Build a bug hotel
Stack sticks, bark and old plant pots into a cosy hotel and see who checks in over the week.
Minibeasts want three things: somewhere dark, somewhere dry and somewhere they can squeeze into. Your child is about to become a hotel manager.
What you need
- An old crate, box or stack of bricks
- Short sticks, bark, dry leaves, pine cones
- String or a rubber band
- A notebook for guests
How to do it
- 1
Choose a quiet spot at the base of a hedge, fence or wall.
- 2
Fill the crate with bundles of sticks, rolled bark and dry leaves, packing them tight so the gaps stay narrow.
- 3
Tuck pine cones into the corners for beetles and leaves at the back for woodlice.
- 4
Give the hotel a name and write it on a label.
- 5
Check it every morning for a week and draw each guest you find.
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