With the children making lots of insect observations over the last few days in particular - in the garden and when out on our walks I wanted to explore with them more closely some fun facts and crafts, linking to insects.
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The butterflies are loving next doors buddlejia (the butterfly bush as they're sometimes called). The children have observed the butterflies sitting on the emerging blooms and flying back and forth, often using our garden as a resting spot in the sunshine.
So a good starting point is the butterfly. We have been looking at pictures of butterflies and exploring the colours and patterns we can see. We've also explored symmetry. Recently we made some adorable butterflies that are now tied up in the garden on a piece of string fluttering about in the light breeze.
Yesterday we started to look at caterpillars. We read the wonderful story of The Very Hungry Caterpillar and the children really enjoyed watching the online animation too! The asked if they could make a Hungry Caterpillar which I thought was a super idea.
We used some cardboard that I had recycled to make some templates and the children went to the craft store to gather some materials they might need for their creation.
They kept referring back to the book to make sure they had all the colours they needed.
They kept referring back to the book to make sure they had all the colours they needed.
We used this tray. These tray dividers are super for setting up activities like this. It stores the materials neatly and effectively. We use them often in our activities.
The children set to work right away covering their caterpillars in glue and using the green collage materials to cover their bodies. They all came together differently. Some were stripy some of them had darker spots dotted around.
Once completely covered over they started to add some more character to their creations by using pens and stampers to add additional marks and colouring on their creations. I really loved how they started to come together.
They used a cork screw dipped in red paint and red stampers to colour the caterpillars face. Before turning to the eyes, referring back to the book to copy what they saw.
Lets see this activity in action:
The caterpillars had to be left to dry. We left them overnight. The following day we stuck them together using PVA glue. PVA would provide more strength to hold the pieces together rather than the pritt-stick we had used to complete the caterpillar collages the day before.
Within the hour the craft was complete and we had 4 adorable caterpillars. I love crafting with the children. It's such a fun way to fill time and enjoy quality time together. I really do find that creating and making really does help to ignite their imagination and be inquisitive.
Today I shall be ordering them the Butterfly net so we can feed and grow our very own caterpillars. They will love watching the caterpillars transform into beautiful butterflies. What better way to explore the life cycle than to have it unfold before your very eyes in your own home!
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