Insects and Bug Theme!

 

 

Creepy Crawlie "Recipes & Arts & Crafts" at page bottom...

 ALL ABOUT COLLECTING CRITTERS ...(Bugs/Insects) FYI:

By one estimate, about one million trillion insects are alive at any moment. So what would happen if all of these six-legged invertebrates were to suddenly vanish from our planet? The result would be catastrophic, according to Harvard University biologist Edward O. Wilson. Entire ecosystems would be destroyed… Unable to reproduce, plants that rely on insect pollinators would perish. So would trillions of organisms, including many reptiles, birds, and mammals that rely on insects for food. Without insects to aid in breaking down dead plant and animal matter, we'd soon be up to our necks in decay.

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 HOW & WHERE TO SEARCH for CRITTERS (Bugs)

Lift up anything on the ground and find little bug worlds "underneath". Many bugs hide among their favorite plants. Try a garden, yard, park, flowerbeds, hedges, and under rocks or logs.

• Katydids are green just like the leaves.
• Many moths are brown and look just like the bark on their favorite trees.
• Butterflies are drawn to red, orange and pink flowers and also like phlox, alyssum, verbena, and herbs such as marjoram and thyme.
• Look for beetles under fallen logs or rocks.
• Crickets love cracks in sidewalks and buildings.
• You might find the woolly bear caterpillar crawling across a sidewalk or on plants.
  Keep your eyes open for ants of all sizes---they are everywhere.

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COMMON PLACES TO FIND INSECTS
Insects inhabit every place on our planet except the ocean. Look for insects in these places:

• Under boards and rocks – Look for ants, crickets, beetles, termites.
• In or around streams, ponds, lakes – Look for mayflies, dragonflies,
  damselflies, stoneflies, caddis flies, aquatic beetles, true bugs, flies.
• Under loose bark, in logs and stumps – Look for termites, ants and
  beetles — particularly bark beetles, tiger beetles, wood boring beetles.
• On crops – Look for grasshoppers, beetles, flies, aphids, leafhoppers,
  spittlebugs, plant bugs.
•  In the air – Look for butterflies, moths, flies, bees, wasps, beetles,
  leafhoppers, grasshoppers.
•  In cellars and basements – Look for crickets, beetles, ants, bristletails.
•  On livestock, pets, poultry – Look for fleas, sucking lice, chewing lice,
  flies.
• Around outdoor lights at night – Look for moths, beetles, true bugs,
  mosquitoes.
• Around dumps or piles of refuse – Look for cockroaches, earwigs,
  beetles, flies.
• On manure piles – Look for flies, beetles.
• In, around or on flowers and ornamental plants – Look for thrips,
  plant bugs, beetles, bees, wasps, ants, aphids, scale insects, walking
  sticks, insects galls, butterflies, moths.
•  In houses – Look for crickets, cockroaches, beetles, ants, flies,
  mosquitoes, moths, termites, silverfish.
• In clothes, furniture, stored food – Look for clothes moths, carpet
  beetles, flour beetles, bean weevils. (Info from MSU website)

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AT HOME

If children are heading on a night-time hunt, instruct them try turning on a porch light, standing near a street light or shining a flashlight and you're sure to see some moths. With a large grassy lawn on a warm summer's night they’ll see the bright flickering of hundreds of fireflies. Fireflies and ladybugs are favorites among families. (Photo is a Fire Fly)

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SIGNS OF CRITTER LIFE include nibbled plant leaves or flowers.

• Look on the stems and underneath the leaves or petals for hungry caterpillars and other insects.
• Carefully lift up leaves, flowers and rocks to look for critters.
• Listen as carefully as you look. Cicadas, for example, sing at dawn and dusk in the summer.
• Peek on tree trunks. If you're lucky, you can watch a green cicada drying out on the tree trunk after crawling out of its brown nymph skin, which may still cling to the tree.

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IDENTIFYING INSECTS...
Insects are animals that have:

• 1 pair of antennae
• 2 pairs of wings (if any)
• 3 pairs of legs
• 3 body parts: head, thorax and abdomen
  and an exoskeleton ("exo" means their skeleton is on the outside!)

It may be difficult to correctly name what you've found, but here are some tips.

Count Legs: Insects have only six legs, but if it has eight legs as do spiders, ticks and scorpions, it is considered an arachnid, not an insect. A hairy spider could be a "wolf spider" that lives in the ground and moves very fast to catch its food.

• Antennae? Most BUTTERFLIES have antennae that look like golf clubs with thick bumps at each end; MOTHS tend to have antennae that are straight or feathery.
• If you want the official insect names, check out a field guide from the library; a good one for kids is the National Audubon Society's First Field Guide-Insects published by Scholastic.

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ARE YOU SPOTTING THE CRITTERS-- OR KEEPING THEM?

Let the kids decide if you want to "catch" what you see or just spot what you see. If you want to catch, see the below post for "critter keeper" directions. Your group may decide to just observe critters and chose to learn more about "what the critters do and how they live."

 

MAKING A PLASTIC CRITTER-KEEPER JAR: If kids want to collect what they've found, make this keeper jar. Your critters can breathe and you can watch them closely. Add some grass, sticks, leaves or flowers and when you're finished watching, LET THE BUGS GO BACK TO THEIR OWN HOMES AGAIN!

What You'll Need:
28 or 40-ounce plastic peanut butter jar
Sharp scissors, (an adult's job)
Nylon netting, tulle, or fine wire mesh
Electrical or masking tape.
Optional: 2 chenille stems, paint markers, bug stickers
TIP: Use scraps of lace or netting and substitute masking tape and permanent markers to cut down on supply costs.

WHAT TO DO:

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HOW TO GET AN INSECT ZOO! Work with the children to set up a few insect traps on the play yard.
Things you will need:
Four small, clear, plastic cups, Shovels, Peanut butter:

Help the children dig four small holes in the dirt. The holes will need to be the same size as the plastic cups. Lower the plastic cups into the holes so that the brims are even with the Earth. Put a small scoop of peanut butter in each of the cups and cover it with a small layer of loose grass. That’s it! Wait a while and you will get a big surprise. In a few days, you will have an insect zoo for your insect aquarium...release insects after observing.

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 MAKE A "BUG INN"

Materials Needed:
One round oatmeal container
2 feet of fiberglass screening (from a hardware store) or
some donated old screens...
Craft knife (for adults only)
Markers or poster paint

1. Use markers or poster paint to decorate the outside of the oatmeal container.
2. Draw windows and a door on the container. With the craft knife, an adult should cut out windows and cut three sides to form your door, so it opens and closes.
3. Roll the screening so it rests tightly around the inside of the container.
4. Trim so the top edge fits beneath the lid and leave a one inch overlap where the side edges meets.
5. When 'guests' arrive at the Bug Inn, be sure to provide them with food, such as grass, or whatever they were eating when you found them.
6. Place a bottle cap filled with water in the container. When you are done observing your guests, please let them go back to their real homes.
.....This would be suitable for 5 years old and up.

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WHEN INSECTS ARE CAPTURED AND BROUGHT INSIDE...

Be sure to put a small cap full of water in the bug house and some leaves and twigs. Let children watch them, look at them with a magnifying glass and then release them back to their outdoor home.

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SNACKS

Want to turn the above into a Theme?

Just add some of the fun "EDIBLE CREEPY CRAWLIES" to your plans! Yum...6 and 8 leg critters never tasted so good!

PEANUT BUTTER CATERPILLARS
Bananas
Peanut butter
Grapes
Chow Mein noodles
     • Peel and slice a banana. Join the slices together by "gluing" them with peanut butter. Carefully poke two Chow Mein noodles (or break a pretzel stick in half to make two pieces) through the top of the grape. Use more peanut butter to attach the head (grape) to the front of the body, with antennae (Chow Mein noodles) pointing up.
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ANTS IN THE SAND
Crushed graham crackers
Chocolate sprinkles
Snack sized re-sealable plastic bags
  • To crush graham crackers, place inside a large (gallon size) re-sealable plastic bag. Using a rolling pin, crunch crackers through the bag by rolling back and forth over them until they are all in crumb form.
Fill snack sized re-sealable bags halfway with graham cracker crumbs. Add a small handful of chocolate sprinkles to the bags and seal.
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ANT HILL Make  edible ant hills in cups!
Use clear plastic punch cups to see the layers.
1. For the 'dirt" layer--first put chocolate pudding into the cup.
2. Crush graham crackers in a plastic Ziploc bag and pour the crumbs into the cup for the anthill "sand".
3. Add chocolate chips or raisins for the "ants".

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GREAT "BUGGY" VEGGIE  SNACKS...

BUGS ON A LOG...
MAKE 'LOGS' from any of these foods:

 

• CELERY STALKS (cut to about 3 inches long)
• APPLES (cut in halves or quarters with cores removed)
• CARROT STICKS (cut to about 3 inches long)

FILL THE 'LOGS' WITH A SPREAD:

• Cream Cheese
• Cream cheese and pineapple
• Cheese and pimento
• Peanut butter
• Egg salad

SPRINKLE 'BUGS' ON THE SPREAD:

• Raisins
• Golden raisins
• Dried cranberries or cherries
• Raisenettes candy
• Unsweetened cereal
• Sunflower seeds
• Chopped peanuts of finely chopped walnuts
• Mix in chopped apple or crushed pinapple

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COOKIE SPIDERS
Black or chocolate licorice twists
Fudge sandwich cookies
Chocolate frosting
Red cinnamon candies or chocolate chips or raisins for eyes

• Cut licorice in half.
• Remove the top of each sandwich cookie; press 8 licorice pieces into the fudge center to resemble spider legs.
• Spread a little chocolate frosting over the licorice; replace cookie tops.
• Frost the tops of the spider cookies with frosting. Place red cinnamon candies on top for eyes.
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MUENSTER CHEESE BEETLES

Crunchy Chow Mein noodles
Muenster cheese (or other soft block cheese)
• Cut the cheese into 2" x 1" rectangular blocks. Gently insert three Chow Mein noodles on each side of the cheese blocks for legs. Using two broken Chow Mein noodles, insert into the "head" as antennae.
Tip: Use softer cheese such as gouda, Havarti, Monterey jack, or mozzarella so cheese does not crumble Chow Mein noodle are inserted.

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MARSHMALLOW SPIDERS
You'll need a package of large marshmallows, pretzel sticks or chow mein noodles and mini M & M's or raisins.
  • Have the kids push four pretzel sticks or noodles into each side of the marshmallow as the spider's legs. These will make the marshmallow body of the spider actually stand on their spider legs.
Use another stick to poke two eye holes in the marshmallow; insert M&M's or raisins into place as the spider's eyes.

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CRACKER SPIDERS with peanut butter or cheese spread!
These arachnid treats are easy to make and they look positively lifelike crawling across the snack plate.
For each:
2 round crackers
2 teaspoons smooth peanut butter (or cheese spread if allergies)
8 small pretzel sticks
2 raisins
  • With the peanut butter, make a cracker sandwich. Insert eight pretzel "legs" into the filling. With a dab of peanut butter, set two raisin "eyes" on top. Makes 1.
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THE ABOVE ARE ALSO GREAT WITH NUTELLA
Ingredients:
8 Ritz crackers
4-5 Tbsp. chocolate hazelnut spread, such as Nutella
thin pretzel sticks for decorating
Raisins or white chocolate chips for decorating
Directions:
1. Spread approximately one tablespoon of the chocolate hazelnut spread (Nutella) on four Ritz crackers. Top each with another Ritz cracker to make a sandwich.
2. Insert pretzel sticks on the sides of each cracker to make a spider's legs. You will be able to fit about six pretzel sticks on each spider.
3. Make the spider's eyes by dabbing a bit of Nutella on the back of two raisins or white chocolate chips and placing them on top of the cracker sandwich. Make the spider's mouth the same way, using the Nutella as glue for the white chocolate chips or raisins, and arranging them in the shape of a mouth.
4. Serve and eat!
Makes 4 crunchy spiders

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EASY CATERPILLAR CAKE...Ingredients: Cake mix (Confetti nice for this)
Frosting
Green or yellow food coloring
Coconut
Pretzels 
Prepare cake mix as directed on box and bake in bunt pan.
Cut the cake in half and lay the two pieces together IN A CURVE---for the caterpillar body.

Color the frosting green or yellow (your choice) and spread on cooled cake.
Sprinkle coconut so the caterpillar looks fuzzy.
Add straight pretzels for antennas.
Add other facial details as desired

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CREEPY CRAWLERS
1 lg. pkg. butterscotch chips
1 lg. pkg. milk chocolate chips
1/4 c. butter
1 (5 oz.) can chow mein noodles
1 to 2 tbsp. water
  • Melt chips and butter in double boiler or glass bowl in microwave. Stir to mix. Gradually add small amounts of water to thicken mixture. Stir in noodles and mix to coat in chocolate mixture. Drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper.

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BUTTERFLY BITES #1

Put out apple slices, mini carrots, pretzel sticks and raisins or dried cranberries. Have kids use apple slices for the wings, the carrot for the body and pretzel sticks for antennae, Decorate with raisins. Photo by KidActivities

 

BUTTERFLY BITES #2

Ingredients:
Stalks of celery, Twist pretzels, Pretzel pieces, Raisins and Spreadable cheddar, any cream cheese or peanut butter

Directions:
Wash celery and cut in half crosswise. Fill each celery piece with 1-tablespoon cheddar cheese, cream cheese or peanut butter. Add two pretzel twists for wings. Use pretzel pieces for antennae and raisins for decoration. Eat your butterfly before it files away!

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ARTS & CRAFTS (Critter Jar up above...)

A cool idea from Shannon Stewart at Stetson School...INSECTS UNDER MAGNIFYING GLASS

  

  

 

 

 

 

 

 A "Bumble Bee picture" is in Art Gallery: Grades 1 to 3. These images were made by 3rd graders.

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 CREATE AN EGG CARTON BUG!

Materials: Cotton balls, egg cartons, paint/markers, google eyes, pipe cleaners, construction paper, glitter, any other material the children may want to use.
Cut the egg cartons in separate 1 to 3 hump-pieces and put them out with a variety of the above supplies. See where the children's imaginations will take them! 

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CATERPILLAR
Materials:
Plastic-Foam meat tray
Hole puncher
Yarn and Pen

• Cut circles from a thoroughly sanitized plastic-foam meat tray.
• With a hole puncher, punch a hole through the center of each circle.
• Tie a knot in one end of a piece of yarn.
• Push the other end of the yarn through the hole in each circle.
• When your caterpillar is as long as you want, knot the second end of the yarn, leaving some yarn behind the knot for a tail.
• Draw a face on the front circle. You now have a Caterpillar!
• You can also make the caterpillars with long sections of egg cartons-such as the above bugs!

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Visit the Joke Category of Fleas, Flies & Spiders Also if you like Insects...you may like the category of Worms...(Worm Theme)

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