Bug Huggers Adventure Camp 2026 – Day 3 AQUATICS

Photo by instructor Cole Logan

Bug Huggers Adventure Camp - hands-on, science-rich experience for students entering Grades 5–8. Concept by Vermont Entomology Academy. The camp is run by Saint Michael's College. 

Day 3

Students arrived between 8:30 and 9:00 AM, during which they worked through their VES Activity Books and created entomology-themed pins and buttons. 

At 9:00 AM, students geared up and walked to the Saint Michael's College Natural Area to sample aquatic invertebrate life. 

Students explored a shady vernal pool first, and then a sunny stream, collecting a vast diversity of invertebrate life forms. 

Students sampled until 10:45 AM, and then on our way back, picked up our pitfall traps in the new-growth forest from Day 1 to sort through later.

Students had lunch from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM.

At 12:30 PM, students took a longer tour through the unseen parts of campus on the way back to the lab, learning about pollinator gardens, no-mow green spaces, rainwater gardens, and the urban ecology that all support.

Between 1:00 and 1:45 PM, students visited the lab of Dr. Adam Weaver upstairs to learn about neurophysiology in model spiders. 

Students got to learn about what science using invertebrates can look like, as well as getting a peek into Dr. Weaver's colony of South American wandering spiders. Afterwards, students toured the rest of the Biology Department facilities.

At 1:45 PM, students returned to our lab downstairs to begin analyzing their aquatic insects.

 Students transported dozens of specimens into two 10-gallon tanks to observe form, function, behavior, and movement. Students transported specimens into petri dishes for microscopy and scientific illustration. At the front of the lab, a digital scope was used to project rotating specimens to the whole class, where we learned together about the diversity of freshwater invertebrate ecosystems.

Around 2:30, students had the choice of going outside to play entomology-themed active games until the end of the day or staying inside to continue studying.

All students were picked up between 3:00 and 3:30 PM.

- Cole Logan, instructor at Bug Huggers Adventure Camp

Photos below from Instructor Sandra Fary.

We have no need to go picking out miracles and remote difficulties; it seems to me that among the things we see ordinarily, there are wonders so incomprehensible that they surpass even miracle in obscurity.  - Michel De Montaigne

“Students learn best when challenged with real-world questions and problems. Through multiple field excursions and a content-rich curriculum, middle school students develop an appreciation of the dynamics of the natural world.  Students’ understanding of the interdependence in their backyards enables them to be skilled in being future decision makers and stewards of the environment in their local communities of Vermont and beyond.” - Sandra Fary

Vermont Entomology Academy and Bug Huggers Adventure Camp Objectives

The Learning Cycle includes five phases: invitation, exploration, concept invention, application, and reflection.

Understand the vital roles insects play in ecosystems and in human life.

Explore ecosystem connections — the physical and functional relationships that support biodiversity and resilience.  

Learn the fundamentals of entomology: anatomy, diversity, life cycles, and lifestyles.

Experience the joy of observing insects in their natural habitats. 

Use iNaturalist to document, identify, and share observations (and become familiar with other entomological resources, including museum collections).

Practice using essential field tools — nets, magnifiers, and guidebooks — to investigate insects up close.

Develop keen observation and identification skills, deepening appreciation for nature’s details.

Cultivate a sense of awe for the small, complex, interconnected beauty of the insect world.

Recognize insects as living beings with needs: finding food, seeking shelter, avoiding danger, and striving to thrive as individuals and species.