Make a Bug Vacuum

Children
Written By Steven Biggs

By Steven Biggs

A Bug Vacuum is Fun for Kids

Not sure how to make the garden a fun place for kids?

It doesn’t always have to be about plants. Some kids might want to climb trees. Some might enjoy mud.

And some kids LOVE bugs.

My son Keaton has always gravitated towards bugs. When he was smaller he’s spend big chunks of time scouring our yard for bugs to suck up and inspect in his bug vacuum.

Make a Bug Vacuum with your Kids

You can purchase bug vacuums. But those battery-powered gadgets soon break.

Instead, make this bug vacuum with some easy-to-find materials.

Even better, make it with your kids. It’s a fun and easy project to tackle together.

Here’s a simple bug vacuum that you can make at home (from the book Gardening with Emma.)

My son Keaton catches a pollinator with his bug vacuum. After watching it, he unscrews the lid to release it. Photo Donna Dawson.

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Looking for more fun ideas to make the garden a fun place for kids?

Check out Gardening with Emma for lots of fun ideas and projects for kids (and parents!) in the garden.

Gardening with Emma (author-signed)
Gardening with Emma (author-signed)

Written for kids by a kid, this guide helps kids see the fun side of gardening, whether it’s growing giant vegetables, making a bug vacuum, or making a sound-themed garden.

Emma shares lots of inspiring ideas for young gardeners about how to grow healthy food, raise cool plants, and have fun outdoors.

Copies from the Food Garden Life shop are signed by Emma!

About the Author – Steven Biggs

Bored of rows? Try a patchwork of lettuce. A focal point of edible flowers. A perennial bed edged with edible plants. When it comes to irresistible food gardens, horticulturist Steven Biggs sees the whole yard as a canvas—with a palette of veg, fruit, herbs, and edible flowers. With over 25 years in the horticulture sector, he’s worked as a college instructor, in greenhouse and nursery production, plant propagation, biological controls, and horticultural supplies. But his passion is to help people get creative with their home gardens. To think outside the box. To tailor the garden to what they love. That might be intrigue, form, texture, unusual ingredients, or a long harvest window. Maybe it’s as a creative outlet. If he’s not in his garden, you’ll catch him recording his award-winning Food Garden Life podcast, writing gardening books and articles, and helping home gardeners think outside the box in one of his online classes.


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