Join Our Pest Patrol: A Backyard Activity Book for Kids on Integrated Pest Management
- Have you ever been bitten by a mosquito?
- Been stung by a wasp or bee?
- Had weeds overtake your garden?
- Found cockroaches in your home or school?
![]() Activities can be incorporated into reading, science, and even math and art classes. Written for the 3–5 grade level, the activities can be easily adapted for the lower or upper grades. Each activity includes fun facts in "Did You Know," and "Tips for Grown-ups." |
We've all been bugged at one time or another by pests. For many of us, our first reaction is to reach for the nearest can of bug spray. But, pesticides and fertilizers that run off from lawns and other locations are a significant source of pollution in our environment. There's a better way to solve pest problems called Integrated Pest Management (IPM). IPM is an effective and environmentally sensitive approach to pest management that relies on a combination of common sense practices.
Teaching IPM at the grade school level can provide children with important information about pest identity, biology, and ecology. It can also help children understand the impact that personal choices—like whether or not to use chemicals to control pests—can have on our environment.
You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader, available as a free download, to view the files in this list. See EPA's PDF page to learn more about PDF, and for a link to the free Acrobat Reader. |
Download:
- Booklet contents:
- Cover, Introduction, Acknowledgements, and Table of Contents (PDF, 4pages, 1.84 MB)
- Insects: What's a Pest? (PDF, 1 page, 1.07 MB)
- Insect Pests and Pals (PDF, 1 page, 629 KB)
- Fighting Pests with the 3 Ps (PDF, 1 page, 796 KB)
- What's a Weed? (PDF, 1 page, 749 KB)
- Dandy or Not? (PDF, 1 page,982 KB)
- Green, Green Grass (PDF, 1 page, 1.46 MB)
- The Right Plants in the Right Places (PDF, 1 page, 1.03 MB)
- Purple Plague! America's Most Wanted (PDF, 2 pages, 962 KB)
- Outsmart Those Pests! (PDF, 1 page,761 KB)
- Keep Pests from Pestering You Inside and Outside Your House! (PDF, 1 page, 1.34 MB)
- Midnight Raiders: Cockroach Invaders (PDF, 1 page, 561 KB)
- Ticked Off! (PDF, 1 page, 0.99 MB)
- Join the Tree Hole Mosquito Patrol! (PDF, 1 page, 975 KB)
- Mosquito-Eating Machines (PDF, 1 page, 936 KB)
- Pests Have Enemies, Too! Aphids and Ladybugs (PDF, 1 page,409 KB)
- What's All the Buzz? (PDF, 1 page, 1.04 MB)
- Monster Caterpillar (PDF, 1 page, 706 KB)
- Wise up to Worms (PDF, 1 page, 1.04 MB)
- Crazy about Compost (PDF, 1 page, 1.12 MB)
- Don't Miss Mulch (PDF, 1 page,672 KB)
- The Web of Life (PDF, 1 page, 556 KB)
- Plan for Pesticide Safety! (PDF, 1 page, 757 KB)
- Are you Qualified for Pest Patrol? (PDF, 1 page, 857 KB)
- Glossary (PDF, 1 page,502 KB)
- Web Resources List (PDF, 2 pages, 845 KB)
- Customer Feedback Form (PDF, 1 page, 511 KB)
- Answers (PDF, 1 page, 507 KB)