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Bug Science
Contact_FullName: Dee Dee Contact_Email: missdeedee@juno.com Area: Bug Science Idea: Science/Nature Center Idea My kids love love love bugs!!! Alive or dead!!! We often go on a hunt and collect bugs. I have nets and containers with magnifying glasses on them and we study them. I also set up a center with small jars (baby food) containing dead bugs. Sounds kinda gory, but over the years I have found a really neat collection of critters!!! Dragonflies, large mosquitoes, bees, wasps, moths, butterflies, large crickets, etc... I have magnifying glasses, plastic bugs, bug houses with live critters, etc... They LOVE it!!!! 12-12-00Try putting a container of crickets in the science center. Discuss with the children how the cricket makes sound by rubbing his legs together. It makes for an interesting noise in the room.
11-30-00Create a learning center that the children can investigate with minimum adult supervision! Firstly create a backboard using a large cardboard box. Keep three sides of the box and glue grass clippings to it. Also stick a small tree branch to it - this will create the habitat of many insects. On a table in front of the box have jars/containers of insects (that don't bite). Ensure each jar has the lid taped securely it. The insects could be collected on a "Bug Hut" with the children. Next devise some activity sheets for children to closely investigate the insects. Other resources such as magnify glass, books (factual and fiction) of various levels and headphones (for those who cannot read) should be available. As well as numerous art pieces for children to create their own insects. Remember to associate a noise level and rules to the learning center. The children will benefit from the freedom and discovery learning.
11-5-00"Spider Talk" Using black construction paper cut out a large circle for the body and a small circle for the head. Cut out 8 legs and fold like a fan. The legs should be very long so when you add the to the spider they can go in different directions over the BB. Add a very happy face such as the one in the book Roly Poly Spider. At the end of each leg add something about a spider for example, Spiders have 8 legs, Spider webs are sticky etc. The children will love the spider and learning all about them. During their play time you can mention some of the "Spider Talk". Have Fun!
10-16-00Go on a "bug walk"- Take a camera (digital works best, if your school has one. Have all of the children search for bugs. Take pictures of what you find. Then make a class book out of the pics. Discuss what you saw.
7-19-00Caterpillars/Butterflies Have the children glue small pompoms on a old-fashioned clothespin. Then have the children put them in a small paper bag which would be the cocoon. The children leave the "cocoons" at school overnight. At circle time, talk about how caterpillars turn into butterflies. Tell the children that in the morning when they come back to school their caterpillars might be butterflies. After class, glue pre-cut wings to each child's caterpillar and return to the bag. The children love it and it is a great visual for learning.
7-15-00This is actually an idea that one of my five year olds had...Make a stick bug out of toothpicks. You will need 3 toothpicks per bug. Leave one toothpick as is, but bend the other two in the center to make legs. Put a dab of glue in the crease of the legs and glue to the straight toothpick. While your bug is drying, head outside to find sticks. We glued our bugs onto the sticks after we painted them. Some children painted theirs brown. Others painted them green and hid their bugs on sticks with leaves. Also a great way to reinforce camouflage!
7-13-00Butterfly Life Cycle Day 1: Make caterpillars: glue 3 green pom-poms (insects have 3 body parts) to a clothes pin, add wiggle eyes if desired Day 2: put your caterpillars in a cocoon. Paint the outside of a toilet paper tube with watered down glue, cover with brown or green tissue paper. Cover one end, place caterpillar inside, cover other end. Day 3: (or what a few days to enjoy those cocoons) make wings for your butterfly. I like to color the coffee filters and spray with water then dry. Poke your cocoons open and make your butterfly. The kids really enjoyed this hands on way of learning the butterfly life cycle!
7-12-00We made "Awesome Anthills"! The kids cut anthill shapes from gray construction paper, then used pencil erasers and markers to make ant prints all over the "hill". Here's how we made our prints: The erasers inked on a stamp pad, then pressed three times in a row on the paper to make the three round parts of the ant's body. (Science tip: These are called the head, thorax, and abdomen) The kids then added legs and antennae using fine tip markers.
6-2-00Bugs: At a local pet store I got some stick bugs real cheap. They don't take much in the way of care just some blackberry leaves or ivy leaves and mist some water on the them once in a while. When the bugs get bigger I will take one out and let the kids hold it. Some of the kids wont hold the bug but they will get up close to me and take a look. I noticed when I put the bugs on the science table, more kids used that area then when they were loaned out to other class rooms.
4-24-00During insect week I do a unit on worms---It is wonderful! We make a worm farm in a large clear Rubbermaid tub--In it we put sand, dirt, shredded paper, rocks and wet leaves. Then we add a dozen or so worms (you can get them at the bait store or you can hunt for them yourself). At first the kids are a bit shy, thinking the worms feel weird, but once they get to hold them, you won't be able to get them away from the science table! We take turns finding all the worms, we compare their sizes by lining them up side by side on the table, we look at them with our magnifying glasses--they are wonderful little creatures! We look for their worm fuzz (that's how they squiggle thru their worm tunnels) and I eventually give each child a worm to take home and "plant" in their gardens at their houses. It is a wonderful unit that my 3's really enjoy!
4-18-00Dancing Bugs Materials:
Date: 3-30-00We ordered caterpillars from Insect Lore on-line store and are eagerly awaiting the metamorphosis that will soon take place.
Date: 3-11-00I read this on another, sharing site. I thought it was wonderful and worth sharing with all. Using macaroni for a butterflies life cycle. Put it all on a paper plate divided into 4 parts. For eggs-use rice, caterpillar-use spiral, cocoon-use shell, butterfly-use bowtie. Enjoy
Date: 1-31-00My personal favorite, and the kids is to put WORMS in the dirt in the sensory table. Add a box of plastic gloves, like those used in serving meals at daycare, and move out of the way! The kids get over the icky part of the worms real quick, and are so proud of themselves when they get up enough courage to pick up a real live worm. Worm facts are cool too. Worms have no bones, 5 hearts ( or was it 3?), and can't drown.
ideaDuring our study on Bugs and Insects, I found big rubber bugs and insects. For the sensory table we "hid" the bugs under the sand and the children went searching for them. They had a lot of fun and they still want to look for bugs in the sand. This works well with other theme too. Beware of the mess, depending on the age group sand could be everywhere. Date: 9-9-99
Date: 8-19-99Put plastic fishing worms in a large sweater box filled 1/2 way with water. Have the children fish them out with their toes. It is so much fun. I did it with preschoolers and even did it in my two boys classes in Kindergarten and 4th grade. They had relays--30 seconds each person in the group and two tubs of worms. After each person went, we threw the worms back in for the next person. The team with the most worms collected wins. Great Fun! |
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