck
Push the end of something inside something else.
e.g. I tuck my pants into my socks.
swollen
Puffed up and bigger than usual.
e.g. Tell a grown-up if a bite looks very swollen.
check
Look carefully to find something.
e.g. We check behind my knees and ears.
🧠 Survivor’s Trick: on the trail, stop now and then and look down at your light-colored pants and socks. A tiny dark dot that moves could be a tick - show your grown-up right away.
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