Backyard Bug Hotel

What you need

• Cardboard box, 1 short open box or 1 stack of pots
• Garden gloves, 1 pair per person

How to do it

Grown-up prep: Find a short open box or a few pots you don't mind leaving outside. Scout a quiet, shady corner of the yard ahead of time. Splinters are possible, so garden gloves help when handling rough sticks and bark. You carry any pots, since they can chip or break if dropped. Set the rule before you start: we look at bugs, we never touch them, because some may bite or sting.

1. Hunt the yard for sticks, pinecones, bark and leaves.
   Ask: Which of your treasures do you think a bug would like best?
2. Sort your treasures into piles: sticks, cones, bark and leaves.
3. Lay the box on its side, or set out the pots with open ends facing you.
4. Pack the box or pots snugly with sticks, cones, bark and leaves.
5. Carry your hotel to a quiet, shady corner of the yard. Ask for help if you need it
6. Come back once a day and peek inside quietly for new guests.
   Ask: Who checked in today? Is it a new guest or one you saw before?
7. Watch the bugs with your eyes only, never your hands. Count their legs.
8. Now show your friends, or build more! How many bug hotels can you make?
   Ask: What would you add to make the next hotel even cozier?

Play it again

• Bug hotel chain: build a second and third hotel in different spots and see which one gets the most guests.
• Room service: add a new material like dry grass or a rolled-up bark curl and see who moves in.
• Guest count: peek every day for a week and tally how many bugs you spot each time.