WELCOME to G.O. Get Outside! Virtual Series - Butterflies & Bugs. Below you will find four adventures geared toward ages 6-12 that include a video lesson and fun activities. Designed as a self-directed activity, participants or groups can choose an adventure for every day of the week. Live webinars can be scheduled where you can join Gardner Camp naturalists live at GC to see wildlife, hear about seasonal events happening at camp and ask any questions you may have. Show Gardner Camp some love by tagging photos of you or your group doing your activities on Facebook (@gardnercamp) or Instagram (@gardner.camp). Let's G.O.!
G.O. Adventure #1
Video Lesson (12 mins)
INSECT INTRODUCTION - There are more insect species than any other type of organism - during this video, students will learn what an insect is - about the body parts and mouthparts of insects and take a close-up look at bugs found at GC!
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G.O. Get Outside Activities
At-Home Individual & Group Activities (30+ mins)
- Chirpy Chex Party Mix - This one is just a funny, but you can seriously try it! Yum Yum!
- Chirp, Chirp - This activity allows students to become forensic entomologists. By studying the chirp rate of crickets, they'll evaluate whether or not cricket chirps can tell the temperature in a room. Source: Teaming with Insects, National 4-H Curriculum
G.O. Adventure #2
Video Lesson (9 mins)
COLLECTING INSECTS! This video walks through the equipment needed to catch insects, where to look for insects, and how to set a pitfall trap!
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G.O. Get Outside Activities
Group Activity
- Find Your Family - Within this group activity, youth will take special note of our sense of smell and model how organisms use only their sense of smell to find each other.
Individual At-Home Activity
- Making Bug Traps - Find out how to make 5 different types of insect traps from author, Toni Albert. She also has a book of 160 interesting things to do with bugs called Busy with Bugs!
Insect Collecting Equipment Checklist - use this checklist to create your own bug collecting kit!
Places to Collect Insects - this is a useful list of a variety of places to explore to find all types of insects.
G.O. Adventure #3
LIVE WEBINAR - Contact Gardner Camp at [email protected] to schedule a webinar!
G.O. Adventure #4
Video Lesson (10 mins)
BUTTERFLIES & MOTHS - In this video, learn about the Lepidoptera family - Moths & Butterflies - arguably the most beautiful order in the Insect class!
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G.O. Get Outside Activities
Group Activity
- Monarch Migration Race - Lead this game with a group of children to role-play a monarch's journey from Minnesota to Mexico. What challenges might they face?
At Home Individual Activity
- Butterfly Origami - using a square piece of paper (6x6" or 10x10"), create a beautiful piece of art!
MOUNTING & DISPLAYING BUTTERFLIES - If you have an interest in mounting butterflies or moths that you find, this series of videos is an incredible tutorial from the Houston Museum of Natural Science. Maybe you want to frame a beautiful butterfly and hang it in your house to share or start a beautiful collection of all the species you find! If you have questions, we may have resources! Feel free to contact us at Gardner Camp anytime!
Step 1 - Gathering Supplies
Step 2 - Prep Your Butterfly
Step 3a - Spread Butterfly
Step 3b - Spread Butterfly
Step 4 - Display Butterfly
G.O. Adventure #5
Video Lesson (7 mins)
POLLINATORS & PLANTS! Find out more about the relationship between plants and insects, cool information on bees, and tips on how to plant a pollinator plot.
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G.O. Get Outside Activities
Group Activity
- The Bee Dance - Within this activity, groups will have a good time dancing while imitating how bees communicate and find food without using words! Source: Utah Agriculture in the Classroom
At-Home Individual Activity
- Making a Bee House - Creating a house for Mason Bees is a good start to helping pollinators. Mason bees are native, gentle, and rarely sting. They are excellent pollinators of nearby flowers but they don't live in a hive. They need tubular structures!
- Create a Bee-Friendly Garden or a Pollinator Pocket in your yard - Find information from the University of Illinois on how to create your own bee-friendly pollinator garden. You can start with a couple of pots and work your way up to a plot in your yard!
You made it through our Butterflies & Bugs Lesson!
Let us know that you loved it by sending us photos on Facebook (@gardnercamp) or Instagram (@gardner.camp).
See you next time!