Bees, Ants, and Ladybugs

We've been learning all about insects. This week we learned about a different insect everyday. My kids were certainly skeptical that bees, ants, and ladybugs all have the same body parts despite looking nothing like each other. Each day we'd read fiction books, read non-fiction books, make schema charts, anchor posters, and then end with a writing activity and a fun art project. 

Bees 

We marble painted bees! I love marble painting and the kids are always so fascinated by the process: box lid, 4 drops of paint, 2 marbles, tilt the lid around and voila! 

We have made a variety of schema and anchor charts this year. This kind is their favorite: they tell me the sentence, I write it (with their help sounding out words), and then they get to illustrate their sentence and stick it on the poster anywhere they want. 

Ladybugs 

So I was all excited to do my grouchy ladybug project and display them for open house until I started reading what the kids were writing. A good chunk of the things that make them grouchy, made me really sad to hear. I decided to put them in their memory books instead. But look how cute they look as a ladybug! I took their picture making a mad face, and they glued And fingerprinted the rest. 

Ants 

We completed this project after reading the story "Two Bad Ants" by Chris VanAllsburg. I love that book by the way. We wrote about where we would go if we were tiny ants and could fit anywhere. Lots of the kids said some pretty interesting places; such as, inside their book box, mailbox, or cubby. 

Lastly, we wrote about things that bug us. I was a little worried they'd write about super sad things like many of them did for the grouchy ladybug, but these turned out more funny than sad. One of the kids wrote that it bugs him when his dad farts! Lol some of the things they wrote cracked me up. But yes, some were still sad to read. I was glad to see they felt comfortable being honest with me, but I hated seeing the things that break their sweet little hearts. 

We also inspected plastic bugs using magnifying glasses, did some ladybug addition math, danced to "Head, Thorax, Abdomen" to the tune of "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes", watched some great BrainPop videos, and read some wonderful Scholastic magazines about insects. Next year in addition to raising caterpillars, I would like to raise ladybugs, have an ant farm, and have a beekeeper come speak to the class. There are so many awesome ideas for things to do when teaching about insects, but never enough time!! If only I had the kids 24 hours a day! :)