Learning Objective - EYFS

Understanding of the World

Animals and The World

Resources

A selection of tissue boxes, paints, glue, stickers and labels to decorate your boxes

Natural materials such as small sticks, leaves, damp bark, pine cones, pencil and playdough

White or see through plastic tubs or pots, pooters

Magnifying glasses & Field Studies Council Minibeast Guide or similar

Introduction

Take the children outside with their magnifying glasses and see what minibeasts you can find, under rocks, stones, logs, leaves and bushes.

Collect some of the insects very gently with the pooters and pots and gather together and see what insects you can name, and what insects you can find on the guide.

Activity

Discuss together where you found the insects, and what do the children think they like about the home or their habitat?

Explain you are going to make small bug hotels for your setting. Have the children ever stayed at a hotel? What did they like about it? How can they make their Bug Hotel a lovely place for the bugs to visit? Can they make it similar to where they found the insects?

Using the pencil and the play dough, place a small ball of play dough on the inside of the box, on the side and use the pencil to make two or three small holes in the box, and explain these are doors for the bugs to get in and out of the hotel.

Ask the children to make labels for the bugs they would like to visit their hotels, and support them with writing the name.

Allow the children to decorate their boxes, and fill with the damp natural materials.

Place the boxes outside on the ground.

Extension

Once the bug hotels are in situ, allow the children to place the insects in the hotels, and ask the children to name the insects again, and observe the insects in the hotel with the magnifying glasses.

Observe and record the children's conversations and take pictures for their learning journals.