Fauna: the animals of a particular region, habitat, or geological period. E.g. ‘(the flora and) fauna of Great Britain’.
What a beautiful world we live in and what amazing creatures we share it with!
Although the fauna of a region includes the birds, fish and mammals that live there, for the purposes of this blog, we’re going to start small and enter… Bug World! There is no shortage of interesting specimens to investigate – so grab a magnifying glass and a transparent receptacle if you have them; if not, a keen pair of eyes and a big dollop of curiosity will do! OK, let’s get going…
1. Eyes Down
You might think that the ground around your home and in the local parks is not very interesting, other than for playing games. However if you take the trouble to look a little harder, carefully probing the nooks and crannies, you can discover all kinds of fascinating creatures who are not only fun to observe, but who have a great deal to contribute to the health of our environment.If you want a starting point, you can use this bug-spotter sheet.
Remember!
Leave no stone (sensitively) unturned!
Be very careful near water!
Beware stinging insects!
2. Spot It And Tot It!
Tot up the number of times you spot each insect. Then, to be really professional, record your findings in a tally or bar chart, being sure to note details like the location, weather conditions, time of day etc. and sign it: (your name), Entomologist** An Entomologist is someone who studies insects.
For younger explorers, download the Out of the Ark Music I Spy in the Garden resource.
3. Snap It!
Many of us have been awestruck by the amazing shots of wildlife we have seen in programmes like Blue Planet. Although most of us can never hope to achieve those results, which take years of patient effort, you could perhaps make a start by creating a Virtual Bug Gallery.Share the link with your friends and hold a ‘Bug Snapper of the Week’ competition.
4. Creepy Draw-lies
Create a creepy-crawly collage by making an outline drawing of one or more of the insects you have observed. Find out how here.
Use natural materials like dried leaves, grass and flowers glued to add colour and texture. You could annotate your collage with some of the facts you have learnt. Why not do several and compile your own Bug Encyclopedia?
5. Calling Bug Lightyear!
As you no doubt know by now, bugs can be little heroes in that many of them are essential in keeping our ecosystem healthy. Lots of them also happen to look particularly weird and wonderful, so why not be inspired and turn a bug into a superhero?Draw a costume-design based on the shape and colour of your chosen bug.
Choose the superpower you think suits it best.
Give your bug a superhero name.
Write down your ideas for some fantastic adventures you could enjoy together!
6. Mini Breaks For Minibeasts
I’m sure we would all love a break in a four-star hotel, and our creepy-crawly friends aren’t any different. They really appreciate it when we provide some luxury accommodation for them. Why not build them a own High-Rise Hilton for Happy Bugs?Finally, serenade them with a suitable song, such as If I were a Minibeast from My World: Minibeasts.
Written by Sue Langwade – Guest Writer for Out of the Ark Music
(edited July 24)
