Life Cycles

The children in my care had a special request to look at the life cycles of specific animals and insects. This focus will continue into next week due to an unexpected snow day. The children had prior experiences with turtles, frogs and bees, so we began our focus there. Here is a similar video to the protected one we watched as we began our look at turtles:

 We also read "Turtles" by Melvin and Gilda Berger.

Some of our turtle activities included a number clip card from this link and a turtle craft from this site. We also reviewed the life cycle of a turtle with an activity from this link.

 A sea turtle joined other sea life in our sensory table.

We watched another protected video on that showcased two boys and their pond. We followed the life cycle of a frog from the egg, to the tadpole (pollywog) and eventually to a full- grown frog. If you get a chance, check out the "Tadpoles to Frogs" video on YouTube by KDSpencerVideo. We also read "A Frog in the Bog" by Karma Wilson. Our frog activities included a transfer activity from this link and "frog eggs" (water beads) in our sensory table. The natural items in the water table were inspired by Puzzles Family Day Care.

The children loved the water beads so much that we extended our exploration to a transfer activity on the light table.

We continued our look at life cycles as we explored the life of a bee. I used Google Images to make copies on translucent card stock for our light table and for a Dr. Jean version of "Bringing Home a Baby Bumble Bee." We used these to make a book to go along with the song. Using paper lunch bags, we made a type of "lift the flap" book.

Exploring bugs along with bees in our sensory table included a color sorting/ insect search in a bean/ rice mixture as well as making impressions in play dough. One of the children pointed out the "fossil" look that the imprints made.

 After watching a scientific video on the life cycle of a bee, we made our own version of a honey comb with bubble wrap.

The ground showed up for part of the week before more snow came and covered everything again. The children were able to dig in the black potting soil and make mud in our outdoor sensory table.

Next week we will explore the life cycle of a Hippopotamus along with animals that interest the children in my care. Until then, enjoy "Pollywog in a Bog" from one of my favorite children's album.