Jack Branagan: Big Bug Show

Jack the big bug hunter is on an insect safari searching for the biggest bug in the world. Creating a shadow play, by using a 25'x12' 

scrim and six students from the audience, Jack picks his way through the jungle foliage coming face to face with Leroy, the Big

Bug. Leroy is a 　uorescent insect puppet measuring eight feet tall and through special lighting eects, loveable Leroy becomes

the focal point of a fast-paced discussion of insect body parts. With lots of fun and surprises, the children learn about Leroy's head,

the antennae, compound eyes, varied mouth parts, his thorax (including his legs and wings), and his abdomen with its stinger,

spiracles, and heart. Accompanying all this puppet fun is an ongoing slide presentation showing actual insect body parts in

graphic detail. Boys and girls learn that the majority of insects play an important role in the balance of nature. Throughout this

lively tapestry of the insect world, Jack weaves his philosophy ; as intelligent life we should learn to enjoy, understand, and most of

all respect all forms of life from the mighty whale to the tiniest insect. Grades: K-8