Our Top Resources to teach about Insects

Our Top Resources to teach about Insects

Posted on By Jessica Staines

The Butterfly Garden is an entertaining introduction to the life cycle of a butterfly - played out by a fat caterpillar, a hungry kookaburra and a supporting cast of beautiful butterflies.

Spare and simple, The Butterfly Garden also weaves in the idea of how the kookaburra may have got his laugh. Fern Martins illustrations are a mix of strong colour and transulcent beauty. Her stained-glass interpretations of the cocoon at its various stages show its ephemeral quality in a joyful and fluid way.

This feel-good board book for Early Childhood will bring a smile to all readers.

Jimmy and Max hope a tiny native bee will lead them to some delicious sugarbag.

It's the adventure of a lifetime for Max who imagines a bush treasure-trove filled with sweets. For Jimmy, it's a chance to teach his little brother all about bush tucker.

 

Small felt bees in a set of 5. These little felt bees are ideal for Loose Parts Play and Small World Play.

Our felt bees are ethically made by artisans in Nepal. Your child may choose to place them in a container so that it contributes to the play schema.

*Please note that these felt bees are small at 4cm length, they may be a choking hazard to children under the age of 3.

Backyard Bugs by Helen Milroy

From beautiful butterflies to kaleidoscopic Christmas beetles, First Nations author and illustrator Helen Milroy returns to the backyard with a picture book designed to teach kids (and their handlers) all about the scurrying, scuttling, scooting, buzzing, zooming splendour of insects.

Felt Life cycle of a Honey Bee

Learn the different life stages of a Honey Bee, as it changes from an egg in a honeycomb to a larva, a pupa and finally going through metamorphosis to become a honey bee!

These gorgeous Honey Bee life cycle toys have been needle-felted and great for small world play and silk play. Have a look at the close-up details of these life cycle toys.

This listing is for the felt lifecycle toys only, the lifecycle tray playmat is sold separately:

Felt Life Cycle Tray Playmat (Earth)

Felt Life Cycle Tray Playmat (Water)

"Our Bugs: A Celebration of Australian Wildlife" By Bronwyn Bancroft

Our Bugs, celebrates the beauty found within the Australian landscape.

Australia's foremost Indigenous illustrator Dr Bronwyn Bancroft captures the essence of nature in this stunning board book.

Our Bugs is the magnificent companion to Our Birds.

  • Our Bugs and Our Birds are brand-new board books from Bundjalung writer and illustrator Bronwyn Bancroft
  • Bronwyn is one of Australia's best-loved picture book creators, with close to a million books in print
  • These books each introduce the youngest readers to 20 Australian creatures, with lyrical text and bright and fascinating artwork

Bee Bio Cutter

Add another element to your little one’s sensory play, with one of our originally designed and made dough cutters! They can be used in playdough, kinetic sand, air dry clay and for baking. We 3d print our cutters from PLA, which is a plant-based bioplastic derived from renewable resources, such as corn starch, tapioca root or sugarcane. Bee cutters measure 11 x 10cm. Please see photos for small person hand scale.

Hand wash only. Exposure to extreme heat (in a dishwasher or direct sun) will damage the natural materials these cutters are made from and shorten their lifespan.

Recommended age 3+. Use under adult supervision. NOT to be used as a teething or chew toy.

"Bush Bugs" By Helen Milroy

Bush Bugs A fun, creepy-crawly First Nations picture book By: Helen Milroy.

Helen Milroy's latest instalment in her bestselling First Nations Bush series features Australian bugs in all their hairy, scary glory!

It's time to get outside and discover the amazing world around us in this stunning new picture book from bestselling Indigenous creator Helen Milroy.

This colourful array of Australian insects is sure to delight little ones captivated by all things creepy and crawly.

From spiky stick insects to hairy spiders, and from blood-sucking mosquitos to dung-eating blowflies and feasting wasps, this is a fun and easy-to-read book introducing tiny readers to tiny bush critters.

Bee Playdough Stamps

What's not to love about bees?! Here, we've put together some educational resources to support your little pollinator enthusiast to learn through play. This set includes 5 handmade, wooden bee-themed playdough stamps (queen bee, worker bee, hive, honeycomb and a flower)

Stamps can also be used in kinetic sand, air dry clay, salt dough and for baking (with a gentle wipe and re-oil afterwards). They are handmade from sustainably-sourced pine, well sanded and finished with tung oil. The toppers are laser-cut birch ply. Each set is unique, due to the varieties of timber used.