Bug hunting is nothing new at our house but specifically trying to make a habitat that they will like and thrive in is. My 4 year old was excited to get just the right things in the baby food jars so that the bus would " be cozy and love it!" . There is a lot to learn from this acitivty and even more to encourage. Thinking of other's needs is not something that comes naturally to preschoolers and this activity requires that, you may have varrying degrees of sucess but just asking them to think of the needs of others ( in this case bugs) is important.
So grab some baby food jars ( any jar works but these little ones are perfect for little bugs).
Pop some holes in the lid with a screwdriver ( adults only).
Head outside and before finding bugs grab some leaves, grass - whatever your child thinks the bug will like, and pop it in to make a home.
Catch some bugs - we caught snails.
Pop them in.
We left them in the jar with the lid on for a few hours then opened them and put them on the ground to free them , one snail has been in the jar ( alive) for 3 days chomping away at the moss. His name is Richard.
This is fun , gets kids outside but it also gets them thinking of others.