*AD – the item in this review was gifted to our household for this post. All opinions, as always, are our own.
When it comes to bugs, Nick Baker is the main guy making all of these amazing bug kits. We’ve previously had a look at the Ant World kit, which found a lot of love in our home, so we were pretty interesting in playing around with the Bug Safari kit, especially as Amelia and Robin had a big interest in bugs – and not just ants. The Bug Safari kit is perfect for those looking to explore a local forest or backyard, finding insects and trying to notice details about them that they may not see in general play. It often take quite a bit of effort to stop and quietly look around, so this kit provided a nice amount of change from the normal way the girls play!
First, we explored the items in the box. The Bug Safari kit has a fold-out magnifying glass, a small container with a magnifying lid, a sort of long, clamping tong thing that you can trap bugs into, some plastic tweezers and a paint brush. Along with these items, there is a book that took Amelia’s interest. She, you see, is very organised and was obsessed with the concept of documenting every bug they found and successfully captured, and insisted that I create a check list of ones they could be on the lookout for. This book, as it turns out, has exactly that list – along with facts, likely ways to find the individual bugs, and close up images so that you can compare your findings. She was very happy and satisfied with this booklet, and ready to go on our adventure. Robin, who can’t quite handle reading such a complex book, was more interested in “catching the bug in the big scissors.”
Once everyone had their designated gear (Robin with the tongs, me with magnifying container, and Amelia with the fold out glass and the booklet) we took off to see what we can find. Never have we had such a slow and deliberate walk to the forest – the children were combing the sidewalks, investigating every loose leaf and small slug they could find, so that they could tick them off and comment on them! This made for such a change, and it really showed how much the children enjoyed paying attention to their surroundings when there is a reason to do so, something I hope they will continue to do thanks to this toy.
When it came to capturing fast moving bugs, so that we could see them closer, the children were able to lure in some flying creatures to the container I had, including one beetle-like insect, that Amelia determined was a black beetle from the book, despite my better judgement that it was not. Either way, her new interest in these bugs and watching her slowly look at them in the jar and try and figure out what they were or speculate on what they would be eating or doing outside right now was interesting. The long tongs were great for grabbing bugs that were on leaves, unsuspecting as we got them into the mini-container. We ended up using the tweezers to move moss around on a log, hoping to find some little red bugs that we had seen there before, but we weren’t lucky today! The paint brush seemed to have been forgotten at home, and to be honest, I don’t think it would have been used by our lot as paint brushes have one purpose – and that’s to paint. So much so, that Robin declared the paint brush was for “painting pictures of the bugs that we find.”
She seemed to have a great time too, though she wasn’t quiet or slow enough to actually get any of the bugs on her own, and very quickly was done looking at them and onto the next task of finding the next bug. However, she continues to go out with the magnifying fold out glass and look at basically everything outside, looking for bugs and talking with Kai about the ant colony war that they claim is happening in our backyard. It’s great to see the children interacting with the wider world, especially as bugs are so small and aren’t considered super interesting, like seeing a bunny or fox would be. Having these sorts of kits with tools, information and a booklet to help you out is such a good starting point, especially as the weather has gotten warmer and more bugs are out and about!
How cool is this kit. I love that this combines both play and education. Also gets the kids outdoors too x
It is such a cute kit!
This was a favorite of my boys. We had a fun little kit we would take to the river. I need to get my daughter interested in nature like this.
Going down by the river is a great idea. We will have to explore the river.
Love the creativity and exploration this kit provides. I bet you kids loved every minute of this adventure.
they really did!
My youngest would absolutely love this. She is all about bugs right now!
It’s such a nice kit!
What a fun activity! A great way for children to learn about mini beasts and nature.
It really is!
I have seen these and they look like great fun, I am thinking of getting something like this for when I have my granddaughter stay over the summer
Aww it’s really good for getting out and about.
How cool is this! My two nieces love to do this kind of activity and I’m sure they will gonna like this kit. I will check this out!
I hope they enjoy!
My daughter would love this! She is in love with the outdoor and bugs!
It’s great that kids are curious!
This looks like a great kit for kids that love bugs. It’s perfect for my son, he really enjoys these sorts of kits.
Our household does too!
This kit looks fantastic! What better time to get out there and explore than now when the sun is back shining again! Add in Geocaching for extra adventure!
Ohhh geocaching is such a good shout!
What a fun kit for little ones to explore and learn! Looks like so much fun.
It is so fun!
How much fun does this look! I used to do some work at the local wildlife trust and the kids who came to their sessions loved looking for bugs!
Aww that’s so cute!
Looks like the perfect bug kit for little ones to help them explore the garden in Summer. I know my kids would love this
It’s great for garden exploration!
My granddaughter is 8 and this would still be right up her alley. She is a bug fanatic.
Bugs are so interesting!
We have had a few Nick Baker kits. They are great for kids. My son would enjoy this as he loves bugs.
They are such good kits!
What an awesome looking kit. Anything that encourages kids outdoors, and helps them learn at the same time sounds good x
It’s so good to see kits that help with learning!
We’ve been bug hunting in the garden today , but the girls would love a little set like this to explore!
It is so fun for kids to get involved.