Pinning with Purpose: Bug Preschool Lesson

Focus: Counting, Science - Curds and Whey, Art, Pretend Play, Team Building & Sportsmanship

Things you'll need for this lesson:

Exploring bugs activity - magnifying glasses optional
Dead or alive counting game - at least 10 plastic bugs
Little Miss Muffet science - milk, vinegar, see-through cup
Spider web team building activity - yarn
Egg carton spider craft - egg carton, black paint/paint brushes/paint shirts or aprons, jiggly eyes, black pipe cleaners, glue gun

Exploring Bugs Activity:

It was a beautiful day. I gave each of the kids a magnifying glass (I found them at the dollar store).

(Before going outside set up some ground rules about sticking together and where they can go.) We headed outside to see how many bugs we could find. We talked about their similarities and differences; we counted them; we talked about their colors. The kids had fun running all over the place finding bugs. The girls were more hesitant about getting close to the bugs than the boys.

Dead or Alive Counting Game:

Once we came inside we played a math game. I grabbed 10 plastic bugs and threw them in the air. When they landed we counted how many were dead (lying on their backs) and how many were alive (standing on their feet). Each kid had a chance to throw the bugs.

Little Miss Muffet Acting Game;

I taught the kids the poem Little Miss Muffet. I let them pretend to be either the spider or Miss Muffet. The kids loved scaring each other and running away.

Curds and Whey Science Activity:

After acting we did this Curds and Whey Science Experiment. We poured our milk into a see-through glass, added the vinegar (it was stinky) and we waited. The kids watched the curds form.

Spider Web Team Building Activity:

I gathered the kids and we formed a circle. I held a ball of yarn and tossed it to one of the kids. They held onto the yarn and then threw the ball to another kid. We did this over and over until a web formed between us.

Egg Carton Spiders;

The kids put on their paint shirts or aprons and headed over to the table. I set up some egg cartons and black paint. The kids painted the egg cartons. When they finished painting they added jiggly eyes. I hot glued some pipe cleaner legs onto their dry spiders.