Bugs Club - Grasshopper Fishing for Adults

BUGS CLUB

Night Field Tour Grasshopper Fishing (For Adults. Used for Nature Interpretation Seminar)

Yes, you can do it!

Objectives：

１．Experience how you can let people feel close to nature by using insects as representatives since they account half of living creatures in the earth. This will in the end let people find more interested in nature of area they live.

２．Experience an experiment of ethology (study of animal behavior) by fishing a grasshopper in order to develop a skill of observing life and behavior of insects. Think about how you can fish better, and observe how grasshoppers behave.

３．Experience importance and enjoyment of in-depth observations of nature by playing of grasshopper fishing.

If time allows, deliver a session to make a craft of grasshopper with palm tree leaves. With this, people can learn dificulties and enjoyments of 3D shape crafting by using fingers. This also helps understand body of grasshopper in detail by naturally making close observation on a grasshopper.

Focus on the experiences. Then, people can start their own program development by themselves after they go back home.

Procedure：

１．What is Nature Watching of Insects? (Where is insect located in the animal genealogical tree? Distributions of insects? What are the objectives of insect searching and observations?)

２．How you can fish (catch?) Katydid? (Think about importance of try-and-error and joyfulness of discovery by close observation.)

３．Let's prepare baits. Then, let's try the fishing! (Take time to observe behaviors of katydids and grasshoppers)

４．Reflection. (What did you learnby looking for grasshoppers and by making close observatoins? Did you find anything? Think about relationships between grasshoppers and you. How would you do when you play a role of facilitator?

５．Summary of program development and actual guides. (Encourage doing by yourself. Share references.)

Materials：

□　Leaflet	□　Summary of Program Development and Actual Guides
□　Guid Board	□　Rod (one/person), Sticks, Cello Tape, Paper trays.
□　Onion, Apple	□　Desk

Back to Activity Information

Pictures of the activity :

At Interpreter Seminar by NACS-J at Hyogo Prefectural Awaji Lnadscape Planning & Horticulture Academy on May 30rd to June 1st, '08：

View from a garden of the Academy. Snapshot of the seminar

Posters of the association of interpreters in Hyogo. Snapshot of a short nature guide experience by a participant.

At Interpreter Seminar by NACS-J at Hyogo Prefectural Awaji Lnadscape Planning & Horticulture Academy on June 22nd to 24th, '07：

Grasshopper Fishing with Adult people. Some ladies told me they had realized grasshoppers are so cute!

At Mt. Rokko Nature Guide Seminar at Mt. Rokko on Aug 12th, '06:

After meeting at the center of Mt. Rokko Nature Conservation, moved to grass area nearby Kobe Golf Club.

Preparing baits.

Now started the fishing.

Doing identifications of grasshoppers and other insects after coming back to the center.

Also, talked about program development, preparation and actual guides of nature activity programs.

At Interpreter Seminar by NACS-J at Hyogo Prefectural Awaji Lnadscape Planning & Horticulture Academy on June 23rd to 25th, '06：

The theme was "Understand nature of the area". Let people experienced about importances of keep doing observations and touching-and-feeling the nature by trying grasshopper fishing.