What About Bugs?As children tell you what they know about bugs, write down what they say on bug cutouts. Use the quotes to create a web of knowledge on a bulletin board in your room. At the end of the theme refer back to the quotes and see if they children have learned anything different or new. |
Assessparticipates in group discussion |
Not All Spiders SpinShow pictures of many different kinds of spiders and be sure and include spiders that do not spin webs. Talk about ways that other spiders catch prey. |
Assessparticipates in group discussions |
Ant ColonyPour out about 15-20 cotton balls onto the floor in the middle of circle time. Set a cup down for each child.Have them get one cotton ball at a time and put it in their own cup. Count how long it takes to fill up their cups. Then pour the cotton balls back onto the floor and have all the children help fill up one cup, still picking up only one cotton ball at a time while the teacher counts. Compare how long it took. Talk about why ants work together to gather food. |
Assessworks well with others |
Caterpillar ExploreBring a live caterpillar to group. Place it in a large bug jar or aquarium with leaves and water.Talk about how to caterpillar moves. Try to get it to eat and then pass around a leaf that the caterpillar has eaten off of to show the way that it eats. Keep the caterpillar only if you are able to keep it supplied with fresh leaves every day and water. |
Assessrecognizes feelings of others |
Community WebSit in a circle. Teacher holds a ball of yarn. Hold the end. Say a child's name, then roll the ball across the circle to that child. That child holds part of the string and rolls the ball to another child. Keep holding and rolling until the yarn goes back and forth across the middle to make a web. |
Assessworks as a member of a group |
Rhyming FlowersGlue pictures to flower cutouts and write the names of the pictures on the flowers as well. Hang the flowers on the wall or place them on the floor in a large space.Children take turns listening to a word and flying a bee puppet or cutout to the flower with the picture that rhymes with that word. Older children may enjoy flying their bee to a flower and making up a rhyming word to it. |
Assessidentifies rhyming words |
Bug BodiesName bug body parts and compare to human body parts. Talk about what each part is for. Compare different pictures of insects and spiders. |
Assessuses new vocabulary |
Pesky PestsCut a one-inch square in the center of a new flyswatter. Write one letter on each fly cutout and tape them to the wall.Say a letter to one child and have them take the flyswatter and swat the fly with that letter so that the letter ends up in the square cutout. |
Assessrecognizes letters |
Bug MovementsHave pictures of bugs.Children take turns choosing a picture randomly and moving like that bug. |
Assessaware of how the body moves |
Bee LanguageExplain that bees communicate by dancing because they are deaf (can't hear). They dance and shake to tell other bees where they found the best flowers. Play a lively song and have each child take turns dancing like bees. |
Assessparticipates in movement acitivities |