Lesson - Bugs

Welcome Song

Announce Date

Theme
Ask: Who likes bugs? What are your favorite bugs?

Some bugs are insects. Sometimes we use bug and insect to mean the same thing, but bugs can include things are aren’t insects, like spiders and roly polies (which we’ll talk about in a minute). Insects can look very different from each other. Some have wings, like butterflies, and some don’t, like silverfish. But all insects have a hard exoskeleton. That means, unlike us, their skeleton is on the outside. We have soft skin on the outside and hard bones inside. All of our bones inside our body make up our skeleton. But insects have what is called an exoskeleton. The outside of their body is hard and the inside is soft. All insects also have six legs and two antennae and hatch from eggs. If you see a bug that has 6 legs, you know it is an insect. Grasshoppers, ants, butterflies, ladybugs, flies, bees, silverfish, earwigs (or pincer bugs), beetles, mosquitoes, these are all insects.

Spiders are not insects. They are arachnids, just like scorpions, and have 8 legs. Like insects, they have an exoskeleton and hatch from eggs.

Pillbugs (or roly polies) are also not insects. They are crustaceans, like crabs, lobsters and shrimp! They have 14 legs. But just like insects and spiders, they have an exoskeleton and hatch from eggs. Also, like insects, they have antennae.

Insects, arachnids and crustaceans are all arthropods. All arthropods have an exoskeleton.

Let’s look at some pictures of bugs. (I printed out these photos of bugs which I got from Microsoft Word clip art and let the kids pass them around):

Story
I Like Bugs by Margaret Wise Brown
Simple rhyming book that is a beginner reader.  The kids enjoyed pointing out the bugs they recognized.

Spanish Vocabulary
Some words related to bugs:

insectos = insects
abeja = bee
mariposa = butterfly
mariquita = ladybug
saltamontes = grasshopper
araña = spider

Letter of the Day - B
Bug starts with B. Can we name some bugs that start with B? (Bee, butterfly, beetle)

Worksheet: Match Letter B p.8 in Kindergarten Language Arts Success

Number of the Day - 6
Insects have 6 legs. Let’s count to 6 and show 6 on our fingers.

Worksheet: I made two worksheets using clip art from Microsoft Word.  You can download a copy here.  The first page has the kids circle bugs that are not insects (have more than 6 legs).  The second page lets them draw 6 legs on 6 different insects.

Craft
We made butterflies out of paper plates, colored tissue paper, and a pipe cleaner.  This was my own invention.  I cut out the butterfly shapes ahead of time, but older children could do that step themselves. although you might want to draw the template on the plate for them.

Supplies

Fold paper plate in half and cut out butterfly shape

Open it up

Let the kids rub glue stick all over the plate.  Then rip up pieces of tissue paper and apply them to the glue.  Some of the kids also used crayons to color parts of the butterfly.  The tissue paper can overlap and cover the entire butterfly or leave space as we did below.

Finished butterflies

After the design is done, take a pipe cleaner (or chenille stick as they call them now) and fold it in half.  Then put the butterfly between the two ends of the pipe cleaner and twist, making antennae out of the two ends.  Curl the ends and it's done.

Closing Song
Baby Bumblebee Song (traditional)

I'm bringing home a baby bumblebee,
Won't my mommy be so proud of me,
(Cup hands together as if holding bee)

I'm bringing home a baby bumblebee,
Ouch! It stung me!
(Shake hands as if just stung)

I'm squishing up the baby bumblebee,
Won't my mommy be so proud of me,
('Squish' bee between palms of hands)

I'm squishing up a baby bumblebee,
Ooh! It's yucky!
(Open up hands to look at 'mess')

I'm wiping off the baby bumblebee,
Won't my mommy be so proud of me,
(Wipe hands off on shirt)

I'm wiping off the baby bumblebee,
Now my mommy won't be mad at me!
(Hold hands up to show they are clean)

Lesson - Flowers

(This is a lesson I did in May)
Welcome Song

Announce Date

Theme
May is a time for flowers. Everywhere we look, flowers are blooming. Let’s look at the parts of a flower.  (I used several flowers I picked from our yard to show how very different flowers all have these same parts.  This page may also help you.)

Petals
Stem
Leaves
Sepal (protects flower before it opens)
Pistil (catches pollen)
Stamen (makes pollen)

Explain where seeds are made and how bees pollinate flowers.  Ask: What other insects or animals might pollinate flowers? (butterflies, moths, flies, and hummingbirds).

Spanish Vocabulary
Here are some Spanish words related to Flowers:

primavera = Spring
flor = flower
pétalos = petals
hojas = leaves
tallo = stem
semilla = seed
abejas = bees

Story
One to Ten... and Back Again (An Amazing Pull-the-Ribbon Book) by Betty Ann Schwartz
Ribbon pulling book with flower and bugs


Letter of the Day - F
F is for Flower.  Can we think of some other words that start with F? (friend, family, farm, fork, five, fingers)

Worksheet: p. 25 in Kindergarten Language Arts Success, p.78-79 in Brain Quest Workbook: Pre-K 


Number of the Day - 6
Count to 6, show six on our fingers, look at a die and find the side with 6 dots.

Worksheet: p. 136-137 in Brain Quest Workbook: Pre-K

Activity
Look for flowers outside

Craft
Corked Stamped Flowers

Closing Song
(Adapted from Susan's post on Perpetual Preschool)
First you take the seed and you plant it in the ground.
(Mime taking a seed and planting it in your other hand, balled up in a fist.)
Next a rain cloud comes and waters all around.
(Keep fist with seed same, use other hand to simulate a rain cloud raining down on seed.)
Next the sun shines brightly, without a sound.
(Keep fist with seed same, use other hand to shine down by moving fingers over seed.)
And in just a few days... a flower is found!
(Move fist with seed up through other hand and open like a flower.)

After kids are familiar with this poem, have THEM be the seeds that I plant and water and shine on. When I tap them on the heads the first time as I say the first line, they drop to the floor as if they have been planted. I tap them on the heads again as I recite the last line, and they grow into beautiful flowers.