Meet the Insects: Village Edition

Meet the Insects: Village Edition is best described as a multimedia encyclopedia. Unlike the encyclopedias of my youth, this one gives kids ways to actively engage in the learning and dig deep into the insects and ideas they are interested in.

There are 5 areas in the app that provided varied learning experiences:

• Insect Story
• See Insects
• Multimedia
• Observational Journal
• Quiz

We also really enjoy the 6 high-quality short videos:

• What are insects
• Life Cycles of Insects
• Dazzling Colors
• Diverse Patterns
• Why Do Cicadas Cry
• What Happens at Night

The app has over 30 insects to explore! Kids investigate by interacting with fact pages, watching videos, perusing photos, taking quizzes, going on insect hunts and a variety of other in-app features.

You’ll find TONS of text in the app, but with a simple tap, a narrator reads aloud the rich information. Meet the Insects gives kids a wealth of information and actually supports them to consume it. We love apps that understand that kids are smart and don’t need content “dumbed down.”

Make sure to spend some time with the observational journal. It is perfect for getting kids outside and looking for each insect in real life. Any app that has kids apply and expand on the digital experience really makes us smile. We don’t see enough apps that take this small extra step to get kids thinking beyond consuming content on the screen alone.

There is also a forest edition if you want to learn about insects that exist outside of the village and into the forest.

Activity: What Do Insects Like to Eat?

Items You’ll Need:

• Small plates or shallow bowls
• Something sweet: syrup, soda, fruit snacks (candy)
• Something sour/bitter: lemon, pickle juice, coffee
• Something wet: ketchup, ice cube, lemonade
• Something dry: crackers, rice, chocolate

In your backyard or on a patio, place out four plates. Make sure you place the plates away from your home, this activity is all about attracting bugs!

Put one item from each category on the plates. Now, wait and watch. Set a timer to go off each hour. Then go and inspect the plates. Some questions to ponder:

• Which plates attract more insects?
• Do any foods trap the insects?
• Do the insects move any of the foods?

Continue the experiment for as long as you want. It is fun to leave the plates out overnight and to run out in the morning and see what happened.