Insects

 

Announcing Pre-K Pages Conference for Early Childhood Educators, July 15th in Plano, TX

Click here to register now!

Here are some ideas to make your Insects unit special. 

 

 

Books

       
       
       
       
   

 

Teacher Resources
   

Music

Music is an important part of any Early Childhood program.  

 

Songs/Fingerplays
    The Butterfly

 

For links to the musical artists click here to go to the music page.

Videos/DVD's

 

 

 
See How They Grow:  Insects & Spiders

Literacy Activities

Activity

Click on the pictures below to enlarge

Instructions
Buzz Buzz Game

Setting: Small Group, Literacy Centers

Objective: Sight words

Materials: Blank bee cards- one per sight word and one extra (available in free printables section below), Sharpie marker, bee hive Easter basket (Walgreens). 

Directions:  Write one sight word on each card with the Sharpie.  On the back of one card, write the words "Buzz! Buzz!".  Seat a small group of  students around a table.  Place the cards in the "bee hive".  The students will take turns passing the bee hive around the table and drawing one card with eyes closed.  The student draws a card, identifies the word on the card, and passes the bee hive to the next person, leaving his card on the table in front of him.  When a student selects the card with the words "buzz! buzz!" on it all the students at the table make buzzing noises.  The student who drew the "Buzz!" card must return all his cards to the bee hive. 

Insect Sight Word Mats

Setting: Small Group, Literacy Centers

Objective:

Materials: Bug Accents (see resources section below), Sharpie marker, lamination film, magnetic letters

Directions:  Write a different focus sight word on each bug accent with a Sharpie marker.  Laminate the accents for durability.   Place a basket or tub of magnetic letters in the center of the table.  Students will spell the sight words out on the mats with magnetic letters.

Math Activities

Activity

Click on the pictures below to enlarge

Instructions

Setting: Small Group, Math Centers

Objective: concepts of print, number sense, number identification

*This is a crossover activity meaning it integrates literacy and math*

Materials: bug stamps (Oriental Trading), "I Can See Bug" booklets- one per child.

Directions:  Students "read" the sentences on each page using their knowledge of numbers and sight words for support.  Students stamp the appropriate number of insects on each page.

 

Insect Counting 1-5

 

Setting: Small Group, Math Centers

Objective: 1:1 correspondence

Materials: 1-5 counting grid- one per child (available in printables section below), insect stickers or stamps

Directions:  Give each child in the small group a counting grid sheet.  Place the insect stickers or stamps in the center of the table in a container so all students can easily reach them.  The students will place the correct number of stickers next to each number on the counting grid. 

Insect Patterns

Setting: Small Group, Math Centers

Objective: Patterning

Materials: Patterning grid- one per child (available in printables section below), insect stickers or stamps

Directions:  Give each child in the small group one patterning grid.  Place the stickers or stamps in the center of the table in a container so all students can easily reach them.  The students will use the stickers or stamps to create a pattern on the grid. 

Bee 1:1

Setting:  Small Group, Math Centers

Objectives: 1:1 correspondence

Materials: Bee 1:1 mats- one per student in small group (available in printables section below), bee erasers, yellow pom-poms, or bee playing pieces (available in printables section below)

Instructions:  Print the 1:1 bee mats on cardstock and laminate.  Give each student in the small group a mat.  Place the bee erasers, yellow pom-poms, or bee playing pieces in the center of the table in a container so they are easily accessible to all students.  Each student takes a turn rolling the die and putting the corresponding number of bees on their mat.  When there is one bee on each beehive on the mat the students have successfully completed the game.

 

 

Ladybug Roll 'N Stamp

 

Setting:  Small Group, Math Centers

Objectives: Number recognition, number sense, one-to-one

Materials: foam die with numbers- not dots, 1-6 ladybug game sheet (available in printables section below), red Do-A-Dot markers (see resources section below)

Instructions:  Students take turns rolling the die, identifying the number on the die, and stamping the ladybug with the matching number of dots their paper with a red Do-A-Dot marker.

 

 

Fun Activities

 

Activity Instructions
Coffee Filter Butterflies

Materials:  pipe cleaners, coffee filters, Crayola watercolor markers, spray bottle of water, clothespins.

Give each student a coffee filter and markers.  Ask students to color their coffee filter with the markers.  Next, moisten the coffee filters by allowing the students to spray them with water from a spray bottle.  Cut the pipe cleaners in half and put the pipe cleaner into the clothespin (see picture at left).  Next, push the dry coffee filter into the clothespin. 

Paper Plate Life Cycle of a Butterfly

Materials:  white paper plates- 9 inch, four kinds of uncooked pasta: orzo, large shell, rotini, bowtie, glue, watercolors, Crayola markers, one black marker.

With the black marker, draw lines to divide each plate into four equal sections.  Then label the outer edge of each section with a different stage of development;  Egg, Caterpillar, Chrysalis, and Butterfly.  Glue the orzo pasta in the section to represent the egg.  Glue the rotini in the section to represent the caterpillar.  Glue the large shell pasta in the section to represent the chrysalis, and finally, glue the bowtie pasta in the section to represent the butterfly.  Add leaves and flowers to the sections and paint the pasta with watercolors.

Paper Plate Ladybug

Materials: small paper plates, red and black crayons, black construction paper, hole punch, glue. 

Color the back of the paper plate red with crayons. Next, glue on black paper spots using circles from hole punch.  Use black crayons to add other ladybug features.

Splat Butterflies

Materials:  tempera paint- various colors, construction paper, scissors, butterfly tracer.

Trace a butterfly shape on to construction paper. Next, cut out the shape and place a dab of paint in middle and fold the paper in half.  When opened the paint will have created a beautiful butterfly!

Tissue Paper Butterflies

Materials:  construction paper, butterfly tracer, colored tissue paper, glue, liquid starch, brush.

Trace a butterfly shape on to construction paper.  Next, have students glue small squares of colored tissue paper to the butterfly shape.  When the entire butterfly is covered with tissue paper, allow it to dry.  Finally, brush the liquid starch over the tissue paper and allow to dry.  When dry the butterfly will have a  glossy appearance.  You can cut out the butterflies and put them on a bulletin board or in a hallway display.

In the Tall Tall Grass

Materials:  green construction paper, scissors, bug stamps or stickers, glue, "In the Tall Tall Grass" label.

Take a 9x12 piece of green construction paper and fold the bottom up 1/4, hot-dog style.  Next, allow your students to fringe the 1/4 flap with scissors or pre-cut it if they are too young.  Print out the book title on a piece of paper, one title for each student and have them glue it to the bottom front.  Finally, allow students to place bug stamps or stickers on the paper behind the fringe.  When pulled down, the bugs will appear to be "hiding" In the Tall, Tall Grass. 

Printables

 Ladybug Roll 'N Stamp

Coming Soon!

 

Insesct 1-5 Counting Grid

Insect Patterning Strips

 

Insect Thematic Word Wall

 

 

 

Bee 1:1 Mat

Bee 1:1 Playing Pieces

Resources

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click here to return to the main theme page

 

Page copy protected against web site content infringement by Copyscape

Credits

This website and the content contained herein are not endorsed or sponsored by CFBISD

  Creative Commons License
Pre-K Pages is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Graphics on this page courtesy of: