Bug Hunt!

What do you remember from the summers of your childhood? Long, golden afternoons (it never rained, of course!) - playing in the garden, chasing butterflies? The feel of warm sand trickling through your toes and the sound of the sea - and the treasure you carefully carried home.

These are the memories we cherish - and want to give to our own children. And seeing things again through the eyes of a child is like experiencing the whole of creation with a sense of awe and wonder, in a fresh, exciting light.

Here's How!

You don't have to be an expert to have fun. You don’t need to know loads about bugs – look it up in a guide book! Your child may even find some of the names amusing. Who wouldn't smile at the idea of a 'Buff Tailed Bumblebee' or 'Frog Hopper'?

What you need:

White or clear plastic food containers to have a close look at any bugs you find – old plastic soft fruit trays are useful

Paint brush for gently lifting insects into your container for close study

Great bug hideouts!

Make sure you have a successful 'hunt' by looking:

Under stones - woodlice, ground beetles, ants

Old walls - snails, slugs, spiders

flower beds – ladybirds, shield bugs and butterflies

In leaf litter (rotting leaves) - millipedes, centipedes, woodlice, worms, slugs

In rotting wood – beetles, slugs, woodlice, ants

Something to make

Lift the flap 'who lives here?' frieze.'

Get a large piece of paper (old wallpaper is ideal) to paint as the 'garden.' Use crumpled paper and bits and bobs for extra texture - make rocks etc. Cut a big shaped disc of paper for each bug your child chooses to include - a leaf shape for the ladybird, a pebble shape for the woodlouse etc. Ask your child to draw or paint each insect on a separate piece of paper, then cut them to size and stick them on the frieze. The shaped 'flaps' are stuck on top of them, with sticky tape along the top edge only. Your child can say 'guess who lives here?' and then lift the flap and all will be revealed!