Summer Camp Recap: Bugs in the Burgh!

By Carolyn Carlins, Facilitator, Phipps Science Education and Research

Summer Camp Recap - is our weekly seasonal segment featuring our summer camp programs. This is the place for camp parents to find pictures of their campers in action and see all the fun things we did all week. It’s also a great place for educators to pick up craft, story and lesson ideas for their own early childhood programs!

Bugs in the Burgh!

Last week’s camp was Bugs in the Burgh, an insect-themed camp for 6-7 year olds. Every day campers explored the outdoors for butterflies, ladybugs, ants, bees, dragonflies, and other creepy crawlers. Through conducting experiments, hands-on activities, and the use of a field notebook, campers became bug scientists. They learned about the lifecycles and adaptations of different insects, made beeswax lip balm, and even met a couple of bug experts from Phipps! With the help of these experts, the campers discovered the secret life of bees, baited potato bugs, and released lady bugs into the conservatory. It was great to have a camp buzzing with so much energy!

Backyard Science:

Be a bug scientist! Make a bait trap to catch and observe bugs in your own backyard. All you need is a potato or an apple! Cut your bait into a small wedge. Place it in a spot where it will not be disturbed. Check your trap every few hours or every day for a week. Observe your bugs and draw what you find. 

Experiment with different foods or spices. We put cayenne pepper on one of our traps! See what food is most attractive to your crawling critters.

For more pictures from this week's camp, please visit the Science Education and Research Facebook page here!

Photographs taken by Science Education staff and Paul g. Wiegman.