Here at BestStart Abacus, we are very lucky to have a huge nature garden full of many wonderful bugs.
Recently, we found a giant Wētā in our under two's play space! Our tamariki found this Wētā to be so exciting and brought up a lot of questions about this long-legged creature.
Our tamariki looked into what Wētā eat and where they live. We learnt that Wētā only live in New Zealand. You can tell a male and female weta apart because females have a long ovipositor, which looks a bit like a stinger, which they use to lay eggs - this Wētā is a female!
They are cousins of the grasshopper and stick insect. They are quite large compared to other insects, with some weighing more than a sparrow. There are also some wētā with curved tusks designed for combat.
Through play, children are introduced to science and cultural concepts about nature, including the anatomy and lifecycles of plants, insects and animals, as well as habitats and ecosystems. There’s no better way for kids to learn about the world around them than by getting out into it.
Bug hunting encourages your kids to explore their own backyard in an open-ended way that will lead to adventures and imaginative play.