Little Hands Learning – July 2022: Bug Box

Little Hands Learning is a children’s activity box subscription service that supports your child’s learning and development through the magic of books. July’s box contained the 32-page book, ‘The Bug Collector’ written by Alex G Griffiths along with materials and activities to teach children about the importance of bugs in our ecosystem and to understand the value of the natural world around us.

The multi-sensory activities that accompany this month’s book (which are carefully selected by experienced teachers) are designed to inspire creativity and a love for storytelling amongst children. The Bug Box included the following materials: detailed activity cards with easy-to-follow instructions, tips, keywords and interesting talking points, a shovel, a bug hunt sheet, crayons, wood slices, bamboo sticks, string, oregano seeds, peat-free compost and reusable packing materials.

There were four activities included this month:

• Growing oregano
• Building a bug hotel
• Minibeast hunt
• Drawing on wood slices

Each activity card includes key questions designed to start conversations such as what would happen if bugs disappeared from our planet and why flowers are important for the environment. Penny picked the perfect container to grow her seeds and loved getting her hands stuck into the soil. She also loved running around the garden with her little sister. They found everything on their list and added a slug to it for good measure.

This then turned into a whole afternoon of bug finding, drawing, a movie night featuring the film ‘A Bugs Life’ and, of course, finishing with our bedtime story – The Bug Collector. That’s the great thing about the Little Hands Learning box, the structured activities also spark hours of child-led play and interesting conversations with your little one whilst creating unforgettable memories.