We love all things nature based in this household, so when we were asked to review the Nick Baker’s Bug Safari from Interplay I just knew that it would be perfect for Little Miss C. Her dad writes at UK Nature Blog and is forever finding interesting bugs and other creatures in the garden so this was a perfect opportunity for her to do similar.
So, first of all here’s what you get when you unbox it:
- Bug tongs
- Tweezers
- Field lens
- Viewing pot with magnifier lid
- Brush
- Instruction booklet with insect identification details in it
LMC rushed out int the garden with it all as soon as she could and was eagerly looking for bugs to put inside her viewing pot. She had a bit of a problem at first getting the lid off as it’s one that you have to lift off, whereas the viewing pots that they have at school apparently have screw on lids.
Despite being quite tricky to use (she’s left-handed which didn’t help) she was a huge fan of the bug tongs and kept trying to catch bees in them. Unsurprisingly (to me at least) she didn’t actually have that much success, but she had great fun trying.
What we did find successful in the end was that lots of flies and other insects were attracted to the bright yellow colour of the slide that the kids have in the garden and so all the insects that we did find actually came from on there. In case you’re wondering why, it’s because many insects are attracted by the bright colours of flowers and so they think they’re landing on a huge flower that could be a good source of food. The yellow roof of a Little Tikes car (that I’m sure loads of families have in their gardens) is also therefore a good place to look for insects.
Little Miss C really likes the Bug Safari and has taken the kit outside several times now for when she goes digging in the soil to see if she can find any insects to put in her viewing pot. For any child who is starting to show an interest in creepy crawlies in the garden and wants to look at the in more detail, or try to identify them, it’s a great starting point. It’s aimed at children aged 5 and over and I think that’s about right. LMC will be five in a couple of months and has just about got the required manual dexterity for the bug tongs and other bits in the kit.
Disclaimer: We were sent Nick Baker’s Bug Safari by Interplay for the purposes of this review. All opinions are our own. This post contains affiliate links.
Sonya Cisco says
We have one of these and it is great for helping me overcome my fear of creepy crawlies – as naturally the kids find them fascinating!
Michelle Twin Mum says
Oh yes I love anything like this that engags the kids an gets them closer to nature. Mich x
Emma says
I love all these type of toys for enquiring minds.
Emma says
That looks great. I LOVE Interplay.