At home, plan a "bug hunting exploration" by
hiding several plastic toy bugs around the house and invite the children to
find them. Another variation is to fill a dishpan with clean sand, hiding the
toy bugs inside. Children can catch the toy bugs by using a tweezer or tongs to
pull the insects out.
Make a Bug Hotel
In order to observe insects closely, try capturing a few
placing them in a well-confined temporary home. With a little “bug hotel”,
children can invite friendly insects inside to spend a day or night studying
them through its many windows. Youngsters can use poster paint to decorate the
outside of an oatmeal container. Paint or draw the windows, then use scissors
or a craft knife (adults only) to cut them open.
Placing insect stickers on the container would be fun too.
Take a piece of window screening and roll it so it rests snugly around the
inside of the container. Trim so the top edge fits beneath the lid and leave a
one-inch overlap where the sides meet. Place the lid on top. Glue a hotel sign
on the container – let the kids choose the name.
After the insects have been captured, take time together to
look at the bugs closely either with the naked eye or use a magnifying glass.
Count the legs, wings, antennae and look at the colors and patterns of the
insect. Be kind to the guests – provide some nature food and water (a filled
plastic water cap) while they are visiting. When observation is over, just
unfasten the lid and let the insects fly out.
Photos courtesy of Tania Cowling, all rights reserved
