Thursday, May 11

 Group Meeting:  The question for today was "Would you rather be a bee or a butterfly?"  Reasons for choosing the butterfly were because they are pretty and because they can fly.  Reasons for choosing the bee were because they make honey and because they can sting.

Story:  The story for today was The Bug Girl by Sopia Spencer.  In this true story, Sophia tells us that her love for bugs began at an early age, 2 1/2 years old.  When she started Kindergarten, the children in her class thought her knowledge of bugs was amazing.  When she started first grade, the children started to tease her and tell her that she was strange.  They made fun of her love for bugs.  So she stopped.  It made her sad.  Her mother contacted an entomologist and asked for some support.  She discovered a wonderful group of people who supported her love for bugs.

Let's Find Out Magazine:  Our magazine took us back to April when we read the Eric Carle book, A House for a Hermit Crab.  This issue is all about real hermit crabs and how they select seashells for their homes.  Please help your child complete the back page of the magazine.

Snack:  Today was May Birthday Day.  The children made apple nachos.  They took turns cranking an apple peeler/slicer  to make apple spirals.  They drizzled them with honey and sprinkled mini chocolate chips on top.  We also had birthday zebra cakes (Walmart was out of Cosmic Brownies😉)   Milk and water was served as well.

Wednesday, May 10

Group Meeting:  The question for today was "Do you like honey?"  Our insect of focus today was the bee.  

Story:  The story for today was To Bee or Not to Bee by P.J. Kennan.  Benny the bee thinks that he would like to be something besides a bee.  He flies around asking other insects about what they like to do.  He finds that mosquitos drink blood, flies eat garbage, and dung beetles like poop.  After looking at all of the other insects, he decides that being is bee is what he is supposed to be.

We went to the Outdoor Classroom today for play time.  We took art supplies and toys out with us so that we could play in the sunshine.

Large Group:  We watched a video about bees and how they make honey.

Snack:  The snack for today was Very Berry Cheerios, milk and water.

Group Meeting:  The question for today was "Would you rather have wings or arms?"  After everyone signed in, I asked them to explain why they chose what they did.

Story:  The story for today was Are You a Beetle? by Judy Allen and Fiona Osbaldstone.  This book describes the life cycle of a the tiger beetle.  Most beetles start out as larva in the ground.  After they grow, they create a pupa case.  They emerge from the pupa case as tiger beetles.  Tiger beetles are green with white spots.  Ask your child to tell you why they are called tiger beetles if they don't look like tigers?

Small Groups:  The children matched rhyming word pictures in the Ladybug Matching game.

Large Group:  The children went outside for an obstacle course.  They had to throw, run, and balance through the course on the grass.

Snack:  The snack for today was carrots, peanut butter, ranch dip, milk and water.

Monday, May 8

Group Meeting:  The question for today was "Which insect do you like best?"  The children were given a choice of butterfly, preying mantis, or ladybug.  Ask your child to tell you which insect had the most names under it.

Story:  The story for today was The Ants Who Couldn't Dance by Susan Rich Brooke. A group of ants at a picnic see people dancing.  They want to dance too.  After trying, they decide that they should grab the left over food and head back to the ant hill.  Along the way, they see a beaver, a squirrel and a bird dancing.  They are disappointed that they can't dance.  Then an ant has an idea.  What if they could line dance?  Will this work?  Ask your child to tell you.

Small Groups:  Children working in pairs were asked to sort a tub of plastic insects into groups.  Some chose to sort by color.  Some chose to sort by type of bug.  We tried to think of other categories that we could sort the bugs into.

Large Group:  The children followed a yoga video about a stick bug who wants to go to a ball to dance with the other bugs.  We did lots of stretching and flexing.

Snack:  The snack for today was whole wheat waffles, cinnamon butter, milk and water.

Thursday, May 4

Group Meeting:  The question for the day was "Did you see an insect on the way to school today?"  Most of the children said that they did not, but a few said that they saw ants on the sidewalk.

Story:  The story for today was I Can't, Said the Ant by Polly Cameron.  A teapot has fallen on the floor and is asking for help to get back on the shelf.  The teapot calls out to an ant but the ant thinks he can't.  In this book of rhyming words, the ant finds that with help from his ant friends and a few spider friends, that he can get the teapot back on the shelf.

Small Groups:  We went outside on an insect hunt.  We looked under trees, in the grass, under rocks, and in the dirt for various ants.

Let's Find Out Magazine:  The magazine for today was about movement, specifically push and pull.  If you'd like more information, go to letsfindout.com Login as a student and use the password redeemer.

Snack:  The children had a choice today of pears, peaches, or mandarin oranges.

Tuesday, May 2

Group Meeting:  The question for today was "Would you pick up this insect?"  The picture was of an ant.  Most of the children said that they would, but a few thought that ants were "yucky".

Story:  The story for today was Ten Little Caterpillars by Bill Martin Jr., illustrated by Lois Ehlert.   This story follows ten caterpillars as they search for food to eat before creating a chrysalis.  Along the way, they meet other little insects and dodge a chicken, fish and a toad that may want to eat them.  Ask your child to tell you what happens to the caterpillar at the end.

Small Groups:  The children used their hands to clap out the syllables in the names of insects.  

Large Group:  I hid pictures of insects and animals around the classroom.  The children had to find them and decide which were insects and which were animals.  They have learned that insects have three body sections, antenna, and six legs.

Snack:  The snack for today was bananas, peanut butter, Nutella, milk and water. 

Our field trip will be held tomorrow.  We will meet at the preschool and carpool over together.  We will be inside and outside, so dress appropriately.  

Monday, May 1

Thank you to everyone who was able to come to the Art Show on Thursday.  It was wonderful to see everyone!

Group Meeting:  This week, we are starting a study of insects.  We will be answering a question every day as we sign in.  The question for today was "Do you know the name of this insect?"  If you don't know, ask your child!

Story:  The story for today was Bumble Bee, Bumble Bee, Do You Know Me? by Anne Rockwell.  This is a book of flower and insect names.  We saw butterflies, katydids, June bugs, and leafhoppers.  The flowers were zinnias, roses, lilies, and daisies.  This will help us with insect identification.

Large Group:  The children played an insect guessing game.  I described an insect to see if they could name it or match it to the picture.

Letter Learning:  We finished the letters last week on Thursday with the letter Uu.  We will play letter games for the remainder of the school year.

Snacks:  The snack for today was corn chips, salsa, milk and water.