After I noticed the children’s interest in bugs, I decided to take photos whenever they noticed one so I could print them and we could create a poster together. Now that our poster has been created and is in our center, I notice as the children enter with their parents they often bring them over and point out the different bugs to them.
Before creating our poster I brought the photos forward to the children so we could recall taking them together. After this I had them help me add them to the poster board, then decorate it. This is how I decided to bring forth the photos, to give space for more conversation surrounding bugs.
Narration with the kids:
“Do you think the bugs are out today”
“Maybe”
“Or do you think it’s too cold because Jack Frost came last night?”
“Yea”
“Where do you think the bugs go in the winter?”
“In the ground”
“Oh, so you think they hibernate like other animals?”
“And like humans in their houses”
Bugs and kindness:
When new bugs are noticed, the children will approach and ask me to look and take a photo for our bug poster. We have a few children who often try to step on them, especially spiders. I take this opportunity to talk about how the bugs live outside and we also need to be kind to bugs, just like we are kind to one another.
Bug Activities!:
Deb introduced our class to the Child Care Resource and Referral, (CCRR). We had the opportunity to learn about the resources they provide, and along with this, we got a tour and the opportunity to utilize the lending library! I brought three boxes to my center, however, the contents were more activity-based. I used parts of each box in different settings around the classroom. I read a few books on butterflies, engaged in a matching color/bug game, and brought the rubber bugs into our play with playdough. Here we enjoyed making impressions of each one and seeing the difference between the back and front sides of each impression! Unfortunately, I didn’t get any photos of these engagements!