Real life bugs and insects

[fibreweb]

Hi All,

Keep your eyes out for this new set of magazines coming to a newsagent near you in the near future. Its Called Real life Bugs and Insects.

They are a magazine that comes with an embedded specimin of an insect and, apart from the first issue which is $4.95, will cosy $12.95. The quality of the first embedded specimin, a scorpion, looks just as good as the old purchased ones. More specimins have been on opur wish list for several years but at $ 50 - $ 75 for a single specimin we havent purchased any.

Today I organised a subscritption for the magazine, which can be cancelled at any time, this way we will get 10 specimins for $130 where buying them from a science supply place we may get 2!

For some information about the magazine see http://www.reallifebugs.co.uk . You get the Australian subscriptions through an address in Victoria.

To us it seemed a good way to increase our embedded specimins that are used in year 7 in their "classification of living things " unit.

Wendy

[smiley]

Yay! Me too! I spoke to my Librarian today, and we will be subscribing forthwith. Too good an opportunity to miss.

Rather similar to other threads moaning about teachers, I was asked for 6 grasshoppers (big ones) for a Yr8 lesson. Ri-i-ight. Just check my pockets shall I?

[labman]

Wendy,
I saw this advertised on telly last night, and thought the same as you. A great way to extend the specimen collection.
I had forgotten about it , until I saw your post, so thanks for reminding me, I'm off to speak to someone with money!!
Cheers,
Lisa

[dolphinscales]

excellent news many thanks for sharing

[smiley]

Be aware that there are 55 issues, so you'll be spending a total of $704 over 2 and a bit years. That being said, you get 55 specimens, with info booklets, so its still a bargain!

[Labbie]

What is the Aussie phone number, the 0845 338 0362 is for the UK.

[fibreweb]

It seems the link to the Australian distributer doesn't work.

Here are the details from the back of the subscription form from the magazine.

Real-life Bugs and Insects
P.O.Box 3460
Nunawading
Vic 3131

Phone Hot line (03) 9872 4000

It says you can cancel the subsrription at any time. When you've think you've got enough/spent enough you cancel the subscription.

We are looking at something between 10 and 20 specimins.

Wendy

[Ocker]

Why not just check out at the newsagents each month and just get the ones you want!

[smiley]

Coz they always have the first few as a suck-in, then you have to order them. However, if you subscribe, you get the hidden extras, which in this case are a couple of DVDs on predator bugs etc, a folder for the magazines, and a bug-catching chamber. Yee-hah, what more could you want?

Actually, if you just collect the first 15, they fit neatly into a cool little display box.

[souj]

Our first issues arrived today- they look fantastic! The blocks are quite a reasonable size and the photography and info in the booklets are great. Judging by the reactions of several students who happened to be walking by they are destined to be a big hit. Useful for not only lower school classification exercises but also with Y11/12 Biol looking at adaptations. Thanks so much for the tip Fibreweb- so grateful you passed it on!!

[RosalieM]

Yep I have to agree. We now have 3 specimens and while it took a little convincing, I can tell the people higher up that the money has been well spent. Stage 1 (years 1 and 2) have already borrowed them! I had considered saving them for high school only, but I figure by the time these kids get to yr11 bio for the bug topic they will have either forgotten what they saw when they were 6 or 7 or else the bugs will have been lost/destroyed, so they may as well make the most of them while they can!

[dolphinscales]

yes agreed Rosalie if they show interest then show them i say - no matter how many times the kdis look they still love to get close up to look that the embedded specimens allows.

[Labbie]

We received out first issue over the holiday. It arrived at my home address, easier for me. They are just great, we are really pleased with them, so far. Had a problem with the folder, they forgot to put in the clips in the package. Any way after a phone call, the service was great, out came the clips, and all is well.

Thank you for the information on this, I would not have ordered, unless I had read chemtalk.

Well Done

[fibreweb]

Our bugs were here waiting for me to return from holidays.

I am thrilled with them, and anxiously wait for the next 2 to see what they are. It seems a realy good way to get a valuable resource.

I was disappionted with the quality of the binder so have put the magazines into a display folder instead. I think it will be easier to remove individual magazine from that and it will also keep them better.

Wendy

[RosalieM]

Hi everyone! I was just wondering if there are any of you out there who are still subscribing? I am loving getting our 2 bugs/month and our collection is growing quite nicely. I did have one specimen which I didn't think was up to scratch (it had several air bubbles) and I rang the company and they were more than willing to send a replacement. How are you finding the subscription? I am so glad I was able to convince the school to get them. They will be great for the yr 11 biology bugs and insects topic. The last 2 years I have been asked to find bugs and insects around the school when it has been the middle (ok, maybe the end?) of winter! Not the easiest task in the job... Now I will be able to bring out the specimens and not waste my time looking for insects that can't be found!

[souj]

We are still getting ours- and love them too!! They have really been useful for all sorts of pracs- used by year8s through to 11s. And the freebies -dvd, poster etc- are good fun as well. All in all, a great investment and thankyou so much Fibreweb for putting us all on to it!

[RosalieM]

Hi Wendy (and anyone else collecting the bugs),
I am just wondering what 'display folder' you are putting your magazines into. We didn't get the second folder, and I rang up about it (this is going back several months now) and they were on back order. I rang a few more times and eventually said I didn't want them. So I sat down and thought I'd just put them in plastic sleeves in lever arch folders but they don't fit in the plastic sleeves! I don't really want to hole-punch them because they will get wrecked I am sure when they are looked at. We are still getting our bugs and they look really good in their display cases. Has anyone else found that the stickers sent out don't match the bugs? We have 6 that don't have stickers (I have used post-it notes to label them) so far. I am hoping the next batch of stickers will have the missing ones in it.
Rosalie

[dolphinscales]

Hey Rosalie
we are still getting them but i am lucky as our library is dealing with it all for us - they hunt stuff down for us so the binders are with them. We have the bugs which are wonderful.
as far as the stickers are concerned yes we have bugs with no stickers as they dont match - we are considering etching their names into the plastomount itself since a few of the stickers went walk about in anycase.

[bindibadgi]

Brillant!!

I'm going to ask my HOD about it today & see if we can subscribe. Year 11 Biology classes & our Junior Science Club would love it!
Considering that we paid over $800 for a collection of 12 blocks of animals specimens years & years ago. It's a great collection, but around $700 for 55 of them is fantastic!

Thanks for the info....I'm looking forward to starting our collection & getting bugs in the mail

Cheers,

Kiah

[smiley]

Hi Rosalie,

Yes, we too have bugs with no stickers. I think it keeps us in suspense, waiting for the next parcel. Our librarian has a particular antipathy to those folders supplied by the company, so she has reinforced the spine line with library tape, and the booklets live in a cardboard magazine bizzo. You know, the ones that look like a box cut away on an angle.

We love our bugs. They come out for classification lessons in a couple of different year groups.