Bugs, Slugs, and Entomology

Bugs are ALL around us! Did you know that there are estimated to be between 6 and 10 million species of insects? Or that bees are found on every continent except for Antarctica? Some people might find bugs to be pesky, but bugs and insects are super helpful and very important for a balanced ecosystem! They aerate and fertilize the soil, pollinate flowering plants, and even create compost for a healthy garden! Learning about bugs and insects can help children better understand the world around them and connect to nature more deeply. Check out how we did just that this month through these simple projects!

Bug Creations!

Paper Butterflies

Sparkly Spiders

Popsicle Stick and Pom-Pom Caterpillars

Pipe Cleaner Butterflies

The kids loved playing with their butterfly creations!

Pipe Cleaner Beetles

"My friend made me flowers. Bugs like flowers!"

Bug Habitats! Where does your bug live?

Scientific Bug Discovery

Phase 1: Research bugs and insects!

Phase 2: Draw what you see!

Phase 3: Search for bugs out in the field! The kids found a huge rhinoceros beetle, a cicada exoskeleton, lots of rolly-pollies, a caterpillar, an earthworm, and a snail!

Bug Yoga!

Check out our Bug Yoga Class on YouTube for the full rundown of all the different bug poses! We started with butterfly pose, then went to grasshopper, dragonfly, praying mantis, wiggly worm, and ended with cricket pose where you move your legs like crickets do when they chirp!

To do Bumblebee Breath place your hands over your ears and take a slow deep breath in through your nose before exhaling out to “hummmmmm” as long as possible. Try it again, but this time with your eyes closed and your hands over your ears. Focus on the humming sound. Notice the vibration created in your lips. Was that a different experience with your eyes closed? How so?

To do Butterfly Juggling, take a light scarf and pretend it's a fluttering butterfly. Toss it up in the air with one hand and try to catch it with the other!

Salt Preserved Herbs

We wanted to call back to a previous recipe we have done here at the Garden. It's a super simple one and a great way to keep herbs fresh for up to a year!

Using salt to preserve herbs is a tried and true method that dates back centuries.  The fresh herbs permeate every ounce of the salt mixture that releases and preserves the garden harvest.

To preserve your fresh herbs:

• De-stem 15 to 20 stems of garden herbs - we used oregano, rosemary, thyme, and winter savory.
• Coarsley chop herbs.
• Add chopped herbs to 2/3 cup sea salt and briefly grind in a suribachi or mortar and pestle.
• We then funneled our mixture into amber glass bottles and made our own label designs!
  

Carrot Time!

Outside Fun!

See you next time!