Whether as an activity at a bug-themed birthday party, or as part of a lesson on insects, these critters can be put together with peanut butter or frosting. Gather an assortment of cookies, pretzels, cereal, candy, nuts, etc. Adults can offer items that fit children’s allergies and dietary requirements.
Materials for Candy Insects
- Select peanut butter or frosting to act as the “glue” for the materials. Control the usage of these adhesives, by dolling small quantities onto paper plates and supplying plastic knives or wood craft sticks so the materials can be spread. Give less peanut butter or frosting than you think the children will use – they will use what is provided and they really just need a dab to hold things together.
- Mini chocolate chips, mini candy-coated chocolates, or cinnamon candies make good eyes.
- Regular size and mini twisted pretzels make good wings. Pretzel sticks are good legs.
- Licorice whips can be cut into antenna or legs.
- Cookies and graham crackers can be used as body parts or as a base for the insect. Salty snack crackers can also be used.
- Gumdrops, cereal, raisins, peanuts, candy corn, jelly beans, mini marshmallows, and other sweet treats add detail to the insects.
- Rolled fruit can be cut into wings.
- Use paper plates as work areas. These will also supply support to insects that will be traveling home with a child.
Build a Bug
Set down a cookie or graham cracker as the base for the insect. Use a dab of peanut butter or frosting to act as the glue to attach three body parts. (Optional: Explain to the kids that the three body parts of an insect are the head, thorax, and abdomen.) The body parts can be three round cookies, three crackers, three gumdrops, etc.
Use pretzel sticks, cut licorice strings, or other straight snack items for the legs and antennae. Insects have two antennae that come out of the animal’s head and six legs that come off the thorax, the middle body part.
Cut four wings from the rolled fruit. Wings attach to the thorax. All insects except flies, mosquitoes, and their relatives have four wings (flies and their kin have two wings). Ants and termites, except for mating flights, do not have wings. Twisted pretzels also make good wings, particularly butterfly wings because the shape of the pretzel looks like butterfly wings.
Children can use the other candy and treats supplied to decorate their insects.
To make a spider, children will need two body parts (the cephalothorax and the abdomen) and eight legs (attached to the cephalothorax). Make edible earthworms from gelatin chilled in straws.
Children can learn about the body parts of insects while making the critters using cookies and candy. Because parents or teachers control what items, and in what quantities, the children have access to, these insects can be sweet or healthy treats.
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