Bug Week Part I

Bug Week Part 1!

Three days of snow and more on the way slowed our bug week to a halt...so here's part one!  

We decided on bug week after a short hike we went on to go bird watching erupted in screaming, shaking, and terror when a few gnats flew around us.....we needed to learn BUGS were COOL!  

We started with one of our favorites a bug Sensory Box!  We headed to Hobby Lobby to pick up our Safari Ltd. insect toob....these are our favorites!  We ended up with a butterfly toob too....I just love these things!  

We also found some plastic easter grass on sale for $.59!?!  and the one spot at Target had these great bee magnifying glasses for inspecting our bugs.  

We counted legs, learned about antennae, abdomens, thoraxes, eyes, and wings!

Our next activity was GLOW BUGS!  I found this great idea through Pinterest!

We picked up these battery operated flameless LED lights at hobby lobby also.  We got 16 for $11.99 (and we used our 40% coupon!).  The eggs were on sale for $.09 and we had silver duct tape and pipe cleaners on hand!

While Evin was napping Nicole and I used nails and push pins to poke holes in the eggs and then used pliers to pull the pipe cleaners through....this wasn't easy so not all of our glow bugs got legs and antennas.  

Complete with googly eyes and mouths!  While Karl gave Evin a bath I hid the bugs around the house. He was SO excited after he got his PJ's on and saw all the glowing guys around the house!

He ran around collected them all and lined them up in from of the TV!

The next day I thought maybe he would be ready for REAL bugs so we headed out in to the backyard....it's still pretty cool here some days considering it's springs so we had to dig for our bugs.  

He was very excited for the first one we found and ran over with his bug keeper so I could put it in....

All of the bugs we found had lots of legs.....

Or were spiders....

He was totally willing to bring them leaves or sticks to make them happier.  

But when I said, "hey Evin do you want to hold the bug?"  He responded by yelling, "NO NO NO!!!! KILL IT!!!!"

Not quite what we were going for.  

I had to work the next day so I made the snail snacks for him out of cutie oranges for breakfast.....(side note....snails are not bugs they are mollusks....you're welcome dad)

While I was at work Nicole decided to try the bug hunt again only she decided to go back to fake bugs again so she gathered some rocks and while he was napping made these little lady bugs.  

Way better success at convincing him to carry them around!  

Of course what bug week is complete with worms and dirt! For anyone who might be living under a rock....worms and dirt is gummy worms in chocolate pudding with crushed oreos...YUMMY!  

Grandma Frieda and Ernie sent this cool little bug!  We also got a butterfly kit and praying mantis kit from Evin's Grandpa and Aunt and Uncle Howard and Margaret.....Part II of Bug Week will continue when our butterfly and mantis eggs arrive!

Since we had three days of snow we decided to visit our local gem the Butterfly Pavillion!

We got to see some real caterpillars....

Some real butterflies.....

And some other VERY cool bugs!  It's a whole invertebrate zoo!

The next day I was making my celery free version of ants on a log (banana, peanut butter, and chocolate covered raisins) Evin came to me screaming, "LOOK LOOK LOOK BUG BUG BUG!!!!" I followed him over to his reading corner and we found a dead wasp....her ran and got his bug keeper and apparently dead bugs are not as scary.  This bug went from keeper to tractor bucket to bucket to hand and back again.....as a matter of fact four days later the dead wasp is still sitting on our TV console.  

For Earth Day the Aquarium holds a "Party for the Planet" event and we did a backyard wildlife scavenger hunt....since Evin didn't make it I brought it home to him!  We hunted plastic grasshoppers, butterflies, ants, and more with our binoculars in the backyard!  TONS of fun!

Stay tuned for part 2 coming whenever the bugs do!  

Until then check out Alison over at Oopsey Daisy's Mommy School I is for Insect Packet.  She has TONS and TONS of ideas!  Bug Week could be Bug year!!!!