Thousand Oaks, CA
Home MenuBugs Activities for Kids
Parents and children are invited to dive into our Virtual Library and enjoy ebooks, videos, music, crafts,
recommended reads, and more! Check back each week for a new set of themed activities.
Click on the title/image to go to the listed activity, or watch our pathfinder videos if you need help.
To access these activities, you'll need a Thousand Oaks library card and PIN.
Don't have a library card? Sign up for a card now!
If you have questions, call us at 805-449-2660 (M-F 10am-5pm) or email us.
WATCH & LISTEN
A treasure hunt begins when Babar’s grandson, Badou, finds a beetle covered in gold dust. This episode also contains The Gunkifier. To watch the episode, click "Watch Now" to create a new Kanopy account with your library card, or click "Log In" if you already have a Kanopy account. |
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Guaranteed to make you itch, this story shows the funny side of waging war against - oh no! - head lice. |
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Join Brandon and Kayne as they travel to remote corners of Australia and discover weird and wonderful wildlife. In this episode, our hosts track down one of the deadliest and rarest spiders on earth: the northern tree-dwelling Funnel Web Spider! If you love this episode, don’t miss Honey Ants and Wolf Spider! |
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Caillou decides to teach his little sister, Rosie, about different kinds of insects in their backyard. Thanks to Caillou's stories and drawings, Rosie soon learns that bugs are interesting, not icky. This show also contains Caillou and the Big Slide and Caillou the Sailor. |
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Find out how people are helping Planet Earth from an upbeat, educational family show. In this episode, viewers learn how to keep pests out of our environment without using pesticides or herbicides. To watch the episode, click "Watch Now" to create a new Kanopy account with your library card, or click "Log In" if you already have a Kanopy account. |
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Every day Henry meets something new! Today, Henry meets a caterpillar and learns how this cheerful leaf-eater transforms into a beautiful butterfly. |
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Earth To Luna! - Flying Lights Imagination and science combine in this series about a curious girl, her younger brother, and her pet ferret. In this episode, Luna, Jupiter, and Clyde discover why lightning bugs flash their lights. Don’t miss Luna’s other insect adventures: Roly Poly Fun and A Snail Tale! |
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Franklin, Fox, and Beaver get together to make a great bug habitat. This episode also contains Franklin and the Snow Dragon. |
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Despite the rules of her hive, sweet bee Maya makes friends with a violin-playing grasshopper, a dung beetle, and even a young hornet named Sting. When the hive's Royal Jelly is stolen, it's up to Maya and her friends to prove their innocence and find the missing jelly! |
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Join Chris and Martin Kratt as they encounter incredible animals in habitats around the globe! In this episode, the Kratt Brothers learn that a newly discovered praying mantis species has been named after them. When jealous villains decide to capture all of the Liturgusa krattorum, it’s up to the Wild Kratts to rescue their namesakes! |
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March along with Sharon, Lois & Bram as they perform this classic children’s song, then stop by the Ladybugs' Picnic (Track 19). Stream these songs anytime and download up to 5 songs per week with Freegal. |
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Bug out to the amusement park with Coles Whalen and your favorite insects. |
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Bug Hunting (Things We Love to Do, Track 1) Kelvin Roy invites you to grab your magnifying glass and discover the wonderful world of bugs! Stream this song anytime and download up to 5 songs per week with Freegal. |
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| Bugs in Cahoots (My Backyard, Track 2) In this silly song, it’s one family versus the bugs in a picnic showdown! On the other antenna, Will Stroet describes how bugs help humans in Make Friends with an Earthworm (Track 5). |
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Butterfly Away (Sundrops, Track 11) Enjoy a caterpillar’s musical journey from crawling to flying, performed by The Harmonica Pocket. Stream this song anytime and download up to 5 songs per week with Freegal. |
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A soothing instrumental tune that’s perfect for naptime. Like this song? Check out Cuddle Bug (Track 15) and Busy Spider (Track 7)! |
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No list of bug music would be complete without the spider climbing a rainspout. Looking for a new way to experience this classic song? Try listening and singing along in French! |
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Little ones will enjoy these songs dedicated to their favorite (and not so favorite) bugs! |
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Ladybug One This album has insect songs ranging from silly to serene, including Ladybug 123, Firefly, Spiders in My Breakfast, and Bumblebee Lullabye. |
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The Ugly Bug Ball (Silly Sing Along Fun Songs - Bright Mind Kids, Vol. 1, Track 28) Dance the day away at the Ugly Bug Ball with Paul Austin Kelly! |
READ & EXPLORE
Arachnid Learn about spiders, scorpions, and mites…oh my! |
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Check out these insect facts from Britannica Library for Children. |
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Insects and other Arthropods Find information about your favorite insects and arachnids! On the Britannica page, choose the Arachnid or Insect button in the left column to see an A to Z list of each bug type. |
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Enjoy stories and discover facts about different kinds of insects with video storybooks and ebooks. Watch our pathfinder video for BookFlix first, then click on the BookFlix icon. |
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Don't miss our collection of animated insect storybooks and videos. Watch our pathfinder video for TumbleBook Library first, then click on the TumbleBook Library icon. |
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Take a trip to an ant colony with Ranger Rick (May 2017 Issue, pgs. 6-11) and learn about these tiny-but-tough insects! Watch our pathfinder video for Flipster first, then click on the Flipster icon. |
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Ask a Bug Get answers to your trickiest bug questions. Click on the book cover, then click on the blue "View eBook" button to read this Gale eBooks title. |
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Wondering what all the buzz is about? Discover how bees live, work, and support their hive. You can also learn how to help bees in your garden by building bee homes and using bee-friendly plants! Click on the book cover, then click on the blue "View eBook" button to read this Gale eBooks title. |
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Explore the creepy-crawly kingdom by studying insects in their natural habitats and completing hands-on activities. Click on the book cover, then click on the blue "View eBook" button to read this Gale eBooks title. |
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Butterflies Spread your wings with these fluttering beauties from Zoobooks (May/June 2016 Issue). Watch our pathfinder video for Flipster first, then click on the Flipster icon. |
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Insect With interesting facts and beautiful photography, DK Eyewitness Books takes readers into the busy world of insects! |
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Swing over to Zoobooks’ Spiders issue (Dec. 2018) and learn about web-crawling, ground-dwelling, and even tree-dangling arachnids! Watch our pathfinder video for Flipster first, then click on the Flipster icon. |
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Ranger Rick (Jun/Jul 2019 Issue, pgs. 30-35) investigates how beautiful and deadly dragonflies rule the skies! Watch our pathfinder video for Flipster first, then click on the Flipster icon. |
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Discover ten things you didn’t know about this familiar spotted bug (Ranger Rick Aug. 2018 Issue, pgs. 14-19)! Watch our pathfinder video for Flipster first, then click on the Flipster icon. |
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These lesser-known insects get an amazing close-up from Ranger Rick (Dec. 2018 / Jan. 2019, pgs. 14-19)! Watch our pathfinder video for Flipster first, then click on the Flipster icon. |
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Bizarre, Beautiful, Buzzing Bugs eBooks! Whether you like bugs cute, creepy, or icky, check out our collection of insect adventures and fun facts! OverDrive ebooks are accessible from any computer and from any device using the Libby or OverDrive app. |
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Webs, cocoons, and ant hills await in popular bug titles for ages 0-8. In the list, click on "Check the Library Catalog" to see if the Library has an ebook copy. |
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Learn about insects and spiders, bugs in the news, official state insects, and more from Scholastic's TrueFlix. Watch our pathfinder video for TrueFlix first, then click on the Beetle icon. |
ACTION!
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Bug Safari Chickadee (Summer 2019 Issue, pgs. 30-31) and Dr. Zed show you how to find amazing insects in your backyard or local park! Watch our pathfinder video for Flipster first, then click on the Flipster icon. |
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Craft - Bees and Bugs Sew a swarm of cute bees and bugs with this easy project from Crafty Creatures (pgs. 62-63). Parental supervision is recommended for all crafts. Click on the book cover, then click on the blue "View eBook" button to read this Gale eBooks title. |
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Did you know some bees don’t live in hives? Create a shelter for solitary bees with this Boys’ Life (April 2015 Issue, pgs. 52-53) craft for older kids. Parental supervision is recommended for all crafts. Watch our pathfinder video for Flipster first, then click on the activity icon. |
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Younger kids will enjoy the chance to create their own hotel for bees or bugs with this craft from Ranger Rick (June/July 2014 Issue, pgs. 18-19). Parental supervision is recommended for all crafts. Watch our pathfinder video for Flipster first, then click on the activity icon. |
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| Add a splash of color to any room with hanging butterflies (Highlights, March 2018 Issue, pg. 19)! Parental supervision is recommended for all crafts. Watch our pathfinder video for Flipster first, then click on the activity icon. |
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With beetle, caterpillar, and animal designs, Family Fun (April/May 2018 Issue, pg. 9) makes egg decorating a year-round activity. Parental supervision is recommended for all crafts. Watch our pathfinder video for Flipster first, then click on the activity icon. |
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| Artzooka showcases fun DIY projects for kids. In this episode, host Jeremie Saunders uses flour, salt, baking soda, and food coloring to create painted butterflies that puff up in the microwave. Parental supervision is recommended for all crafts. To watch the episode, click "Watch Now" to create a new Kanopy account with your library card, or click "Log In" if you already have a Kanopy account. |
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Create a water-powered dragonfly and googly-eyed flies (Highlights, Sep. 2019 Issue, pgs. 36-37), then challenge family and friends to see who catches the most flies in a minute! Watch our pathfinder video for Flipster first, then click on the activity icon. |
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Craft/Game - Into the Hive Design your bees and race back to the hive with this flower-hopping craft and game from Highlights (Aug. 2017 Issue, pg. 30)! Parental supervision is recommended for all crafts. Watch our pathfinder video for Flipster first, then click on the activity icon. |
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Coloring Pages Design your own spider, ladybug, snail, and centipede using classic or crazy colors. |
Find activities in Flipster
Find Bugs topics in BookFlix
Find Insects titles in TrueFlix
Find Insects titles in TumbleBooks