Garden Explorer Bug Hunt

Posted 2013-07-07 by Jane Street ⇒ follow

Have fun creating your own explorer kit and going on a bug hunt in your garden or local park. This activity has endless variations and extensions - my children have wanted to do it every day for the last week, adding in new ideas each time. Please share your ideas in the comments section.

Age: Under 5's, 5-10's
Level: Easy

Materials

Calico bag

Fabric paint

Leaves

Explorer items - such as magnifying glass, empty jars, spade, note book and pen, binoculars, toy camera

Pictures of bugs you might find (or draw your own)

Laminating pouch and laminator

Method

Create a bug chart by finding pictures of mini beasts you might find in the garden and collating them onto a sheet of paper. You could also draw your own.

If you want to make the chart waterproof, try laminating using a laminating pouch and laminator.

We found various pictures of creatures that we might find in our garden and made a collage before laminating

Create an explorer pack with items such as a magnifying glass , binoculars , empty jars, spade , toy camera, notebook and pen. You can buy these cheaply in dollar shops or click on the links above for ideas on how to make your own with recycled materials.

Our bug explorer pack contents

Put your bug explorer items into a backpack or make your own. We decorated a blank calico drawstring bag by rolling fabric paint onto leaves and printing them on to the bag.

Nature explorer bag ready to fill

Put on Wellington boots and go exploring in the garden or a nearby park. Try to find all the mini beasts on your bug chart. Dig up insects and study them in your jar. Draw pictures of the bugs you find in a notebook. Don't forget to release your bugs back where you found them after you have had a good look.