Gettin' Buggy With It !!

    We are gettin' “Buggy With It" in my classroom!  =)  

    Our big talk a few weeks ago was caterpillars… so much that I was getting quick sick of hearing about them!  So I was glad when all five caterpillars spun their chrysalises and started the waiting game in the middle of that week.

    While my kids wait for the  chrysalises to emerge as butterflies,  I decided to continue on with a study about other insects… It is still underway this week!


STORY ACTIVITY/EXTENSION:
Last week before our 5 caterpillars went into hiding, we read the book The Very Hungry Caterpillar 100 (or so it seemed) times and I knew the kids had the story memorized by the end of the week, so I had them make their own mini VHC book to make and take home. 

 Many of them used the book I provided to reference back to, in order to complete their mini book, which I thought was awesome b/c I didn’t even have to prompt them to do so. I like that they referred back to the book to find what they needed to correctly make their own mini book! 

Those munchkins really amaze and surprise me sometimes!

SCIENCE CENTER: 

Our Science Center got some new bug tools, too! And, boy have they enjoyed exploring the different magnifying glasses, insect boxes, pictures and insects that I put in the Science Center. I put markers and paper in the center as well, to encourage them to draw insects or write the names of the insects.

 MATH:

   After reading the book, “Icky Bug Colors” by Jerry Pallota, we worked on some math skills and had  some munchkins practice sorting insects by color. 

I found the Jar Sorting Mats here at Prekinders.

   And we also worked on our patterning skills by making AB, ABB, AAB (and I even got some AAA BBB) patterns with the colorful insects! I had each munchkin choose what type of pattern they wanted to make, to assess their confidence in creating patterns (based on the level of difficulty of the pattern they chose to make.)
    If I felt they could do a more difficult pattern, I challenged them to do so and of course, if they needed extra practice in a certain pattern, I provided a pre-made pattern and asked them to continue it.

   
LITERACY:
 My favorite part of last week was when I showed them many different insects via flashcards, books and magazines and I had them pick an insect and draw it.

   Since many of them have a fairly good grasp on quite a few sounds, I had them do my FAVORITE literacy activity: Invented Spelling… 

I absolutely LOVE to see them sound out letters and “spell” things! 

I think they did an awesome job, don’t you?  =)

   After trying to keep them all a bit distracted from caterpillars and their life cycle,  with other things (like other insects and Mother's Day projects), the waiting game was over!

   By the end of last week, we had 3 butterflies in our little Butterfly Home! It never is the two weeks that they are supposed to stay in the chrysalises. For us, it was more like a week and a day! But whatever, it doesn't matter to us! 

My munchkins were over the moon about our new insect friends!

     

    This week, we are continuing to study insects a little more and we have lots of Insect Fun to explore, before we move on (if the munchkins allow me to)!

    Also, this week, I am working on a new FREEBIE for everyone!

So, stop by tomorrow to get your Insect Spelling Freebie!