incredible insects guide (1)464aa5408536cd241b38-a45b01753b8639a65bf860074c5c0c83.r7.… ·...

© Two Little Hands Productions. Rachel & the TreeSchoolers “Incredible Insects” Guide Permission to duplicate granted for educational purposes. www.treeschoolers.com 1

About Episode 3: Incredible Insects Firefly Hue helps the TreeSchoolers learn about all the ways that insects are incredible, but he’s still feeling small. Together Rachel, Hue and their TreeSchooler friends learn about insects – and how even small things like bugs can have a really important purpose in life. Key questions

• What makes insects different than other animals? • What are the parts of an insect? • Why are insects important? • How can small things make a big difference?

Key skills, concepts, and values

• Important purposes of insects • How insects are different from other animals • Insect vocabulary: head, thorax, abdomen, invertebrate, exoskeleton • How to learn something new: wonder, ask, learn, share • Appreciating the value of every person • The value of doing nice things for other people

Signs Research shows that signing can help preschool children learn and remember how to spell the words they hear and read. In this episode, Rachel teaches the signs for all the letters of the alphabet. In this Guide Activity 1: Bug Life Activity 2: Bug Math Activity 3: Bug Food Activity 4: Bug Signs Printables Book: My Incredible Insects Book Cards: Word Cards, Sign Cards, Character Cards Lyrics: Incredible Insects Song Lyrics Certificate: For learning concepts presented in this episode

Available at www.treeschoolers.com


ACTIVITY 1: Bug Life – We’re Going on a Bug Hunt! Purpose The best way to observe bugs is in their natural environment. In this activity, your child will look around his or her own environment to find a bug’s environment. Some insects bite or sting. Don’t pick up or disturb the insects you find. By observing rather than handling, your child (and the insects) will remain safe from harm. Objective Your child will complete a “bug hunt” around the yard or park. Materials

• Hand-‐held magnifying glass • A paintbrush to brush away leaves and dirt • A camera to “collect” finds

Steps

1. Let your child choose a place to begin your hunt. Follow your child’s lead – let him think of good places to find the bugs and lead the way in exploration. Good places to start are: on flowers, under rocks and stepping-‐stones, in piles of leaves, in tree bark, and in taller grass.

2. Observe the bug in its natural habitat. When you find a bug, encourage your child to observe it with your magnifying glass and/or take pictures of it with your camera.

3. Talk as you watch the bug. Ask leading open-‐ended questions such as: • Why do you think the bug chose this place for his home? • What do you think this bug will find for dinner? • How does this bug stay safe from predators? • Where does the bug go to sleep?

4. Watch the bug indoors for a short time. If you can safely get the bug into a jar (with holes in the lid) or a commercial bug house, you can take it indoors for closer observation. Help your child fill the container with sticks and leaves, etc., and talk about how the bug needs these to live. Keep it a short time and return it exactly where you found it.

5. Identify your bug These website can help you identify insects: • http://bugguide.net/node/view/15740 • http://www.insectidentification.org/


Follow-‐up Activities

• What can you do when you’re small? In Incredible Insects, Hue the firefly feels sad because he is very small. Sometimes children can feel that way as well! Talk with your child about all the great things you can do when you’re small! (Fit just right in a parent’s lap, go down a narrow slide, curl up in a ball, retrieve something from a small space - like keys falling between the seats of the car, etc.) Remember what Rachel told Hue: “Hue, just because you’re small doesn’t mean you can’t do great things! Sometimes the small things are the ones that make the biggest difference.”

• Move like a bug: Hop, creep, crawl, and fly!

Play a creative movement game with your child where she (and maybe you!) moves around like the bugs in Incredible Insects. Practice hopping, creeping, crawling, and “flying” in a variety of ways.

I am afraid of bugs! What should I do? Some people find bugs completely unappealing, or may even have a real fear of some of them. If this is true for you, follow these tips.

Stay emotionally neutral Instead of saying how you might really feel, (“Ew! Gross!” or “Yikes!”), you can stay neutral by simply describing what you see, such as, “Wow, that bug sure has wavy antennae and big eyes!” This will prevent your child from adopting your fears. Explain why some insects bite or sting If you see a bee, you naturally want your child to know that it can sting. To help put this fear into perspective, help your child understand that there’s a reason why some insects sting or bite. Explain how bees have stingers to keep their hive safe. When a bee feels threatened, it will sting (and give up its own life) to protect its home. That’s a pretty incredible sacrifice!


ACTIVITY 2: My Incredible Insects Book Purpose This activity is to apply the math and vocabulary skills presented in Incredible Insects. Creating and reading this booklet is an interactive way to promote communication. Objective Your child will make her own My Incredible Insects Book. Materials

• My Incredible Insects Book pages(see the printables section of this guide) • Art supplies as needed (crayons, colored pencils, glue, scissors)

Steps

1. Print the My Incredible Insects Book pages. Staple the left edge together to make a book – or hole-‐punch the pages and put them in a 3-‐ring binder.

2. Help your child complete the pages. You can take your time in doing this, a page a day would be fine.

3. Read the finished book together. Read the finished book at bedtime. Talk about each page as you go. Let your child “read” the book to you!

Follow-‐up Activities: Go to the library and find these books on bug math:

• How Many Bugs in a Box, by David A. Carter • One Hundred Hungry Ants by Elinor J. Pincezes


ACTIVITY 3: Bug Picnic Purpose Coming up with an idea (hypothesis) and testing it out is something even young ones can do! Allow children to get creative in choosing some of their own favorite foods to see if bugs in their backyard will like them, too. Objective Your child will choose her four favorite foods to make a bug picnic. She will predict which foods ants or other backyard insects will like best, then test her hypothesis. Materials

• A white paper plate • A pen, crayon or marker • Four different types of foods -‐ kid’s choice • ¼ cup measuring cup

Steps

1. Talk with your child about how bugs sometimes eat people food. Recall that the ants ate Rachel’s peanut butter and honey sandwich in Incredible Insects. Talk about times your child may have seen ants or other bugs eating people food in your house or outside.

2. Ask your child to choose four favorite foods to set outside for bugs. Tip – steer your child toward choosing at least one sweet treat like applesauce, which should attract bugs quickly.

3. Divide the paper plate into four sections. Help your child draw a line across the middle of the plate – both vertically and horizontally -‐ to make four sections.

4. Put the four foods on the plate and place it outside. Work together to measure out about ¼ cup of each food – pace one in each quadrant of the paper plate. Ask your child to predict which food will be most popular at the bug picnic. Place the plate outside and check it periodically.

5. Watch what happens – then talk about it! Observe which foods the insects are interested in most – and the least. Watch for the different kinds of insects who show up to your bug picnic. Ask your child if her prediction (hypothesis) was correct.



Creative Sandwiches In Incredible Insects, Rachel tells us that her favorite sandwiches are made with peanut butter and honey. Ask your child to invent a creative sandwich. Encourage him to think of new things to put into the sandwiches, like slices of fruit, pretzels, etc. Make the creative sandwich together and enjoy!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Read this classic story by Eric Carle together. This book is great for many things: learning about the lifecycle of a butterfly, counting practice, and even a little nutrition! Point out to your child that when the hungry caterpillar ate all the junk food that is when he got a tummy ache. A nice healthy green leaf made him feel better! Talk with your child about foods that are good to eat, and foods that might make you ill if you eat too much. There are some great activities that teach healthy food choices in the TreeSchoolers Episode 2 Activity Guide.

Bug Snacks

• Ants in Your Pants Cut out bread to look like pants, spread with a nut or sunflower butter and sprinkle chocolate chips or raisins on them.

• Ants on a Log The classic snack of celery stuffed with a nut/sunflower butter or cream cheese, with a line of raisins stuck on top.


ACTIVITY 4: Sing and Sign -‐ Bug ABCs Purpose Children learn best when their bodies are physically engaged in learning. In this activity, children will practice their ABCs using the American Sign Language (ASL) alphabet. ASL naturally harnesses the multi-‐sensory approach of hands on learning and is a fantastic tool to use as a learning and memory aide for all children. Objective Your child will review the letters and sounds of the alphabet using ASL signs. Materials Print these documents found in the printables section of this document:

• Bug ABCs song lyrics page • Bug ABC sign cards (A-‐Z)

Steps

1. Watch Rachel sing and sign Bug ABCs in the video Incredible Insects. Sing along using the lyrics page.

2. Practice alphabet signs with the Bug ABC sign cards. Print the cards back to back. Cut them out. Lay them out in order. Practice the signs in order.

3. Watch Bug ABCs again and sign along! Sign along and see if you can keep up with Rachel.


Alphabet of Insects book Check out the book Alphabet of Insects by Barbie Heir Schwaeber. Sign the ASL alphabet as you read the book together. ABC Animal Cards Print out just the sign sides of the Bug ABC sign cards. Cut out the cards. On the blank side, have your child draw an animal whose name starts with that letter of the alphabet. Hands-‐On Caterpillar and Butterfly Art Create thumbprint caterpillars by placing several thumbprints in a row, and adding eyes, antennae, and legs with marker. You can also create handprint butterflies by creating the wings with handprints (two on each side for the split wings on a butterfly) and drawing in the body, head, eyes, and antennae.


I WONDER: More topics to explore Here are some questions that you and your child can explore to learn more about incredible insects.

• What’s the difference between a bug and an insect?

• What is pollination?

• How do insects help with pollination?

• What would happen if we didn’t have pollinators?

• How do crickets chirp? Why do they chirp?

• If spiders are not insects, then what are they?

• What are the stages of metamorphosis?

• How do ants communicate with each other?

• Do bees within a hive each have different jobs?

• What makes lightning bugs glow?

© Two Little Hands Productions www.treeschoolers.com

My

Incredible Insects

Book

This Book Belongs To:

______________________________________________________________________


A Bug, or Not? Insects have two antennae, six legs, and a three-‐part body with a head, thorax and abdomen. See the pictures below. Circle the insects and put an X through the ones that are not insects. Alternative activity: print page, cut out images and sort them.


Lady Bug Counting Poem Read the ladybug counting poem with a grown-‐up. Then draw a ladybug on this page!

I saw a little lady bug flying in the air, But when I tried to catch her, two bugs were there. Two little lady bugs flew up in a tree. I tiptoed very quietly, and then I saw three. Three little lady bugs--I looked for one more. I saw one sitting on the ground, that made four. Four little lady bugs--another one arrived. I saw her sitting on a flower, and that made five. Five little lady bugs, all red and black-- I clapped my hands and shouted, and they all flew back!


Counting Bees

Count the bees in as many ways as you can! Count up, count down, count diagonal. How many bees in all?


Alike and Different

Compare these two insects: a firefly and an earwig. How are they alike? How are they different?


Bug Measurements Collect a few things from around the house such as: a set of pennies, buttons, o-‐shaped cereal, small race cars, etc. Using these items as a standard of measurement, see how many “Pennies long”, or “buttons long”, etc. Hue is.

Hue’s measurements:

number measurement

_________ _______________________ long

_________ _______________________ long

_________ _______________________ long


Share What You Know: Parts of an Insect Point to the different parts of this insect. Where are the legs, antennae, head, thorax, and abdomen? Draw a line from each word to the corresponding part of the insect.

ANTENNAE LEGS HEAD THORAX ABDOMEN


Bug Shoes! All insects have six legs. Draw six different silly shoes on this shiny beetle.


Draw a Bug Take a walk outside and find an insect. Draw a picture of your insect here.

Songs from Rachel & The TreeSchoolers Episode 3: Incredible Insects © Two Little Hands Productions www.treeschoolers.com

Rachel and the TreeSchoolers Theme Song

Rachel and the TreeSchoolers Rachel and the TreeSchoolers

I’m Penny I’m Simon

I’m Abacus Finch Rachel and the TreeSchoolers

Chroma Chameleon Yo, I’m Isaac Newt

Rachel and the TreeSchoolers Abigail Nightingale

The firefly, Hue Rachel and the TreeSchoolers

Bongo (ha ha ha ha) And me Tomas, you’ll love me

Rachel and the TreeSchoolers We love Preschool

We love TreeSchool Rachel and the TreeSchoolers

Yeah! (ha ha ha)


I Wonder I wonder Do you wonder? It all begins with wonder With a question on your mind You will find the world is wonderful I wonder Do you wonder? The world is full of wonder Every day is a surprise You and I will find the wonderful I wonder how a tiny seedling Can grow up to become a giant tree I wonder about flowers Why some are small, some tower I wonder about all these lovely things I wonder Do you wonder? It all begins with wonder With a question on your mind You will find the world is wonderful With a question on your mind You will find the world is wonderful


Insects are Incredible Insects are incredible they sure are incredible Insects are incredible Insects are incredible they sure are incredible Insects are incredible Butterflies flying by they’re more than just pretty They pollinate flowers all over the city Butterflies flying by they’re more than just pretty They pollinate flowers they’re making me dizzy Insects are incredible they sure are incredible Insects are incredible Insects are incredible they sure are incredible Insects are incredible Honeybees buzzing by they sure get around They’re making us honey from all over town Honeybees buzzing by they sure get around They’re making us honey yeah, I’m loving that sound Beetles help the soil Silkworms make silk for us Ants and termites clean the forest Butterflies and bees help flowers grow Thank you little buts for our fruits and vegetables (Thank you little bugs!) Insects are incredible they sure are incredible Insects are incredible Insects are incredible they sure are incredible Insects are incredible


An Insect Has… Hop, hop, creep, creep, crawl, crawl, fly, fly, fly, fly, fly An insect has two antennae An insect has six legs An insect has a head An insect has a thorax An insect has an abdomen And so do I An insect has two antennae An insect has six legs An insect has a head An insect has a thorax An insect has an abdomen And so do I Insects, insects, insects everywhere You see them in the park You see them in the grass You see them in the dark You can see them in the air Insects, insects, insects everywhere You hear them buzzing by You hear them hiss or squeak You hear them hum at night You hear them in your sleep Hop, hop, creep, creep, crawl, crawl, fly, fly, insects everywhere!


Bug ABCs Aphid A Butterfly B Cricket C Dragonfly D Earwig E Sing with me They don’t bug me In the ABCs Firefly F Glowworm G Honey bee H Inchworm I June bug J I don’t know why They don’t bug me In the ABCs Bugs, bugs, bugs Amazing bugs Katydid K Lacewing L Mosquito M Net-wing N Owlfly O

Oh, I don’t know why They don’t bug me In the ABCs Praying mantis P Queen bee Q Robber fly R Stink bug S Termite T You can see They don’t bug me In the ABCs Bugs, bugs, bugs Amazing bugs Underwing U Velvet ant V Wasp W Xylodromus X Yellow jacket Y Zorapteran Z They don’t bug me, no they don’t bug me They don’t bug me In the ABCs


We’ll Find You, Bugs! Look high, look low We’ll find you bugs, we’ll find you bugs Look far, look close We’ll find you bugs, we’ll find you bugs Underneath a rock, underneath a pot Climbing in the trees Living off of leaves Look high, look low We’ll find you bugs, we’ll find you bugs Look far, look close We’ll find you bugs, we’ll find you bugs Underneath the dirt, underneath a log Living in my yard All around the pond High and low and everywhere On the ground and in the air In the dirt, under leaves In the flowers and the trees Look high, look low We’ll find you bugs, we’ll find you bugs Look far, look close We’ll find you bugs, we’ll find you bugs


Share It

Yes you’ve wondered, You kept on asking

You kept on asking ‘til you understood And now that you know the answer

There’s just one more thing you have to do

Go share it with a friend

Share it with a friend Share it with a friend

Yes anyone will do

Go share it with a friend Share it with a friend

When you share it with a friend It becomes a part of you

You can share it with a grown up

A baby or a shoe You can share it with a neighbor

A bird or bee or newt!

Go share it with a friend Share it with a friend

When you share it with a friend It becomes a part of you

Rachel & the TreeSchoolers “Incredible Insects” | www.treeschoolers.com Rachel & the TreeSchoolers “Incredible Insects” | www.treeschoolers.com


© Two Little Hands Productions. Duplication permission granted for educational purposes. www.treeschoolers.com

Rachel & the TreeSchoolers “Incredible Insects” Word Cards - Page 1 (Front)

legsantennae

head thorax




Rachel & the TreeSchoolers “Incredible Insects” Word Cards - Page 1 (Back)




invertebrates abdomen


metamorphosisexoskeleton





askwonder

learn share




Aa Bb

DdCc

Rachel & the TreeSchoolers “Incredible Insects” ABC Sign Cards - Page 1 (Front)




aphid

cricketdragonfly

butterfly

Rachel & the TreeSchoolers “Incredible Insects” ABC Sign Cards - Page 1 (Back)

Bb Aa

Dd Cc




Gg Hh

Ee Ff





earwigfirefly

glowwormhoney bee


Ff Ee

Hh Gg




Kk Ll

Ii Jj





inchwormjune bug

katydidlacewing


Jj Ii

Ll Kk




Oo Pp

Mm Nn





mosquitonet-wing

owlflypraying mantis


Nn Mm

Pp Oo




Ss Tt

Qq Rr





queen beerobber fly

stink bugtermite


Rr Qq

Tt Ss




Ww Xx

Uu Vv





underwing mothvelvet ant

waspxylodromus


Vv Uu

Xx Ww




ZzYy





yellow jacketzorapteran


Zz Yy

Why Sign Language?

Rachel has a daughter, Leah, who is deaf. So signing is a part of her everyday life. It’s also why she and her sister Emilie created the award-winning Signing Time, Baby Signing Time and Potty Time programs. It was natural to include signing in TreeSchoolers because when children’s hands are moving, their minds are learning!

Signing allows infants to communicate before they can talk. Research shows that infants and toddlers who sign:

• are less frustrated• learn to talk sooner• have larger vocabularies than non-signers• scored higher on IQ tests at age 8

Signing is a powerful learning tool. Once a child begins to talk, signing continues to offer important educational benefits. When signs and words are used together, auditory learners hear the word, visual learners see the sign and kinesthetic learners can use their hands to make the sign. In other words, signing creates the perfect storm that can trigger a surge in language learning and cognitive development. Research shows that preschool and elementary children who use signs and finger spelling:

• expand their vocabularies more quickly• develop more positive attitudes toward reading• learn letters, numbers, and sight words more easily

Signing helps children with special needs. Children who have autism, Down syndrome, speech challenges, or language delays often use signs as a primary means of communication or to simply clarify their speech. Signing opens the door to meaningful social interactions with parents, teachers, and peers.

• For classes and workshops in your area, visit www.signingtime.com/find-a-class

• For a summary of signing research, visit ww.signingtime.com/research

• For our award-winning products, visit www.signingtime.com

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