When I’m introducing young children to a small live animal, such as a worm or a beetle, I may first offer them a chance to use a magnifier to look at a photograph of the animal, up close. From there we may progress to looking at the worm inside a small clear container (with some moisture for its comfort), and later, if the children are interested, they may hold a worm in their hand. “Later” may be in five minutes or in five weeks—it’s important not to rush this hands-on investigation. This gradual introduction may not be necessary for many children (and adults). Author John McCormick tells of his sons’ exposure to cicadas in “Parenting Lessons From Nature’s Creepy Crawlers”.

If you live on the East Coast you may have heard that the periodic cicada Brood II mature nymphs are now emerging from the ground in large pockets from North Carolina to Virginia to New Jersey to New York and Connecticut. They climb onto a leaf or other structure and cast off their “shells” or exoskeletons, which are exuviae—the remains after an insect molts from the nymph stage into an adult form, and slowly unfold their wings. You can report cicada sightings to help map the extent of different broods:
http://project.wnyc.org/cicadas/
http://www.magicicada.org/report/report.php
Or use maps to find out if you will be lucky enough to see more than a few of these interesting insects:
http://www.cicadas.info/
http://www.cicadamania.com/wedding.html
http://www.wjla.com/blogs/weather/2013/04/get-ready-for-swarmaggedon-the-emergance-of-the-cicada-18631.html
If you aren’t lucky enough to have huge numbers of periodic cicadas in your neighborhood, watch and listen to this short video narrated by Sir David Attenborough who gets a close up visit as he relates information about their lifecycle.
Comment below to describe your children’s close encounters with small animals and to list your favorite cicada website.