Week Two

Bugs and Critters! ( I would love some ideas as bugs are not my thing but Finn really wants to do this theme! Please leave tips?) Merci!

Monday
Check out insects.org and insectworld.com. These books here and here are helpful!
Get some large sheets of drawing paper and brainstorm with yr kids about bugs and critters. I am going to talk about bugs and worms and insects and all sorts to my kid. Read some books together and plan yr bug adventure. Talk about vocabulary words like exoskeleton, invertebrate, and molted.
I like to have the kids help assemble a discovery kit. A discovery kit is a net, a magnifying glass, a glass jar with holes in top, a notebook, and some crayons or colored pencils. It can be as spartan and thrifty or as elaborate as you like. I like a nice safari hat to get into the mood myself :)
*Simple lesson is to talk about bug classification and choose some of the type of bugs you want to learn about for the week. Classification is something that is good for them to hear and explore as they will do so in school. Make a small chart and color it.
(each day use yr notebook to journal about bugs)

Tuesday
Ants!
Ants are easy to find outside and a good non threatening insect to begin yr week. You can talk about the three body parts of the ant today. ( head, thorax, and abdomen)
*A great art and science lesson is to construct an ant out of clay and toothpicks and talk about the three distinct body parts that all insects share.
* Have a cootie game? Play it today! talk about parts!

Wednesday
Butterfly's!
Metamorphosis is a simple and fun lesson. I am going to make a wheel of metamorphosis out of cardboard (cut two identical circles from a cereal box and use the blank sides- take an xacto knife (don't ya just love any excuse to get it out?) and cut a two inch square on the top circle near the edge. Attached the circles together with a paper fastener or a fancy brad if your a scrapper. Place simple drawings of a butterfly metamorphosis on the wheel and watch the butterfly emerge as you spin the wheel.) ( Like I did here for an emotion wheel)
*A great art activity would be to cut butterfly wings from cardboard!!!!

Thursday
Bees! Wasps!
Kids love to learn about bees and honey!!!
Have some tea and honey and talk about all things buzzy!
Make yr own bee catchers!

Friday
make a bug box here ( I love this site!!! free stuff!)
take a bug walk and collect some!!!


****Worms too here if you have time...We vermicompost and love it!

RANDOM BITS...on ebay you can get a ton of cheap insects in glass paperweights and look for Man Vs. Wild at the library for older kids to watch insect as food gross out facts and fun! Also check this out!(http://www.craftsforlearning.com/bugs.htm)
Have fun~~~