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Insects
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Childhood Educators, July 15th in
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Here are some ideas to make your Insects unit special.
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Music
Music is an important part of
any Early Childhood program.
For links to the
musical artists click here to go to the music
page.
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Videos/DVD's |
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See How They Grow: Insects & Spiders |
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Literacy
Activities |
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Activity
Click on the pictures below to
enlarge |
Instructions |
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Buzz Buzz Game
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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.
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Insect Sight Word Mats
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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.
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Math
Activities
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Activity
Click on the pictures below to
enlarge |
Instructions |
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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.
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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.
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Insect Patterns
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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.
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Bee 1:1
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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. |
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Ladybug Roll 'N Stamp
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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. |
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Fun Activities
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Activity |
Instructions |
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Coffee Filter Butterflies
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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. |
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Paper Plate Life Cycle of a
Butterfly
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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. |
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Paper Plate Ladybug
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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. |
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Splat Butterflies
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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! |
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Tissue Paper Butterflies
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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. |
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In the Tall Tall Grass
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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.
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