We invite you to meet the winners of the ‘Our Backyard’ competition. As part of the series, we will present the 13 best projects from Poland and Ukraine. Each one includes an original description of the work carried out and photographic or/and film documentation.
We are looking forward to a full blossoming of projects, but for now, we invite you to read on!
🌹Project ‘Insect House’
Submitted by: Tetiana Ostapchuk
School: Municipal Preschool Education Center “Sunshine”, Lanivtsi
Participants: preschool children, age 6
Author’s description of the project:
The project, titled ‘Insect House’, aimed at protecting biodiversity and supporting natural processes in the environment, was carried out by the preschool staff together with the children from the “Kapitoszka” preschool group.
An insect hotel is designed to imitate the insects’ natural habitat. The insects that live there help maintain ecological balance. Such a structure should be as diverse as possible so that many insect species can settle in it, thereby increasing biodiversity within the preschool grounds.
🧑🌾 What work did we carry out as part of the project?
First, we built a wooden frame strong enough to withstand considerable weight. Next, we created separate compartments to be filled with natural materials that provide shelter for insects. A very important part of the insect hotel is the roof, which protects it from rainfall and safeguards the materials where insect eggs, larvae, and adult insects are found.
We filled the compartments with a variety of materials, including straw, perforated bricks, pine cones, polystyrene, firewood, hay, corrugated cardboard, and peat briquettes. Due to the structure’s large size, the insect hotel was first installed on the preschool grounds, and only afterwards were the individual compartments filled with the appropriate materials.
We placed the insect hotel in a quiet location sheltered from strong winds. The openings face the sun, and the hotel itself is set beneath the crowns of birch trees. Since our insect hotel is intended for various insect species, it was placed directly on the ground. Around it, we planted flowers and created a pathway made of wooden discs, which has become an additional decoration of the playground.
The insect hotel is more than just a landscape feature – it is a symbol of caring for nature.
👉 Be sure to take a look at the photos and watch the video from the project implementation.
We encourage you to explore all episodes of the series.
Episode 1: ‘Flower Paradise’
Episode 2: ‘School Flower Bed’
Episode 3: ‘Our Garden’
Episode 4: ‘Patio MakeOver‘
Episode 5: ‘In the School Garden’
Episode 6: ‘Our Backyard’
Episode 7: ‘Under the Catalpa Tree’
Episode 8: ‘Flower Path’
Episode 9: ‘Colourful Nature Corner’