This week’s Camp Au Pair theme is Bugs & Butterflies.

Crafts, recipes, activities, and games related to all kinds of bugs, insects, butterflies, and spiders can be found here on the Camp Au Pair – Bugs & Butterflies pinboard.

Field Trips can be a great way for kids to learn and have new experiences. Here are a few places that fit this theme:

• Two local attractions offer the opportunity to surround yourself with hundreds of live butterflies from all over the world and learn about their metamorphosis and the part they play in our ecosystem.
  • Brookeside Gardens in Wheaton has the Wings of Fancy Live Butterfly & Caterpillar Exhibit from July 1- September 22.
  • The Smithsonian Museum of Natural History offers a Live Butterfly Pavilion. Unlike the rest of the museum, this exhibit requires timed entry tickets and there is a fee.
• Also at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, the Orkin Insect Zoo has tarantula feedings daily at 11:30am and 1:30pm.
• Rock Creek Nature Center features an active beehive on display.
• For more field trip ideas, take a look at Red Tricycle’s Buggin’ Out: 10 Places for Insect Loves to Visit.

Webcams – You can do a google search for websites with webcams that allow you to observe bugs and insects. Here is one from Buchloe, Germany, showing life inside a beehive.

Videos – You can find many great videos of butterflies and insects on YouTube. Check out these videos for kids about bees and ants. All about Insects covers lots of tiny creatures who crawl and fly. Here is a video showing a Monarch Butterfly metamorphosis time-lapse:

Movies – A Bugs Life, The Bee Movie, Maya the Bee, and The Ant Bully all fit this theme. Wings of Life is a kid-friendly nature documentary. (Always check with your host parents first, as some of these movies are rated PG or PG-13.)

Books – The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Are You A Snail?, and The Beauty of the Beast: Poems From the Animal Kingdom all fit this week’s theme. Stop by your local library to look for these and other books on bugs and butterflies.