Summer Camp Recap: Superhero Bugs

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 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.

Last week our campers buzzed with excitement as we learned about bugs that save the world! Through outdoor exploration, hands-on activities and the use of field notebooks, our 6 – 13-year-old campers became bug scientists. Featuring garden heroes such as butterflies and bees, campers explored the surrounding landscape in a hunt for bugs! Throughout the week campers met with Phipps experts who showed us crawling friends and discussed how to manage pests in the garden by using good bugs to protect garden foods and flowers. We also had a chance to create our very own super bug and describe its habitat. We hope that our young scientists continue to be superheroes for six-, eight- and many-legged critters!

Backyard Science

Want to see more bugs? Plant nectar-rich flowers to attract butterflies and bees, or 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. See what food is most attractive to your crawling critters!

Select photos © Paul g. Wiegman