Wild bug safari
Invertebrates are crucial to biodiversity, vital for the survival of all ecosystems (as primary pollinators, recyclers, and providers of food for other animals). They constitute 95% of all living animals and there are 1 million species of insects.
What is about:
Learning differences between invertebrate’s population in forests and parks, where they live and how they are, and differences between them.
What do children learn:
the children will learn how invertebrates are made, their life cycle, where to find them under logs and rocks, in the grass, walls and tree leaves. In this workshop children learn to handle creatures gentle and return them to where they are found.
Outdoor nature walks:
We will hunt for creepy crawlies and bugs in the grass, on flowers, under logs and stones, and spot them in the air. We will watch ants trails, observe bees on flowers and worms in the soil. The workshop will be conducted in a forest, city park or garden, and will be provided with magnifying glasses, bug nets, containers to collect insects, tweezers, flashlight, field guide and nature journal.
Indoor station:
The workshop will focus on understanding how insects are made (i.e. body structure and color significance). The lesson will provide posters with pictures of invertebrates and where these are found on a tree, plant, ground, soil etc.
Science activities:
4-10 years old: e.g. build an insect house; create a pollinator habitat; make a butterfly feeding table; homemade bug net; …
1-3 years old: e.g. sensory bins: sandpit and toy bugs, search them with a net, count and draw them; handprint painting to create insects; digging for spaghetti worms; …
