Emergence of the Painted Ladies

I have been somewhat concerned that our painted ladies would not emerge in time for the children to enjoy them prior to our summer recess. Fortunately, 4 of the 5 have now emerged! Now we can all take our two week break with some closure.

We spent a lot of time observing our new butterfly friends today and reciting our finger play over and over and over again.

"First there was an egg sitting on a leaf."

(Hold one hand flat and curl index finger to make the egg on the leaf)

"Out popped a munching, crunching caterpillar"

(swiggle/wiggle index finger along)

"Then up it climbed and made a chrysalis"

(Bring index finger up in front of your face and wrap it with your other hand)

"It wiggled as it worked, and out came a butterfly!"

(move your hands around as the chrysalis, side your thumbs to interlock, and flap your hands like butterfly wings)

Comments

Play for Life said…

What a wonderful experience for your children Amy. We haven't hatched butterflies for a few years now but I remember the nervous excitement I experienced when we did. There is just something about new life that is nerve-wracking and exciting at the same time ... regardless of species. Oh and I love your little finger play .. very cute!
Donna :) :)

June 25, 2010 at 7:50 PM

Ticia said…

Thanks for including this link, I must have forgotten to clip this when I first read it. Next year I'll have to see if we can find monarchs, I love monarch butterflies.

June 28, 2010 at 8:45 AM

A Few Ideas With Marker Caps (As Promised)

Yesterday, I hope I convinced you not to throw away your markers that "don't work." Today, I will share with you a few ideas for what to do with all of the caps. The possibilities are nearly endless, but here are a few of our recent creations: 1) A Leprechaun/Fairy Ladder/Rope Ladder: 2) #1 if not permanently secured can also double as a rope bridge: 3) #1/#2 can also be made into a train track for your homemade trains :). (No photo available) 4) You can use them as beads for a necklace: 5) You could make them into a wind chime. (No photo available). 6. You can use them as small manipulatives to count, sort, and make patterns with. (No photo available). 7) You could use them as playing pieces in your own homemade board game. (No photo available). 8) You could put them on a wire and glue them in place to make a twirling whirly-gig. 9) You could top them with a lid from a milk jug to make tiny tables or toadstools. 10) You could make them...

"The Markers Don't Work!"

How may times have you heard, "Ms. (fill your name in here), this marker doesn't work!" I know I hear it all the time. Sometimes it is because our little friends forget to replace the caps, and sometimes the markers have just been "all used up!" What do you do with all those markers that just don't work? Please don't tell me that you throw them out, try this instead: First, sort your markers out. Put the caps in one container ( save those too, I'll show you what you can do with them in tomorrow's post) and the markers in another. I have a box for the markers that "don't work" for the children to place them into every time they run across one. You can also have the children help you test the markers periodically to sort out the ones that need to be removed from the "working set." When it comes time to use "the markers that don't work," we use a small sponge paint roller to roll water onto our card...

Our DIY Light Tables

There has been a lot of buzz about light tables over at Teach Preschool on Facebook . Deborah has collected some great ideas for light table play and has been experimenting with making her own table over on the Teach Preschool blog. I thought I would share with you our two light tables and how we made them. This first table is one that we put together with some scrap wood pieces, an old plexi-glass door from an entertainment center, and a couple of aquarium lights. Total Cost = $0. (We had everything on hand.) The table needs a little bit of tweaking. (It is on my to do list). Basically, we made a frame of wood around the plexi-glass and placed the lights under it. Our DIY skills in putting this together were far from expert, so the frame has a couple of gaps (and the reused wood is warped). We plan to try a new frame and use some caulk to seal any gaps. We also plan to attach the lights to the side of the frame instead of just placing them on the f...

Ms. Amy's Blog @Child Central Station

Search This Blog