Beautiful Bug Mansions

Beautiful Bug Mansions

  • 60
Time

Benefits

  • Stay Active
  • Keep Learning
  • Bring Joy

What you need

  1. Twigs in various sizes
  2. Small stones and broken tiles
  3. Straw and hay
  4. Pine cones
  5. Loose bark
  6. Dry leaves
  7. Corrugated cardboard
  8. A small wooden box (around 25cm x 25cm)
  9. A collection of flowers and stems (like ivy, daisies, lavender, honeysuckle and marigolds)
  10. An old chair to put the house on

Intro

We love an activity that keeps on giving… and this is just the kind we mean. It’s all about connecting with wildlife and appreciating the little things in life (quite literally) ­–­ and it’s great with visiting grandchildren.

The crux of the idea is for your group or individual to create a bug house in the garden for creatures to crawl into, and perhaps nest. Checking up on it every day is a wonderful sensory activity in itself, and because it’s great for the environment, it’ll impress budding naturalists too. 

The Activity

  1. Start layering broken tiles into your wooden box, but with straw and hay sandwiched between the tiles
  2. Keep layering them up, but include stones, cardboard, bark and all other items too
  3. Make sure everything fits snugly, filling any gaps with leaves and loose bark
  4. Add in the flowers and stems, allowing the flowers to stick out a little in places
  5. Head into the garden and place your mansion on a chair in a shaded area
  6. Keep a daily (or weekly) check on the house to see who’s moved in
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