Activities
Make fridge magnets Spread out newspaper on the party table. Place bug-making materials on the table, including small pom-poms, felt, wiggly eyes, pipe cleaners, feathers and other art accessories available at craft or toy shops. Have the kids cut out felt shapes to use as foundations for their bugs. Them have them glue on pom-pom bodies and heads, wiggly eyes, and other details. Suggest that the kids make ladybirds, beetles, worms, caterpillars, or create a strange new species. When the insects are complete, give each child a strip of magnetic tape (available at craft and hardware shops) cut to fit the length of the felt foundation. Peel off the paper, and stick the magnetic strip to the bottom of the bug. When the bugs are finished, watch them magically stick to the fridge!

Food ideas

Serve a ladybird salad. Spread lettuce leaves over individual plates. Set a canned pear half in the centre. Top the pears with raisins to make the spots. Set two canned apricot halves on either side of each pear to make wings. Make antennae from strings of celery and top the antennae with cherries or grapes.
Make buggy ice cubes. Place jelly insects in the bottom of an ice cube tray, add water and freeze. When the ice cubes are frozen, place them in the party drinks.
Make spider webs from candyfloss.
Create bug nests from coconut or shredded wheat.

Bake a Wormy Dirt Cake:

Make a sponge cake or fairy cakes, adding raisins to the cake batter; cool.
Cover the cake(s) with chocolate icing.
Sprinkle crushed chocolate wafer biscuits over the icing to look like dirt.
Add jelly worms and spiders to the dirt.

NB: Make sure you tell the children when the insects are plastic and non-edible.

Party bags

Send the entomologists home with a bag of plastic insects.
Give the kids a bug boxes to use for studying insects in their own gardens.
Hand out books to help identify insects or give them storybooks about bugs such as The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle.

ivillage uk

Party ideas: Beautiful bugs (ages 3 to 10)