How many bugs will YOU find?
This is a fun and not too messy way to get your kiddo to count, explore and use their fine motor skills. Using a pair of tweezers, children will hunt through a bin full of dirt to see how many hidden bugs they can find. This activity is the perfect way to let children explore nature in a safe and controlled environment.
📚 Books to explore: Bugs A to Z by Caroline Lawton, In the Tall, Tall Grass by Denise Fleming, and Miss Spider’s Tea Party by David Kirk.
🔢 Count your findings. Have the child count each found bug out loud to practice their counting.
🐜 Teeny tiny friends. Teach kids all about insects and why they’re not so scary after all.
Materials
For this activity you will need:
Plastic bugs
Tweezers
Small plastic bin
Dirt
Magnifying glass (optional)
Small plastic cups (optional)
Learning Outcomes
Domain
Cognitive
Skills
Spatial Exploration
Indicators:
Exploring containment by putting objects in containers and by dumping them
Instructions
Step 1:
Fill a plastic bin with a few inches of dirt.
Step 2:
Hide several plastic bugs in the dirt. Make sure you count how many you have hidden so you know how many there are to find!
Step 3:
Using tweezers, have the child find all of the hidden bugs. They can also use a magnifying glass during this step.
Step 4:
Have the child place each found bug into a cup.
⬆️ For older kiddos: Categorize each found bug into a different cup and write down its name on a piece of paper.
⬇️ For younger kiddos: If tweezers are too challenging, have the children use their hands to grab the bugs.
Playful Questions
How many bugs can you find?
How many bugs have we found so far?
What types of bugs have you found?
What colours are they?
How does the dirt feel?
