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Published August 12, 2022

A Kid’s Best Friend: Bugs

Written by
Lydia Hoverson
| The Dakotan
The Magic City Discovery Center taught kids ages 5-12 how to make their own bugs Monday through Thursday at the Minot Municipal Auditorium, wrapping up its last camp for the summer. (Photo: Lydia Hoverson/The Dakotan)
The Magic City Discovery Center taught kids ages 5-12 how to make their own bugs Monday through Thursday at the Minot Municipal Auditorium, wrapping up its last camp for the summer. (Photo: Lydia Hoverson/The Dakotan)

MINOT — Bugs can be a very interesting study for people of all ages, but kids seem to find them fascinating.

The Magic City Discovery Center wrapped up its last outreach educational program for the summer with its Bug Camp at the Minot Municipal Auditorium Monday through Thursday for kids 5-12 years of age.

After parents signed their kids up for $200 for all four days, the kids, 19 total, learned lessons about all sorts of bugs. 

Liz Weeks, education and outreach director, said the first day she taught them about butterflies. 

“We have looked at some butterflies, and looked at some different parts of a bug,” said Weeks. “We have the head, the thorax, and the abdomen. We just made some butterflies, so we talked about symmetry.”

Homemade butterflies at the Bug Camp. (Photo: Lydia Hoverson/The Dakotan)

Weeks, with her fellow teacher Myranda Brown, community outreach specialist, also helped the kids make lightning bugs with LED lights.

Lightning bugs made with LED lights. (Photo: Lydia Hoverson/The Dakotan)

“They get to keep everything,” said Weeks. “The end of the week we’re going to take bug nets and go bug hunting.”

The Discovery Center provided Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches. 

Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches. (Photo: Lydia Hoverson/The Dakotan)

“There’s hundreds of them in there,” said Weeks. “If you stroke their back they will hiss.”

Ant farms and caterpillars in their cocoons were also at the camp. 

The Magic City Discovery Center’s ant farms. (Photo: Lydia Hoverson/The Dakotan)

The Discovery Center also collected specimens of different types of bugs, which the kids looked at through microscopes. 

Liz Weeks, education and outreach director of the Magic City Discovery Center, holds up a specimen member of the Phasmatodea, also known as a stick-bug. (Photo: Lydia Hoverson/The Dakotan)

“We did Biology Camp in June, we did Space Camp in July,” said Weeks. “This is our last camp in the summer. Once we get into the building we’ll have our own space to have camps. The parks department has been gracious enough to let us use this space."

The Magic City Discovery Center is on track to open in December, with fall camps scheduled before then at the auditorium. 

More information on the Magic City Discovery Center and its upcoming camps can be found on its Facebook page. People can sign up for its newsletter on its website, which Weeks said sends out updates around once a month.

lydia.hoverson@mydakotan.com 

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