Recently, our Primary 3 Nature Detectives have been learning about biodiversity and how having lots of small insects helps bigger animals in the food chain. They worked together to build a bug hotel in order to increase biodiversity in the school grounds.

They firstly went out to investigate bugs that lived around the school and found things like snails, slugs, worms, woodlice, spiders, beetles and ants.

By completing a survey of the different species and their habitats, they were able to identify which materials their Bug Hotel would need in order to attract a variety of bugs.  They then went indoors to design the bug hotel; there were some very creative suggestions, including water slides and elevators, however, following analysis of their bug survey, they eventually decided on something a bit more straightforward!   Finally they had their design ready and went outside again to find suitable materials for the hotel.  In order to accommodate the bugs that they wanted to attract, they needed wood, stones, leaves, plastic bottles stuffed with sticks, textiles, pebbles, leaves, canes, paper and cardboard.  By working together, they were able to make a start on Newark’s Bug Hotel in the P3/4/5 playground… a work in progress!