Kids add friendly insects from their yard, watch them grow into giant supersized shadows on their ceiling, and move as they crawl about in the magnified-projector dome. The spacious observatory chamber is safe for bugs and kids. The projector’s buggy eyes light up, too.

Kids add friendly insects from their yard, watch them grow into giant supersized shadows on their ceiling, and move as they crawl about in the magnified-projector dome. The spacious observatory chamber is safe for bugs and kids. The projector’s buggy eyes light up, too.

Kids add friendly insects from their yard, watch them grow into giant supersized shadows on their ceiling, and move as they crawl about in the magnified-projector dome. The spacious observatory chamber is safe for bugs and kids. The projector’s buggy eyes light up, too.

The Campfire Kids Campfire brings the great outdoors...indoors. Gather 'round the campfire and enjoy the night by the woodsy firelight. This simulated fire features a fan-powered flickering flame that is safe and cool to the touch. Glowing "embers" and realistic log design make this the natural "hotspot" for indoor campers. The no-heat firelight looks real, but feels cool. Includes 4 AA batteries.

This 5'-long crawl-through tunnel comes with a removable Caterpillar face and is made of sturdy material.
—“The Crawlerpillar always does really well in spring. I probably go through a dozen of those a month,” Lynn Sanchez, owner of Wiz Bang Toys in Lake Oswego, Ore., told TDmonthly when asked about best-selling furniture and playhouses in June 2008.
— Five of 62 specialty retailers mentioned tents and tunnels from various manufacturers.
— Insect Lore also offers a Butterfly Bungalow tent.

The nursery allows kids to hatch baby earthworms from real earthworm cocoons, and then watch them dig and grow in the special multi-chambered greenhouse habitat. Kids can even release the matured earthworms safely into their backyard. The educational and ecological kit comes with approximately 50 Vermipod™ earthworm cocoons, a greenhouse habitat, special growth soil and an instructional guide full of earthworm facts and activities.

Kids will enjoy finding bugs and observing them play and perform in the miniature amusement park. The park is equipped with a slide, a swing, a maze, a tightrope, a Ferris wheel and a teeter-totter. The escape-proof domed habitat provides 360-degree views and features an extra-large built-in magnifier lid. The play park is suitable for ladybugs, pillbugs, grasshoppers and more.

Buzzerks give kids a bug's eye view of the world, and give everyone else a buggy view of them, too. The specially designed inner compound "bug-eye lenses" can be flipped forward so that a kid can see how a real bug sees. Each Buzzerk features realistic insect features: antennae, spines, leggy earpieces and mandibles. The hinged prismatic lenses let kids experience true insect sight by seeing bright and eye-popping metallic colors through compound eyes. Buzzerks come in FireAnt, Mantis and Hornet versions.
— When asked about best-selling science toys in her store, Frances Finfrock, owner of Aunt Franny's Toys in Richland, Wash., replied, "I think it's the Buzzerks. They're bug goggles. They're made by Insect Lore."
— Finfrock said she sells about three Buzzerks goggles a month.
— Five of 32 retailers told TDmonthly in summer 2007 that the Insect Lore brand is a best seller in their stores.

Kids can pop up their Port-A-Bug, put in some friendly insects, and they're ready for some fun with bugs. They can observe butterflies, ladybugs, and other friendly critters in the airy mesh habitat, then let them go. The Port-A-Bug compresses back into its tote-sack, clips to a kid's hip, and they're off and ready to explore some more. It features a lightweight and escape-proof ventilated mesh, and a convenient nylon carrying handle. The Port-A-Bug is a winner of the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award.
— "We sell a lot of bug catching items from Insect Lore. It's collapsible. It's called Port-A-Bug," said Shirley Reilly, owner of Let's Play in Hillsboro, Ore.

This giant live butterfly habitat allows children to grow butterflies from the caterpillar stage, hold them and then set them free. The airy bungalow offers up-close observation time, and the sturdy enclosure can be used again and again in a classroom or playroom. The habitat comes with a coupon for 10 caterpillars and food, plus a fun-filled fact guide.
— "The butterfly hut from Insect Lore ... where a child can get inside," said Diana Gisolfi, co-owner with her two sisters of Three Sisters in Springfield, Mass., when asked by TDmonthly about best-selling science and nature toys.
— Three of 32 retailers said Insect Lore butterfly sets are hot-selling items in science and nature.
— One retailer told TDmonthly in summer 2007 that she sells about six butterfly kits from Insect Lore each month.

Kids can follow the life cycle of the mealworm with this easy-to-raise, easy-to-do kit. It comes with a tri-chambered “Barn” habitat, a super magnifier for insect observation, detailed instructions with acres of insect information, and, most important of all, a certificate for 25 to 35 mealworm larvae.