Making our Bug Hotel!!

At Uxbridge we have an ongoing interest in living things and life cycles. To encourage this we decided to build a bug hotel to attract insects to our playground. Nikki's (Me) Dad came into help as he had been assembling the Necessary materials for us. We had talked about some of the things that bugs liked like warm dry things, wood and natural things and sure enough they were all here. There were pine cones, twigs, hollow bamboo, straw and dried branches as well as wooden boxes to put them all in. We had pictures to show us how other people had built their bug hotels and we discussed them as we decided which order to put our materials in. We started with a layer of straw followed by pine cones, twigs, bamboo and finally the branches. We all had to use our patience as there were lots of helpers but only one or two people could add stuff at a time due to space. We also had to be very careful to put the things in neatly and tightly or else they would fall out. Finally our bug hotels were ready to go. We have put them in our garden and will be watching closely to see which guests will arrive.

Jaxon takes a look at the pictures of other Bug Houses and passes it around the table.  We then begin to make a plan....

In goes some leaves

And a little straw....

Faye adds some sticks

Our finished product - The Bug Hotel

Making the bug hotel was a great experience for our Tamariki. By making the Hotel themselves they gain a sense of ownership over it adding to their sense of responsibility and caring for the creatures that may come to live there. Making things for the centre themselves builds their sense of belonging. In talking about what the bugs may want in the hotel and why they are sharing and building on their working theories. As they had to take turns while participating in this experience they are building their social skills not only by waiting but also by realising that if they put in all of one type of material themselves there would be none left for others. As the hotel is a permanent fixture in the garden Tamariki will be able to revisit it time and time again.

Children's Voice when talking about our bug hotel:

What did we use to make our bug hotel?

Benjamin - Wood and leaves

Noah - We put lots of tree things in it

Gabriel - Stuff, um tree and branch and pinecone.  That's my favourite - tree, I love tree.

Shaan - A stick

Gabriel - We make a box, there is a big one and a small one.

What bugs might come and visit our hotel?

Noah - Crickets, maybe a spider?

Shaan - A cockroach

Noah - A tiny ant, a ladybug, a special moth like rainbow colour.

Katelyn - A butterfly, a unicorn.

What can we name our Hotel?

Gabriel - A home

Benjamin - A deck bug hotel.

Finding our first guest, watching and waiting for more to arrive........

Jaxon finds a spider and captures it in a container

He is eager to see if the spider might like to check into the bug hotel 

The spider is rather small, where has he gone?  The boys get the magnifying glasses to take a closer look

Not too close though!!

"Can't see" says Dexter as he bends down a little lower

Watching and waiting for new guests to arrive

And what have we found Sienna?  It's a caterpillar!!  

Haley ever so carefully moves him into the bug hotel

"Hey, I see it" says Wolf