how to make a bead bugland for kids

How to Make a Bead Bugland (for Kids).

Take advantage of many kids' inherent fascination with bugs by helping them make their own little bug world out of accessible materials. They'll enjoy looking for pictures of bugs and figuring out how they can make them out of beads, add them to their bug "collection," and make some "food" for their new little critters. It is fun and much cleaner than an ant farm!

Steps.

1. Put green paper at the bottom of a shoebox for grass.

2. Make the bugs from beads.

Glue four beads together with a hot glue gun to make a butterfly's body. Use paper to make wings and black paint or paper to make eyes and glue them on.

Glue or paint two black eyes onto a green bead to make an aphid. Do the same to a gray bead to make a potato bug.

Use black paint and a toothpick to make little black dots on a red bead and glue/paint on eyes to make a ladybug.

3. Make a paper or cardboard circle for the spider's body and cut slivers of paper for legs. Glue on legs and googly eyes (or make eyes out of paper).

4. Make a spider web design on a plate or cookie sheet with a hot glue gun. Pour cold water over the web to cool it, then carefully peel it off. Glue the spider onto its web (this can also be made with Elmer's glue, but you'll have to wait for it to dry).

5. Fill a bottle cap or small round container partway up with hot glue. Stick a rock into the glue while it's still hot. Wait for it to harden, then take your "lake" out of the container and place it in the shoe box.

6. Use paper or beads to make leaves and flowers. Fold the leaves in half to carefully cut out a hole in the middle to make them look chewed.

7. Arrange everything in the shoe box and enjoy playing with your Bead Bugland!

Tips.

You can remove the rock from the lake after the glue hardens, and then you're able to move the rock in and out.

Warnings.

Be careful when using the hot glue gun!

Watch small kids extra carefully to make sure no beads are swallowed.

Things You'll Need.

A shoe box.

Construction paper or tissue paper.

Colored beads.

Hot glue gun or Elmer's glue.

Bottle cap or small round container.

Small rock.