What kind of bug is this and can it harm the kids?

Question

I recently found a large brown bug, it looks like a super-sized cricket. It is light brown, and jumps very high and far. It was in my dirty laundry in the basement. I am worried that it could bite one of the kids or something. I have never seen anything like it before, it scared the c**p out of me. I went to grab a blanket to put in the washer and it was right on top. I threw a sock at it and jumped higher than me and about 6 feet away. Does anyone know what these are?

Answer 1

did it look like this?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lsphotos/24...

if it did, it is a locust.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locust

if it looked like this

http://www.flickr.com/photos/amagill/393...

it is a grasshopper

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grasshopper

Answer 2

My bet is a grasshopper or what is it spider cricket? no something like that