Activity Introduction

Quick summary: This activity is designed to get children into the garden and looking at the bugs that can be found in our own backyards. Younger children are asked to identify different creepy crawlies and to think about where they live and what they eat. Older children are asked to describe the bugs they see in detail, using magnifying glasses. All children are then asked to make a bug house to keep bugs in your garden warm in winter and cool in summer.

This activity is designed to help connect children to the wonders of the natural world through sensory and play-based learning.

EYLF Learning Outcome

Elaborations

Outcome 2: Children are connected with and contribute to their world

3. Children become socially responsible and show respect for the environment

Outcome 4: Children are involved and confident learners

1. Children develop dispositions for learning such as curiosity, cooperation, confidence, creativity, commitment, enthusiasm, persistence, imagination and reflexivity

2. Children develop a range of skills and processes such as problem solving, enquiry, experimentation, hypothesising, researching and investigating

Equipment needed: A garden or yard, magnifying glasses, a box or tub of soil (if digging in your centre garden is not possible), tools for digging (spoons or small spades), Build a bug house instruction sheet, materials for building a bug house – milk cartons or other containers or cardboard rolled into a tube, cardboard, scissors, sticky tape, paint (optional).

Supporting resources:

Other resources:

Cool Australia Presents Biodiversity from Cool Australia on Vimeo.

 

Cool Australia would like to acknowledge the support of the Seedlings Early Years Education for Sustainability (EYEfS) program.

Worksheets

Teacher Worksheet

Background information:

Learning goals: This activity is designed to get children into the garden and looking at the bugs that can be found in our own backyards and how these bugs are important to the environment as a whole. Younger children are asked to identify different creepy crawlies and to think about where they live and what they eat. Older children are asked to describe the bugs they see in detail, using magnifying glasses. Children are then asked to think about why insects are important and how we can look after them. All children are then asked to make a bug house to keep bugs in your garden warm in winter and cool in summer.

Content information: Many of us get the heebie-jeebies about creepy crawlies. Maybe that’s because there are so many of them. In fact, as a group insects are the most populous animals on Earth: it is estimated that there are 200 million insects for every human on the planet!!!

Fear not, the earth is not in danger of being overrun by bugs. Instead they

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