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SRC Bugs Not Bugs

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Bugs Not Bugs 

Programs Around This Year's Theme

for Children Who Aren't Too Fond of Bugs

Kelley Beeson, ACLA  and Holly Visnesky, Mt. Lebanon

Fairy/Creature Programs 

Did you know fairies mascarade as butterflies during the day?

 

Take a look at pictures from Mt. Lebanon Library's Fairy Program last year! 

 

Fairy Houses 

Build a house for your favorite fairy.  On a hefty paper plate base, use all natural materials to make the houses (with the aid of some glue sticks).  Materials can include: moss, acorns, seashells, pinecones, pebbles, pine branches, leafs, raffia, chestnuts, twigs, feathers, eucalyptus branches, shredded paper, etc., and small peat seed cups for the actual houses (you can cut doors in these with scissors.) This is a very popular program! 

 

Other Fairy Crafts:

  • Fairy Airplanes (kids decorate butterfly outlines with markers and small stick-on gems (or gem stickers).  The decorated butterfly is then attached to a  party blower.

  • Fairy Crowns (use an Ellison dye for the crown; the kids decorate these with markers and stick-on gems also.)

  • Fairy Booklist fairybooks.pdf 

  • Fairy Wands: pretzel sticks dipped in canned icing and rolled in fairy dust (colored sugar/sprinkles. 

  • Fairy Cakes: cupcakes made in miniature muffin tins and decorated by the kids with icing and fairy dust (colored sugar.)  Have a helper assist with the icing!

Creature Houses

  • Build a house for your favorite wood elf (or boggart, brownie, gnome, or sprite.)  On a hefty paper plate base, use all natural materials to make the houses (with the aid of some glue sticks).  Materials can include: moss, acorns, seashells, pinecones, pebbles, pine branches, leafs, raffia, chestnuts, twigs, feathers, eucalyptus branches, shredded paper, etc., and small peat seed cups for the actual houses (you can cut doors in these with scissors.)Yes, this is the same idea as a fairy house, but more inviting for boys. Kids can name their own wood elves and create a habitat just for them: Oliver the Ornery Oak Elf, Mike the Mischievous Maple Elf, Henry the  Leaf-Horned Hickory Elf, etc.

  • Tie this program into The Spiderwick Chronicles here and here 

    • Check out the Spiderwick Blog!
    • And the Spiderwick Fan site: International Sprite League.
    • Here's a quick booktalk on the Spiderwick Chronicles for school visits
    • A complete guide to creating a Spiderwick Program at your library!
      • Remind participants to wear something red or inside out to prevent fairy pranks!
      • When the kids arrive, they won’t be able to see any of these imaginary creatures without having water splashed on them…make sure to give each kid a sprinkle (not directly into the eyes of course!) to enter the party with their special looking glass.
      • Have the kids make their own Spiderwick Chronicle book.  Have pieces of paper available along with pencils, pens, crayons, etc. and the kids can bind their books together as a craft activity, grab them and go outdoors to draw the natural secrets that appeal to them.  (This can be a goody to take home too.)  I also like the idea of helping the kids use red sealing wax to close off their book at the end, just as it is shown in the movie.
      •  
  • Recipe for a Spider Cake 

  • Make elf ears - template available here.  Hook them over each kids’ ears. (or kids can make their own one-of-a-kind ear-design)

     

Environmental Programs

Microbes 

Gardening

  • Indoor Garden Grow peppermint, chamomile and sage inside! 

  • Container Gardens

  • Make a Kids' Pizza Garden Tomato plant, pepper plant, oregano, basil.  Plant these in a terra cotta pot that each child decorates. Or do a library project and plant outside: planting in a children's swimming pool divided into pizza-pie shapes would be fun, if you have the space.

Where Bugs Live- Leaves, Grass, Trees, Dirt

Animals and Plants Who Eat Bugs

(did you know they're called insectivores?)

Fun Bugs     

  • Be a Buggy Person: What kind of bug are you? Design a one-of-a-kind bug outfit.
    • Make a head band out of strips of paper. (Usually 2 strips of paper for each child.)
    • Attach pipe cleaners (twirl them around a pencil first) to the inside of the head band withtape. (Heavy duty library tape works well for this.)Attach a cut-out shape of your choice to the top of the pipe-cleaners: moon & stars for a cosmicbug, hearts for a love-bug, sports-ball shapes for a sports-bug, wheels for a hot-rod-bug, etc.  
    • Attach bug eyes in the center of the head band (Bug feelers & bug eyes headband- Scroll to the   bottom of the page) for an idea of what this will look like.
    • Make bug pincers: Use the crab pincers pattern from Little Hands Sea Life Art & Activities by Judy Press, p. 46 or Make pincers with an origami fortune teller (and add fortunes for a smart-bug!)
  • Fun Bug Cars go to the Buggy Races Kids bring their own "hot wheels" car (3" by 1 1/4"). Make a pretend bug from construction paper (about 4" long by 2 1/2 "wide) and tape the car to the bottom of the paper. Idea from Bats, Butterflies and Bugs by S. Adams Sullivan, p. 24- "Motor Bug Roach Coach."  

 

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