Making Bug Homes
Creating a home for someone else encourages taking care of other living things, and thinking about what makes someone else feel comfortable. Children apply their own knowledge and concept of what a home is, and think imaginatively about how this concept relates to insects based on their needs.
- Audience
- Caregiver
- Subject
- Nature & Outdoor
- Age
- InfantKindergartenPre-KPreschoolToddler
- Languages
- Brazilian PortugueseEnglishHaitian CreoleSimplified ChineseSpanishVietnamese
- Materials
- Naturals materials (leaves, sticks, rocks and pebbles, pinecones, tree bark, and/or pine needles), recycled materials (paper tubes, cardboard boxes, and/or newspapers), masking tape
Try making a bug home with your child!
Activity
- Go outside and collect natural items like sticks, leaves, and pinecones. Only pick things that are on the ground, not what is still growing.
- Choose a base, like a shoebox or a paper tube. Fill it with the materials you chose, leaving small spaces for bugs to hide.
- Try different ideas, like tying sticks or pine needles together, rolling paper into spirals, or crumpling newspaper.
- Put heavier items on the bottom and lighter ones on top. You can add small rocks to hold things in place.
- Place your bug home in a dry, sunny spot. Check it every few weeks and use a magnifying glass to look for bugs!
Try this with babies
- Babies can touch sticks, leaves, and other items to feel how they are different. If they can pick things up, they can help add pieces or point to where things should go.
Want more challenge?
- Build homes for different bugs. Some have many legs, some have wings. Some glow or dance to communicate. Some are fast or strong. How will you build a home that fits each bug?
Ideas for different weather
- Leave your bug home out during rain or snow. Once the weather clears, check it again. Does it look or feel different?
No bugs?
- If you don’t have an outside location to leave the bug home, use pretend bugs or toys. Talk about what kind of home they need.
- It’s okay to feel nervous! You don’t have to touch any bugs. You can look from far away or use a stick to gently check the home.
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