I've got that Geometry Bug!

Geometry Bug Paper

          Are you one of those people who jump when you see that creepy crawler? My geometry bug creation is known as Crayola tri-crawler. It is called the Crayola tri-crawler because on the abdomen it is made out of triangles. It is a multiple colored bug that lives in Crayola boxes. It is known to walk very high off the ground to step over pencils, papers, pens, and other school utensils students leave on the desks and tables. As you shall learn it is formed out of geometric shapes that are important in this bugs daily life.

          The Crayola tri-crawler is a bug that is formed of many different geometric figures. It has triangles for the abdomen, pentagons for the thorax, heart shaped (formed of triangles, rectangles and parallelograms) figure for the head, and triangle like shapes for the legs. I made all these figures using the geometric principles of origami, which is folding paper into many geometric shapes, resulting in fascinating shapes.

This bug is made out of different colors and shapes. The head is yellow with silver eyes that reflect off the sun to stun potential predators for a few seconds, giving it an opportunity to get away. The thorax is a red pentagon that is used to connect the head and abdomen that also holds the front legs that are used to grab its food. The abdomen is multiple colors and triangles. The triangles give it the hard outer shell that is pointed and mimics the shape of crayons, so it can hide in a crayon box. In the center of the abdomen there is one yellow triangle which identifies it as poisonous. A potential predator will be stung if it attacks its back. The different colored legs are very long, and are used to walk over desk and tabletop clutter that is in the way. The two front legs are not used to walk but to eat. It uses these legs to grab its food and bring it up to its mouth. It walks by moving the legs attached at the abdomen. It can bend the middle of the legs if needed.

          Although my bug is a creation of my imagination, it still has to face some challenges. The one major challenge my bug has is its limited ability to climb a wall. Therefore, my bug has to stay on the ground. It has problems finding a home in a Crayola box. It has to find a place to hide in case of being attacked, if there is no Crayola box around. The other challenge it has is hiding since it is so tall. It can not fit into small areas.

A day in my geometry bugs life is like any other bug’s life, except it lives in a classroom. It wakes up in its Crayola box, because it mimics the crayons in the box with its triangular tips and colorful shapes. It watches the morning class before it decides to go for a late breakfast. It loves to eat the students’ homework left on the desk. Later on it walks through the classes snacking on the pieces of paper and crayola shavings. When the student looks at the bug the reflective eyes will stun the student for a second, allowing it to get away before the student can scream. At the end of the school day winds down, the bug takes a little nap before taking a walk through the halls looking for lost homework. After his walk through the halls it returns to the Crayola box and goes to sleep getting ready for another day of school.

          You may not jump when you see my creepy crawler, but want to pick it up because it is so pretty but remember it is poisonous. So be careful!!!! You may never see this bug because it blends in so well with the crayons, but it does exist. Did you ever do your homework, but were unable to find it? Maybe a Crayola tri-crawler had it for a little snack.

Project Description
Research Questions
Student Work