Bug Homes

This week with Mother Goose Time we learned about bug homes:  plants, dirt, hills, webs, and hives.  

This month we've been working on the number 9.  Elli hatched 9 "eggs" into different bugs.  She also worked on visiting all 9 chambers in the ant tunnel maze.  

We also did an experiment with freezing honey.  Elli mixed honey with different amounts of water and then predicted which would freeze first.  We checked on them throughout the days lesson until they were all frozen and then compared the results to her original guess.  This is a very easy way to start teaching kids about the scientific process.  

Elli practiced her handwriting in her my little journal, used the included cookie cutter letters to make mud cookies, and did more writing on a postcard which she decorated using one of the shape stamps from the monthly box.

And as always there were lots of crafts to be made.  This week there was a leaf picture with string and beads for inspiration, an ant hill with black bean ants, a rubber worm with lots of dirt and glue to create with, a honeycomb picture with rice babies and pom pom bees, and a make your own web project complete with jumping spider.

This week the look and find glasses were introduced to use with the monthly theme poster, Elli did some patterning, and one of the girls favorite things was pretending to be a spider and eating different insects after rolling the cube containing the insects names.  Next week we learn about camouflage bugs.

Grasshoppers, Ants and Bees

We finished up our first week of Mother Goose Time's May theme of bugs and crawly things by learning about grasshoppers, ants and bees.  

We read the book of the month.  A new book is included in every monthly box, this months was There are Bugs!  We actually already had a copy of this book and it's great to use when learning about bugs.  On every page there are numerous photos of bugs that are mixed in with cute illustrations.

Elli worked on designing the cover of her my little journal, and also completed the number 9 page.

We read the fable of the ant and the grasshopper.  Elli used the story pieces to retell the story and we talked about working hard.

Elli really liked playing ant colony.  We took turns spinning a spinner and adding the same number of "ants" to our ant hill.  After we each had a turn Elli guessed which one had the most ants, and then we counted to see if she was right.  We played this a bunch of times, she loved dropping the ants into their colony.  I love that she is having so much fun learning math skills

The girls had lots of fun trying to see how far they could jump while pretending to be grasshoppers.  They also worked on jumping to each number while counting.  They were laughing and playing this for a long time until they crashed and smashed their heads together.

Elli loves the invitations to create that come in every monthly box.  She has a great time and will spend long amounts of time working with the different materials to create her own art.  

Elli used play dough and beads to create ant colonies with little ants.

Bingo was definitely the favorite game of the week.  We played it SO many times before Elli was finally ready to move on.  

Elli always has fun making bee hives out of egg cartons.  She also has a little wooden bee set with hives, which was a great addition to the days lesson.

What's in the Box-May

Next months Mother Goose Time theme is Bugs and Crawly Things.  

The teachers tool bag comes with a detailed teacher guide, planning journal, manipulatives, shape stamp, CD, theme web, and continuum of learning.

The circle time bag contains the monthly theme poster, letter cards, cookie cutters, calendar, color wand, circle time songs, shape clouds, character gosling, and number fish.  

Week one is all about backyard bugs:  ladybugs, spiders, grasshoppers, ants, and bees.  We will be looking at our own backyard and talking about bugs we can find there. 

Week two is about bug homes:  plants, dirt, hills, webs, and hives.  The discussion question for the week is where do bugs build their homes?

Week three is about camouflage bugs:  butterflies, moths, leaf insects, praying mantises, and walking sticks.  All week we will be discussing how camouflage protects bugs.

Week four is about crawly things:  caterpillars, slugs, beetles, inchworms, and centipedes.  We will be talking about the different crawly things that live around our house.  

The book of the month is There are Bugs.

Also included in the monthly box is  mother's day celebration kit.  It contains a lesson plan, craft items, circle time ideas, game, and snack ideas.