On our shelves: Bugs! 

I don’t always theme Frida’s main shelves. However, recently we’ve been looking at colour (you can read my post here) and pretty quickly the whole of the shelves ended up focused on colour. I thought it worked quite well so I’ve kept them themed for now, with a current focus on bugs! 

I have recently done a big toy rotation to keep them fresh – I’ll post about it tomorrow.

Here is a closer look at what’s on Frida’s shelves: 

Safari Toob insects and magnifying glass

Safari Toob do so many different tubes of animals, figures, and objects – brilliant for building up vocabulary as well as small world play. I thought having some physical insects to handle would make learning about bugs a bit more real and fun. You can buy the same ones here. 

I added a magnifying glass to the tray as I thought that it would make a fun activity. This is the first time Frida has used a magnifying glass. This one is from Plan Toys. 

Caterpillar and apple threading toy

I like that this simple wooden toy fits with the bug theme, as well as encouraging fine motor skills through threading. Frida hasn’t used this as much as I thought she would – I’ve noticed that she often loses interest with objects like this, where there is only really one way of using it. I wonder if it would be more fun for her if I unknotted the string so the caterpillar was “free”. 

Bug viewer

For taking outside and finding and inspecting bugs, as well as other objects. You can see it in action here. This one was quite cheap and it shows, if I had to decide again I’d buy one which felt less flimsy.

Grimm’s rainbow 

Although not bug related, I’ve left this out as Frida is using it a lot at the moment, and it brings a bit of colour to the shelves! It’s such a fantastic open ended toy, and we’re starting to see lots of imaginative play with it.

I also added some books to her shelves, which I don’t always do as she has so many other places for books around our home!

First facts: Bugs

This is a great starter book on bugs. The clear photos make is perfect for toddlers and young children, and the interesting facts make it suitable for older children too. I’m sure we’ll be using it for many years to come!

Insect Emporium

This book is really beautiful – it feels like a work of art. And who said bugs were ugly… I think it will be a favourite for a long time, and it would make a very lovely gift. 

The Very Busy Spider + The Bad Tempered Ladybird

I added these for fun, really. They are both great – I love that the spider one has a web you can trace (perfect for building those pre-writing skills) and features all the farm animals and their noises, and the ladybird one is great for learning about size (and manners!!). Frida has also learnt about aphids from it. 

Bee

Again, this is a really beautiful book. Every page is cut out to show the bee at the centre, and it gently explains how bees collect pollen. There’s also a ladybird to spot on every page which Frida enjoys. 

Does your little one like bugs? Are there any bug or insect related activities you would recommend?