Insect Day

By Theo Taylor, aged 5

Today is Insect Day. All of the teachers at my school are turning into bugs because it is Insect Day.

I love bugs more than Imogen, Sienna and both the Oscars and even Carlotta. I like the way they fly about and scuttle about. I like the pretty ones with masses of colour, like a ladybird, and the ugly ones too, like a slug or a worm. My grandma does not like slugs because they leave dirty marks on the carpet or the floor but I think this is just a little path to help me find my way home.

Mrs Thompson the head teacher is turning into a bat. I like bats the most. They are not insects. They fly around and eat bugs. All the teachers who are bugs will do what she says. Maybe that is why she is the head teacher.

My teacher, Miss Cartwright, sets up the stage. She turns into a beautiful spider. She is a lovely patient pink footed tarantula. Tarantulas are the best because they are powerful and are only dangerous if you scare them. Spiders are not insects they are arachnids. One of her long legs can touch the board, the other ones moves the tables and chairs and the other ones invite the other teachers into the hall.

Mr Swan is now a domino beetle. He is the shape of an oval, shiny black on his 4 wings with 8 white spots, and 6 short skinny legs. He is helping Miss Cartwright putting metal poles into the wood to stand up the stage. He is doing it carefully and well.

Mrs Hancock is also helping. She is bright green like the stalk of a flower. She is a grasshopper. Mrs Hancock is really good at decorating. She is putting flags up across the ceiling.

All the bug teachers are going to do a show to impress Mrs Thompson. They will show her how fast they can scuttle about and how much they can fly about. They’ll make a stamping noise like two flat drums stuck together. They will make a sound like a ffffffffffff. Mrs Thompson will like it because she likes her teachers to talk really loudly and stand straight and be really entertaining.

All the children in my school stay at home because it is the teachers’ day to do weird and crazy stuff on their own.

My big brother Benedict says it’s called an Inset Day and the teachers don’t turn into insects. But I think he’s wrong.