Bug Games 3-5 yrs

Talking about bugs
Age and Number of campers: Scampers, Rovers, all campers
Requirements:
•    Paper
•    Drawing materials (markers, crayons, or paint)
What to do:
1.    Talk with campers about different types of bugs. What kind of bugs do they know about that live around London?
a.    Here are some examples: spiders, beetles, butterflies, caterpillars, worms, ants, dragon flies, mayflies, grasshoppers/crickets, moths, flies, bees, wasps, mosquitoes, lady bugs, cicadas.
2.    Ask them what do bugs do?
a.    Bugs can pollinate flowers, fruit, and vegetables, help recycle dead plants and bring nutrients back into the environment.
3.    Ask them if there are any bugs that scare you? Why are they scary?
4.    Look at the bug pictures (attached). What are the different names of the bugs?:
a.    Page 1: Grasshopper, Dragonfly, Monarch Butterfly, Moth, Monarch Caterpillar. Page 2: House fly, Ladybug, Honey Bee, Bumble Bee, Wasp, Ant.
Talk about how butterflies are different than moths:
b.    Moths are normally nocturnal (sleep during the day and are awake at night) and are usually camouflage colours to hide during the day. Butterflies are awake during the day and are usually bright colours. Moth’s bodies are normally fat and fuzzy, while butterflies are normally slender and smoother.
Talk about how honey bees, bumble bees, and wasps are different:
c.    Bumble bees are fuzzy and will only sting if you threaten them or their nest. Honey bees take nectar from plants and trees and make honey in their nests. They have little hairs on their legs that pick up the nectar. They have stingers. All bees have queens who live in the nests. Wasps do not have any hairs on their bodies and do not have queens. They have stingers and feed on nectar.
5.    Draw some bugs, your favourites or some that you see at your house. You can use the pictures as a reference.
What can we do next:
•    Go on a nature walk to see how many bugs you can find at FCA

Bug Hunt
Age and Number of campers: Scampers, Rovers, all campers
Requirements:
•    Can use nets and jars to catch bugs, or
•    Use no materials and just look at bugs
What to do:
1.    Walk to a wooded area with the group. Take your time and see if you can hear any bugs (cicada, grasshoppers), or see any.
2.    When you get to the wooded area, search for different types of bugs. You can capture them if you have the materials, to look at them up close. Release the bugs after looking at them for a few minutes.
3.    Look for spiders in their webs, ants on the ground or on trees, butterflies and moths flying around, turn over rocks or logs and see worms and potato bugs.
What can we do next:
•    Review what you talked about earlier and see if they learned anything new