Ladybug Day finally arrived! It was fabulous to see all the first grade ladybugs marching in this morning. They entered the classroom and found ladybugs were all over the place. Even the class pets got into the spirit of the day!
After much excited milling about, the first graders unpacked. They received ladybug pencils and read a silly ladybug poem. Then we looked at the schedule during our morning meeting; it was taken over by ladybugs!
After reading the book Bright Beetle,, the boys and girls learned about ladybug anatomy. They were introduced to new vocabulary like pronotum and elytra. The first graders also learned about the structural and behavioral adaptations of ladybugs. Together, we completed a chart that listed ladybug body parts and ladybug actions that help them survive. Ask your child to tell you about ladybug adaptations!
After the first grade ladybugs played outside, they observed real ladybugs. Each child was given a cup with a ladybug inside. They made written and drawn observations about what the ladybug looked like and what it was doing. Some were very fast and some tried to fly. Ask your child about his/her observations!
Most of the ladybugs we observed had spots, but some did not. When ladybugs do have spots, they are arranged symmetrically. The first graders created ladybugs with symmetrical spots. Ask your child how he/she did this!
We passed out ladybug stickers and wished people a Happy Ladybug Day! Mr. Kosko visited us to see why there were so many giant red ladybugs at school. The lunchroom was nice enough to serve aphids during lunch today which was great because ladybugs enjoy eating those juicy green pests.
Two other books we read during the day were Little Buggy and The Life Cycle of a Ladybug. The former is a sweet story about a little ladybug learning to fly and the value of not giving up. The latter gave us more details about the different stages in the life of a ladybug: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. The boys and girls were able to observe our ladybug larvae become ladybug pupae in the classroom this past week. Most of the pupae have now become adult ladybugs like the one in our big ladybug habitat.
The last big activity involved making a model of the life cycle of a ladybug. The boys and girls glued drawings of the stages in a ladybug's life onto a big green paper they had cut into the shape of a leaf. We ended the the ladybug portion of our day by preparing and playing Ladybug Bingo.
There are many pictures of the day already on our Shutterfly site. I think all the first grade ladybugs will sleep well tonight. It was a busy day!
After much excited milling about, the first graders unpacked. They received ladybug pencils and read a silly ladybug poem. Then we looked at the schedule during our morning meeting; it was taken over by ladybugs!
After reading the book Bright Beetle,, the boys and girls learned about ladybug anatomy. They were introduced to new vocabulary like pronotum and elytra. The first graders also learned about the structural and behavioral adaptations of ladybugs. Together, we completed a chart that listed ladybug body parts and ladybug actions that help them survive. Ask your child to tell you about ladybug adaptations!
After the first grade ladybugs played outside, they observed real ladybugs. Each child was given a cup with a ladybug inside. They made written and drawn observations about what the ladybug looked like and what it was doing. Some were very fast and some tried to fly. Ask your child about his/her observations!
Most of the ladybugs we observed had spots, but some did not. When ladybugs do have spots, they are arranged symmetrically. The first graders created ladybugs with symmetrical spots. Ask your child how he/she did this!
We passed out ladybug stickers and wished people a Happy Ladybug Day! Mr. Kosko visited us to see why there were so many giant red ladybugs at school. The lunchroom was nice enough to serve aphids during lunch today which was great because ladybugs enjoy eating those juicy green pests.
Two other books we read during the day were Little Buggy and The Life Cycle of a Ladybug. The former is a sweet story about a little ladybug learning to fly and the value of not giving up. The latter gave us more details about the different stages in the life of a ladybug: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. The boys and girls were able to observe our ladybug larvae become ladybug pupae in the classroom this past week. Most of the pupae have now become adult ladybugs like the one in our big ladybug habitat.
The last big activity involved making a model of the life cycle of a ladybug. The boys and girls glued drawings of the stages in a ladybug's life onto a big green paper they had cut into the shape of a leaf. We ended the the ladybug portion of our day by preparing and playing Ladybug Bingo.
There are many pictures of the day already on our Shutterfly site. I think all the first grade ladybugs will sleep well tonight. It was a busy day!