Bug Safari Activity for
Kids by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget
When
I read that 7 citiies in the UK are participating in the #CityNatureChallenge
on Twitter, I immediately thought of the “Bug Safari” program I did with the
Monterey Peninsual Regional Parks District when I was the Youth Services
Librarian for Monterey County California.
This
is a school age – 12 and under – program that includes a nature walk with song,
stories, and art projects afterwards.
The Parks District handled the nature walk, and I did the cultural part
of the program.
Three
libraries with nearby parks participated in the program:
-Marina
– Locke Paddon Park
-Seaside
– Laguna Grande Park
-Carmel
Valley – Carmel Valley Park
After
the walk with pointing out all cobwebs and flying creatures, we began the
library park of the walk by singing The
Itsy Bitsy Spider a few times till we got the gestures right. The gestures help memorize the song.
Picture Books
Then,
I read the following insect-related picture books:
-A
picture book version of The Itsy Bitsy
Spider as children made the hand gestures and recited
-Anansi the Spider books – African
folktales about a smart spider
-The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric
Carle
-The Ant and the Grasshopper fable from
Aesop’s fables written by an ancient Roman storyteller
-A
nonfiction photo book about chrysalis to butterfly formation
Art Projects
-3D
Spider
Construction
paper body with wobbly eyes pasted on and legs made of strips of construction
paper folded back and forth and released as springs. Use black construction paper and a white
crayon to make a cobweb.
-Butterfly
Painting
Fold
white typing paper in half and fill in one side with paint to look like half a
butterfly. Fold the other side down and
press. Open paper up to find a
symmetrical butterfly.
Can
make a bumblebee this way with yellow and black alone.
-Use
drawing books to draw the following insects:
-ladybugs
-butterflies
-mosquitos
-bees
-dragonflies
-spiders
The
easiest drawing books for children to begin drawing insects break the bug down
into geometric shapes and then color them in with pencils.
I
used insect drawing books from the collection of the Monterey County Free
Libraries, which included books such as the following:
-How to Draw Insects by Barbara Soloff
Levy
-Ralph Masiello’s Bug
Drawing Book by
Ralph Masiello
-How to Draw: Insects by Dandi Palma
-Learn to Draw Insects: Step-by-Step
Instructions for 26 Creepy Crawlies by Dina Fisher
-How to Draw Amazing
Animals and Incredible Insects: Packed with Over 100 Fascination Animals by Fiona Gowne
To
finish up, we would discuss which art projects were the most interesting to
draw and why and which books they liked the best and why.
By
Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France
Click here for: Ruth Paget's Amazon Books
Click here for: Ruth Paget's Amazon Books
