Any good insect/spiders curriculum ideas?

Question

Teachers, parents, students, anyone! We have some important people coming to my preschool classroom (3's) and I want to step up my curriculum. I have much planned, but want to take it a step further..

I'm tired of being chewed out by my boss!!!

Room decorating ideas also welcome (dramatic play area, art area...)

Answer 1

Check out the theme provided web site perpetual child. com  They have a huge array of topics.  Teachers summit their ideas that have been used in a classroom.

Answer 2

When working at a preschool it's important to let these kids come up with art that you don't guide.  Give them black paper and a white crayon one day and say "Can you draw me a spider web?"  the next day give them pompoms and pipe cleaners cut to spider web size and ask if they would like to add spiders to their webs.  Do this and other projects like it and hang them up with a sign that says "Spiders live in Spider webs", the bosses like to see the art hanging up.  A good activity to do when they get there is to turn chairs on their side and give each child a length of white yarn, then have them wrap it around the chair legs to make a web.  Also, find songs and short books about spiders and insects.  When you read the book get out a large sheet of paper and ask the kids what they remember about the book or the insect you read about, then write their first name and what they said and hang it up in the classroom.  You could also have them make spider or other insect hats with a simple construction paper base and have them glue the legs on.  I hope this helped!

Answer 3

http://www.chemistry.org/portal/a/c/s/1/...

Answer 4

Learningpage.com is a website that has several themes for preschool age including insect/spiders. They have a mural, lesson plans, teacher notes, funsheets, and several other things that might help you. I love their site! You do need to sign in and become a member but it is a free site and they have never emailed me. The link is: http://www.learningpage.com/pages/menu_w...

Answer 5

Try these websites for theme ideas...

http://www.preschooleducation.com/

http://www.perpetualpreschool.com/

http://www.everythingpreschool.com/

As far as room layout... Divide the room into areas. Reading area, art area, blocks and trucks, dramatic play (kitchen, house, dress up), puzzles, etc. My suggestion is to put dramatic play in one corner (cause it can get quite messy) and a quiet area on the opposite side of the room. The rest can be divided by your shelving. Organize shelves by category and use them as physical dividers. Also, look into rugs for your room. It makes directions easier if you can say "go to the car rug" or "animal rug" or "abc rug" etc.

Good Luck!

Answer 6

For little ones I think counting is a good activity.  Count legs.  Insects have 6 and spiders 8.  So spiders are NOT insects.  Great time to introduce this difference as many children assume spiders are insects.  Teach the difference now.  

Also can teach 2 antennae, 2 pair of wings, 3 body parts...get them counting!

Answer 7

We are studying insects in my classroom right now also.  I ordered caterpillars and we are learning about the life cycle of a butterfly.  The children get to watch this process (it takes about three weeks) and then we will release the butterfly's. There is so much you can do with this type of activity.  We made a chart estimating how many days we think it will take for the caterpillars to turn into butterfly's.  We sequenced the life cycle with picture cards.  We have read many books on butterfly's, (they really like "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle)  

Hope this helps:)

You can order all kinds of insects on www.insectlore.com

Answer 8

HI

We did spiders...and spiderwebs...

some wonderful spiderweb ideas we did..we made a cooperation spider web. we passed a yarn ball around at circle time. Every 3rd person..we tied a knot. Then we hung it from the ceiling..and wrote inspirational quotes about cooeration and team work.

the children then made spiders out of egg cartons and pipe cleaners..some even put cotton balls on them..and colored them black with a marker..to make trantula's.

we talked about different type of spiders..and safe ones in our house. we talked about spiders have feelings...

we watched the movie spider web...and i read the book to them..the chapter book...during rest time..a little each day...while they fell to sleep.

another idea..if you have a lot of spider webs..make a spider web print...spray spider web (if no one is in it) with aerosol hair spray...shake a little bit of powder tempra paint on it..and press on a paper and you have a print

you can also do sugar and water..and dip chalk in it..and make your own spider web on black construction paper...talk about shapes of spider webs..etc.

you can talk about the feel of spider webs....put some in the media table...open ended ideas..spread across the top of media table...put plastic spders or insects in it.

take a walk looking for spider webs...like to make on top of bushes, in door ways/window ways..etc.

have a spider obstacle course...(large motor/gross motor)...walk like a spider...over different materials...around..in out...etc. use ice cream cones..etc.

there is a catalog for educators of young kids..that have live habitats for insects..butterflies, etc..you can raise from lava..Bug Lore (google it..then click on site..it is in catalog form..and inexpensive).

Make a chart...when you start the curriculum..ask the kids what they know....what they want to learn...and then after done..what did they learn? keep it posted in the classroom....

hang kids spiders from the ceiling on a piece of fishing line...do it by the height of each child....(measure the string to their height)....a little math....mark height on an index card on the string...say..."johnny spider..is  __feet tall" this was a big hit with our families...

go to the library and take out books on spiders/insects...their jobs ....and how they help the enviroment..display around the classroom...ask families to come in and read to your children/students...

talk about what they like to eat...put them in ziplock baggies...and tape shut and hang in the sciene area....

just some thoughts from the past curriculums i have done!

good luck!

have fun and the kids will have fun also..and it will reflect in your work!