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Six forest school activities for bug-lovers

Blog
The YPO Team
07 May 2026

Teachers, do your pupils love bugs? We're guessing that's a resounding yes. From spotting wriggly worms to watching beetles scuttle, insects have a way of getting children's attention like nothing else.

So why is it important for children to learn about bugs? It gives them hands-on experience with insects and encourages them to be curious about little creatures and see them as living things instead of something to be scared of.

They'll also learn where bugs like to live, how to look closely without disturbing them, and see what's happening on the forest floor beneath their feet. Oh, and get a little (okay, a lot) mucky along the way.

Here are our favourite bug-inspired activities for their next forest school session, from beetle searching to butterfly art and more.

1. We're going on a minibeast hunt

First of all, print off a minibeast hunt checklist like this one. Then, head out to your nearest green, open space to look for them. Encourage children to look up high for butterflies and dragonflies, and down low for ants and slugs. They may like to dig and use magnifiers to find their favourite wriggly creatures and search by twigs and tree roots for sneaky spiders. Want a printer-free nursery activity? Play Minibeast I Spy outside with your class and see which creatures you can find.

What you'll need:

721949 - Clipboards (12 Pack)
730637 - HB Pencils (144 Pack)
D79989 - Forest School Starter Pack
816497 - Gardening Hand Tools Set

2. Bug hotel building

It's time to build a five-star bug hotel, with all the added extras. The children's challenge? To decorate a minibeast hotel, complete with a bug-friendly buffet and insect playground (scatter leaves, moss, sticks, grass and mud to create the full all-inclusive experience). Before the bugs arrive, you could hand out insect figurines to your class, so their first interaction can be in a hands-on, safe way. We recommend this activity for team building, boosting confidence and giving children a sense of pride and responsibility. Bonus, they'll love checking in on their bug hotel throughout the day to see if any new guests have arrived.

If you'd like even more of a challenge, you can create your own bug hotel using cardboard boxes and cardboard rolls - just be sure to keep it sheltered from the elements (we all know what British weather is like!)

What you'll need:

D76338 - Bugsville Bug House

OR

D79429 - Bug Hotel with Planter Base

806481 - Small World Insects

309395 - Rainbow Magnifiers (6 Pack)

3. Forest floor tuff tray

Don't have access to a forest? This tuff tray brings the forest floor to them. It's designed to help nursery and reception children explore different textures and colours, get familiar with the natural environment and support imaginative play, with some hidden surprises and challenges along the way. First, get your tuff tray, place it on a stand, and add our Minibeast Tuff Tray Mat, which creates the illusion of grass, leaves, and branches. Then, add some insects, leaves, pine cones, bark and acorns, under which you can hide some of the insects. Invite children to gather round the tuff tray and explore it, asking them how the different pieces of nature feel - are they smooth, rough or a bit bumpy? Then give them challenges, like finding hidden bugs, counting pine cones or placing each acorn into an empty egg carton.

What you'll need:

801659 - Tuff Tray

801663 - Tuff Tray Stand

801640 - Minibeasts Tuff Tray Mat

832251 - Minibeast Figure Set

310056 - Leaves

305055 - Pine Cones

308654 - Bark

308657 - Acorns

4. Insect Art

After all that exploring, it's time to make some bug-inspired art with nature - leaf butterflies, ladybird pebbles, and stick insects.

Here's how to make them:

Stick insects

Collect two or three thick sticks that are about the length of an adult's hand. Then, cut two brown pipe cleaners in half and one black pipe cleaner in half. Wrap the four brown pipe cleaner pieces around the stick, leaving their little legs sticking out. After that, wrap one half of the black pipe cleaner around the top of the stick, leaving a small section out to create the antennae. Finally, stick two googly eyes at the front of the stick to complete your stick insect.

What you'll need:

743909 - Pipe Cleaners

303877 - Google Eyes

749125 - PVA Glue

756806 - Glue Spreaders

Leaf butterflies

Gather four green leaves off the forest floor - two larger and two smaller. Then stick them onto a wooden lolly stick as wings, placing the larger leaves at the top and the smaller ones at the bottom. After that, turn it over, draw a smiley face on the lolly stick and add glitter or any other decorations of your choice to the leaf wings - the more, the better!

What you'll need:

537020 - Wooden Jumbo Lolly Sticks (100 Pack)

735039 - Glue Spreaders (10 Pack)

732346 - Colouring Pens

Ladybird pebbles

Ask children to gather three or four large pebbles or stones from your outdoor space, or buy them in advance. Use acrylic paint to create a ladybird on each stone (for the little ones who tend to get a little messier with their painting, you can use washable, ready-mix). Paint the red base layer, a black line down the middle with black ladybird spots and a circular face, then two eyes and a little smile in white.

What you'll need:

803902 - Natural Flat Pebbles

309034 - YPO Acrylic Paint

OR

307727 - YPO Washable Ready Mix Paint

740031 - Colour Paint Brushes

Ready to start your mini beast adventures?

Visit our Mini Beasts and Habitats homepage, packed with resources to help inspire you to create even more exciting activities all about our tiny friends.

Author

The YPO Team

YPO supplies products and services to a wide range of customers including schools, local authorities, charities, emergency services, public sector and other businesses such as nurseries and care homes. YPO are 100% publicly owned, by 13 local authorities, which means the profits made are returned to public sector customers, delivering even better value for money.