Take part in this week's challenge to clear away the grass and tidy up the path.
Your challenge: design a theme park for insects :O)
The shrinkavator
First you need to shrink yourself to insect size so you'll need to invent a contraption that would do the job.
Bev would like to grow a giant foxglove that would shrink you by sprinkling its magic pollen on you. To get back to human size you'd have to climb up its stem and toot one of its trumpet flowers :O)
How would you shrink yourself?
tell us
Design the attractions
Will your park just have rides, or will it also have a wildlife area?
Look out for structures, shapes and materials in nature that would make great rides, attractions and things for the minibeasts to play on.
Here's some ideas to start you off:
- an old hollow tree would be a brilliant spooky house of horrors - full of cobwebs, bats and lurking creatures :O)
- a puddle as a boating lake - with leaves as ladybird boats!
- a ferris wheel frame made from twigs with petals for seats. Great for butterflies.
- a spongy fungus would make a fab bouncy castle for beetles:O)
What can you invent and design? Here's some squared paper to help:
design your rides
I designed...
Entertainers
All good theme parks need entertainers to keep visitors happy in queues.
Which minibeast would be best at providing music, dancing or clowning around? What else could they do?
Get some ideas from these fab minibeast facts:
minibeast facts
what entertainment have you picked?
Get building
Use natural bits and pieces to build your rides and attractions.
One idea would be to build a twig tower helter-skelter with a slide made out of leaves or grass :O)
twig towers
Send us some pics:
email your photos
Food
It's hungry work for those minibeasts having fun at your theme park :O)
What food and refreshments can you offer them? Don't forget the materials to build your cafe/snack bar with too!
How about...
- a flowery nectar bar for bees
- a treetop cafe serving fruits or nuts picked off the tree!
- an underground restaurant for worms...
at my theme park you can eat...
Gift shop
Attractions always have gift shops!
Design some gifts that insects would like to buy. How about a mask that would make them look like another insect? It would be funny to see a moth with a bee's face :O)
mask template
send us a photo of you wearing your mask
Getting around
How will the insects get around your theme park?
Will dragonflies pick up the ants at the entrance and drop them off at the first ride?
share your ideas
Design a map
Your visitors will need to find their way around your theme park.
How could you design a map?
- show where the rides are
- ticket booths
- landing areas for flying insects
- different zones eg water, trees, underground
- the entrances/exits
- food locations
- travel routes, pathways
- shops
- tick boxes for visitors to tick off the rides they go on
- use symbols and design a key to explain them
- draw your map to scale
ye olde style
design your own
show us your map
Special offer
How will you get your visitors to come again or ask their friends to visit your attraction?
Design a special offer ticket - remember to offer a discount or a free meal or gift.
send us your ticket
Now all that's left to do is to unshrink yourself and watch the insects having fun in your attraction :O)
Email your stories and photos to get them published on the website:
naturedetectives@woodlandtrust.org.uk
Created an attraction for insects?
Stick this sticker on your CLUB
challenge poster and continue on
your way to next week's
challenge! :O)