The Big Book of Bugs

The Big Book of Bugs by Yuval Zommer

Okay, so I think that it is pretty clear at this point that I love oversize books and I love beautiful nonfiction books, and this book is both of those in a wonderful way.  I fell instantly in love with the cover and the fact that the topic is bugs.  Bugs happen to be a favorite subject around here.  We go exploring outside almost everyday and my kiddos get the biggest kick out of discovering little crawling critters.  I have taught my little boy well in that when he sees a spider he knows not to bring it to me, but on the other hand when he finds a lady bug he will exclaim with delight “A LADYBUG! Momma likes the ladybugs!” and bring it over for me to see.  That’s how I knew we needed a beautiful bug book and this one fit the bill.  He is loving it and has already requested it over and over again.

The book is quite the resource.  The table of contents informs that the book contains page spreads on specific bugs (such as moths, flies, stick insects, pond bugs….) as well as a few bug related topics (such as  bugs at work, bugs on the move, bug family tree…).  Each page that follows is bursting with gorgeously detailed and spunky illustrations of bugs.  It is quite the show!  The end of the book is also super helpful as it contains a glossary, a “search and find” page with bugs to spot on different pages, and an index in the back.  It is a perfect bug book in all its glory.

“The Big Book of Bugs”  Inspired craft/activities

I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to make some bugs to go with this book, I just couldn’t.   And boy am I glad I did because my little guy loves these bugs and the activities just as much as he loves this book and almost as much as finding bugs outside.  I have been seeing versions of rock bugs on pintrest and instagram for a while now and am excited to add mine to the mix.  I was very thoughtful about the colors and patterns I used for these bugs in order to be able to use them for multiple activities when I was done. (Hey! If I’m going through all the work, then I might as well make them multi-functional right?!)  Below is the formula I used to create them, the steps, and some sample activities that you can use them for.  I hope that you and your little bug collectors enjoy them as much as we do!

Supplies:

• 20 stones
• acrylic paints (5 colors of choice, black, and white)
• paint brushes
• water cup
• clear spray paint for finishing and sealing

Formula for 20 bugs:

20 small round stones

5 colors (I did yellow, red, blue, orange and green)

10 with dots (do one with 1 dot, one with 2 dots, one with 3 dots, and so on up to 10 dots)

10 with stripes (do one with 1 stripe, one with 2 stripes, and so on up to 10 stripes)

Thats it!  Now that you have a plan, here are the steps to make them:

1. Select 20 stones that are the size you want (mine are about the size of half-dollar coins), smooth, and roundish.   (Selecting a range from circle to oval is best for activities later.)
2. Wash them well then dry them completely.
3. Paint 3/4 of them in the 5 colors you selected.  (This will be five stones for each color)  I did two coats of paint.  (Let them dry completely between each coat.)
4. After your bug bodies are painted, paint the black heads on the remaining stone.  (I did two coats again.)
5. After the black heads are dry you can paint on tiny white dots for the eyes.  I chose not to do pupils because I loved the clean and simple look, but pupils would be cute too.
6. Then you are ready to paint your dots and stripes.  Follow the formula above for doing so.
7. After they are completely painted and dry, seal them with a clear spray paint.  I used Krylon Crystal Clear Acrylic Gloss and it worked great and turned out glossy and bright.

Suggested activities for your bugs:

The activity possibilities for these bugs are pretty endless!  Here I have listed a few that we have enjoyed thus far and grouped them into four categories.  Give them a try!

1. Counting/Number Activities
   • Count the 20 bugs one by one
   • Count the stripes and dots
   • Pair the numbers (1 dot with 1 stripe)
   • Match numbers (write numbers 1-10 on a pice of paper and have child match the 2 bugs with the corresponding number of dots or stripes)
   • Place the numbers in order with the stripes and dots (as pictured above)
2. Sorting Activities
   • sort by color (as pictured above)
   • sort by pattern (stripes vs. dots)
   • sort by size
   • sort by shape (ovals vs. circles)
3. Games
   • Tic-tac-toe (spots vs. stripes as pictured above)
   • I haven’t thought of any others just yet!  Let me know if you come up with any in the comments below, I’d love to hear!
4. Pattern Activities
   • Pattern the bugs and see if your child can guess which bug/bugs come next.  The ones above are patterned according to a color sequence.