Develop students' interest about bugs by collecting, displaying and identifying them.
What you need:
- One shallow cardboard or plastic box per student or class
- Sticky labels
- Glue
- Dead bugs
- A field guide relating to insects
What to do:
- Prepare a large shallow box for the display. Either have one box per student, small group or whole classroom.
- Ask students to collect (preferably already dead) bugs from the school grounds, classroom floor, corridors, playground areas, at home, hothouses etc.
- Glue the dead bugs in the box under their appropriate classification. (Butterflies together, wasps together, beetles together etc.)
- Label each bug properly using a field guide to identify them.
Safety is always a priority. Ensure students understand the dangers of looking for bugs under rocks and in dark corners. Discuss insect and spider bites before collecting bugs.
Secondary student Deborah from Western Australia with her bug display.
(by Ingrid Griggs)