Bug Hunting

By Mel Evans

We absolutely love searching for creepy crawlies at our Forest School sessions. There is nothing like heading off into the woods armed with magnifying glasses, bug pots and spotter sheets. A big adventure in search of mini-beasts never seen before!

Its no surprise that children are enthralled by the creatures we find. Centipedes with too many legs to count capable of eating a whole worm; Wolf Spiders chasing and devouring Wood Lice; Click Beetles jumping 25 times their body length; Singing Crickets and Caterpillars of every colour never fail to delight.

If you have a garden now is a great time to head out and discover who is living there. You don’t need any specialist equipment. A jam jar or old ice cream tub will do. Once you have captured your mini-beast have a really good look before releasing them into the same spot you found them. Buglife have a great online directory to help you identify your finds - www.buglife.org.uk/bugs/bug-directory

No garden? No problem. How about a Mini-Beast Safari INSIDE the house. Why not go and get better acquainted with that Spider that lives down the plug hole? If that idea really doesn’t appeal to you then maybe you could see how many Creepy Crawlies you can find on the bookshelf. Some of our favourite books featuring bugs include Superworm, What the Ladybird Heard, The Snail and the Whale and Spiderella.

How many books can you find featuring bugs?

Who are you sharing your home with? This Emerald Moth lived in our bathroom last Summer.

Once you have identified some creatures inside, outside or in books make a note of what you find or better still send us a picture. Tomorrows’ activity will be all about making bug sculptures of your favourites!