Homemade Critter Keeper Crafts for Kids

Clean your plastic bottle. Remove the label from your juice bottle and clean the inside and outside of the bottle, as well as the lid in warm, soapy water. Rinse the bottle and lid thoroughly to rid them of any remaining soap. Let the lid and bottle dry completely.

Cut an opening on the side of the plastic bottle. Using scissors, poke a hole in the side of your bottle that is facing up and then cut out an opening that can be covered by the window screen. If you are using a rectangular juice bottle, make the hole on one of the wider sides.

Prepare your screen and craft foam. Once you have made a hole in your bottle, cut your window screen and craft foam to the proper size to cover the opening. The size of the screen should be about 1/4 inch larger than the size of your opening on each side. Your craft foam should be 1/2 inch larger than the opening, with the middle cut out of it, so it looks like a window frame for your screen.

Glue on your critter keeper window. Using your hot glue gun, glue your foam frame to your screen and then glue the screen over the opening that you cut in the bottle. This window will provide you with a space to observe your critter and give it fresh air.

Prepare a habitat for your critter. Once your window is finished, gather objects from the habitat where you will go looking for critters. Add items such as sand, dirt, leaves, twigs, nuts or moss to your critter keeper through the bottle's lid opening.

Catch bugs to observe. After you have created a welcoming environment for your critters, catch them by leaving the lid off of your critter keeper and allowing critters to crawl inside to explore. Or catch them with your hands and place them inside your keeper. Once you have caught an insect you want to observe, place the lid back on the bottle until it is time to release it.