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© 2016 — Home Preschool 101 —Not to be reprinted or shared without explicit wrien permission. Home Preschool 101 LESSON PLANS Insects
© 2016 — Home Preschool 101 —Not to be reprinted or shared without explicit written permission.
Home Preschool 101
LESSON PLANS
Insects
© 2016 — Home Preschool 101 —Not to be reprinted or shared without explicit written permission.
TERMS OF USE
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© 2016 — Home Preschool 101 —Not to be reprinted or shared without explicit written permission.
Insects
MATERIALS LIST
Small insect toys (optional) Liquid starch
Glue Coffee grinds
Dot stickers Insect stickers
Air dry clay or Model Magic White beans
Sticks Ingredients for preferred insect snack
Be sure to read more about essential homeschool supplies here.
ADDITIONAL PRODUCTS
Thanks so much for downloading this lesson plan pack from
Home Preschool 101. Here are a few more lesson plans you might be
interested in. Click on the pictures to download the plans. Be sure to
come back and let us know how you’re enjoying the plans!
© 2016 — Home Preschool 101 —Not to be reprinted or shared without explicit written permission.
Insects
ACTIVITIES CHECKLIST
Math Science
Insect diagram Insect exploration
Bug math game Bug hunt
Big and little sorting Insect life cycle
Lightning bug numbers What do ants like to eat?
Insect patterns Insect homes
Literacy Read Alouds
Name bugs The Ants Go Marching
Hopping words Waiting for Wings
Ii word list The Very Quiet Cricket
Bug letter match Old Black Fly
Emergent reader Look Inside a Beehive
Arts and Crafts Fine Motor/Sensory
Bug art Bug play dough
Buggy dot art Insect small world
Clay insects Creepy crawly slime
Other Other
© 2016 — Home Preschool 101 —Not to be reprinted or shared without explicit written permission.
Insects
SKILLS CHECKLIST
M1
: Inse
ct d
iag
ram
M2
: Bu
g m
ath
ga
me
M3
: Big
an
d little
sortin
g
M4
: Ligh
tnin
g b
ug
nu
mb
ers
M5
: Inse
ct p
atte
rns
S1
: Inse
ct e
xp
lora
tion
S2
: Bu
g h
un
t
S3
: Inse
ct life
cyc
le
S4
: Wh
at d
o a
nts lik
e to
ea
t?
S5
: Inse
ct h
om
e
L1: N
am
e b
ug
s
L2: H
op
pin
g w
ord
s
L3: Ii w
ord
list
L4: B
ug
lette
r ma
tch
L5: E
me
rge
nt re
ad
er
Concept of a word X X
Rhyming
Letter knowledge X X X X
Left-to-right progression X X
Colors and shapes
Patterns and sorting X X
Graphing
Numeral knowledge X
Counting X X X
Scientific observation and investigation X X X
Life Cycles X
Describe physical properties of objects X X
Chemical reactions
Oth
er
Sci
ence
M
ath
Lit
erac
y
© 2016 — Home Preschool 101 —Not to be reprinted or shared without explicit written permission.
Insects
FULL DAY LESSON PLAN
TIME MON TUE WED THU FRI
Songs &
Calendar Time
Songs &
Calendar Time
Songs &
Calendar Time
Songs &
Calendar Time
Songs &
Calendar Time
Insect diagram Bug math game Big and little sort-
ing
Lightning bug
numbers
Insect patterns
Snack Snack Snack Snack Snack
Free Play Free Play Free Play Free Play Free Play
Insect explora-
tion
Bug hunt Insect life cycle What do ants like
to eat?
Insect homes
The Ants Go
Marching
Waiting for
Wings
The Very Quiet
Cricket
Old Black Fly Look Inside a
Beehive
Name bugs Hopping words Ii word list Bug letter match Emergent reader
Free Play Free Play Free Play Free Play Free Play
Lunch/
Outdoor Play
Lunch/Outdoor
Play
Lunch/Outdoor
Play
Lunch/Outdoor
Play
Lunch/Outdoor
Play
Read Aloud/
Nap Time
Read Aloud/
Nap Time
Read Aloud/
Nap Time
Read Aloud/
Nap Time
Read Aloud/
Nap Time
Bug art Creepy crawly
slime
Clay insects Bug play dough Bug snacks
15 m
in
15 m
in
30 m
in
30 m
in
20 m
in
45
min
25
min
. 4
5 m
in.
90
min
. 6
0 m
in.
Cal
en
dar
M
ath
S
nac
k Fr
ee
Pla
y S
cie
nce
R
ead
Alo
ud
Li
tera
cy
Fre
e P
lay
Lun
ch/
Ou
tdo
ors
S
tory
/Nap
O
the
r
© 2016 — Home Preschool 101 —Not to be reprinted or shared without explicit written permission.
TIME MON TUE WED THU FRI
Songs &
Calendar Time
Songs &
Calendar Time
Songs &
Calendar Time
Songs &
Calendar Time
Songs &
Calendar Time
Insect diagram Bug math game Big and little sort-
ing
Lightning bug
numbers
Insect patterns
Snack Snack Snack Snack Snack
Free Play Free Play Free Play Free Play Free Play
Insect explora-
tion
Bug hunt Insect life cycle What do ants like
to eat?
Insect homes
The Ants Go
Marching
Waiting for
Wings
The Very Quiet
Cricket
Old Black Fly Look Inside a
Beehive
Name bugs Hopping words Ii word list Bug letter match Emergent reader
Free Play Free Play Free Play Free Play Free Play
Insects
HALF DAY LESSON PLAN 15
min
.
Cal
en
dar
15 m
in.
Mat
h
30 m
in.
Sn
ack
45
min
.
Fre
e P
lay
30 m
in.
Sci
en
ce
20 m
in.
Re
ad A
lou
d
25 m
in.
Lite
racy
45
min
.
Fre
e P
lay
© 2016 — Home Preschool 101 —Not to be reprinted or shared without explicit written permission.
Insects
SKILLS TAUGHT - NOTES
© 2016 — Home Preschool 101 —Not to be reprinted or shared without explicit written permission.
Insects
BOOK LIST
The Ants Go Marching by various authors
Waiting for Wings by Lois Ehlert
The Best Bug Parade by Stuart J. Murphy
The Very Quiet Cricket by Eric Carle
Shoo Fly! by Iza Trapani
Little Bee by Edward Gibbs
Hey, Little Ant by Phillip and Hannah Hoose
The Very Lonely Firefly by Eric Carle
Old Black Fly by Jim Aylesworth
Bugs A to Z by Caroline Lawton
The Very Angry Ladybug by Eric Carle
One Hundred Hungry Ants by Elinor J. Pinczes
Big Book of Bugs by DK Publishing
In the Trees, Honey Bees by Lori Mortensen
Inside an Ant Colony, by Allan Flower
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly by Simms Taback
From Caterpillar to Butterfly by Deborah Heiligman
Look Inside A Bee Hive by Megan Cooley Peterson
Bugs & Butterflies: A close-up photographic look inside your world (Up Close) by Heidi Fiedler
© 2016 — Home Preschool 101 —Not to be reprinted or shared without explicit written permission.
Math Insect diagram - Label
the parts of an insect,
and write the number of
each body part.
Bug math game - Com-
bine sensory play with
early math skills. Explore
counting and (if appli-
cable to your children)
addition.
Big and little sorting -
Use the printable sorting
jars and insects. You
can also use real insect
toys. (TF)
Lightning bug numbers -
Match the correct
amount of lightning
bugs to each num-
bered jar.
Insect patterns - Use in-
sect toys, or the includ-
ed pattern printables, to
make patterns.
Insects
LESSON ACTIVITIES - EXPLANATION
Science
Insect exploration - Set
out real insects and
photos of insects for
children to observe.
Bug hunt - Go on a bug
hunt outdoors. Take pic-
tures. Record your find-
ings in a science journal. (TF)
Insect life cycle -
Choose an insect to
read a nonfiction text
about. Record infor-
mation on the life cycle
printable recording
sheet.
What do ants like to
eat? - Place different
foods on a plate and
set outside near ants.
Observe to see which
foods the ants are
drawn to most.
Insect homes - Look at
pictures of different in-
sect homes. Discuss the
different properties of
each habitat, as well as
which insect lives in
which habitat. (TF)
Literacy
Name bugs - Make name
bugs! Cut out circles or ovals
from construction paper (one
for each letter in child’s
name, plus one for the head).
Write one letter on each cir-
cle. Draw a face on one cir-
cle. Begin with the insects
face, and then add each
letter moving left to right, hori-
zontally. Make it into a work of
art by gluing the pieces onto
a large piece of paper and
adding an environment. Can
also use the printable name
bugs.
Hopping words - Hop
like a grasshopper for
each word in a short
sentence. (TF)
Ii word list - Make a list of
words that start with the
short /i/ sound. Discuss
short and long vowels and
make a list of words that
start with the long /i/
sound.
Bug letter match -
Match the uppercase
letters to the lowercase
letters.
Emergent reader - Print
and assemble the early
reader. If using the black
and white version, color in
the insects. If using the
blank version, add insect
art to each page. If using
the color version, read.
Other Bug art - Create beauti-
ful bug art by making
prints with balloons,
pompoms, and/or cot-
ton swabs. Then use
markers or another writ-
ing tool to add addi-
tional features (TF)
Creepy crawly slime -
Make “dirt” slime for
insect toys to play in.
Clay insects - Make in-
sects using air dry clay
or Model Magic. When
dried, paint if desired.
Bug play dough - A sen-
sory experience with
play dough and insects.(TF)
Insect snacks - Make
ants on a log (peanut
butter or peanut butter
alternative on celery,
with raisin “ants”), or
make a version that in-
cludes pretzel butter-
flies. (TF)
(TF) - Toddler-friendly ideas that would work when home with children of different ages.
© 2016 — Home Preschool 101 —Not to be reprinted or shared without explicit written permission.
Insects
INDEPENDENT ACTIVITIES
These activities would work well as centers or work boxes during free play time. They’re
meant to allow children the chance to play, explore, and practice preschool skills on their
own. Children may still need some assistance at times, of course. They’re broken down by
subject area for reference. (TF) =Toddler-Friendly
Math
Insect Number Puzzles - Put the
insect pictures together while
counting.
Insect Roll and Graph - Roll the
die. Graph the results. Which
insect will reach 10 first?
Literacy
Insect Letters - Write a letter on
a piece of construction paper.
(or use printable letter mats).
Child can use insect stickers or
insect stamps to trace over
the letters.
Insect Word Making - Use letter
tiles or other alphabet manip-
ulatives to make insect words.
Science
Insect: Yes or No? - Sort small
toys based upon if they are
insects or not. Alternatively,
use the enclosed printable.
Observe Insect Realia - Bring
in real items related to insects
(an old beehive, an old hon-
eycomb, real insects, etc.).
Allow children to observe the
items and record their findings
in a science journal. (TF)
Sensory
Insect small world - Use white
beans, sticks, and insect toys
for a simple sensory small
world.
Beehive sensory bin - Use a
base of honeycomb cereal.
Alternatively, use a base of
corn kernels and use empty
egg cartons to represent the
hives. Add small bee toys or
erasers, cups, spoons, and oth-
er fine motor tools.
Block Play
Build a Beehive - Place pic-
tures of real beehives and/or
honeycombs near the blocks.
Encourage children to repli-
cate what they see using
blocks. (TF)
Insect World - Create a small
world for insect toys using
blocks or LEGO.
Arts and Crafts
Quick as a Cricket Art - Paint
using small toys that represent
the animals from the book
“Quick as a Cricket”. Alterna-
tively, just use small insects. (TF)
Buggy Dot Art - Give kids dot
stickers. Show them how to
take dots and make an insect.
Let them create their own in-
sects. Add details like a setting
to the picture to finish it.
© ECEducation101
legs
antennae
head
thorax
abdomen
Counting the Parts of the Insect
© ECEducation101
Here is the Insect
by __________
Here is the grasshopper.
© ECEducation101
Here is the ant.
Here is the butterfly.
© ECEducation101
Here is the beetle.
Here is the dragonfly.
© ECEducation101
Here is the ladybug.
Here is the bee.
© ECEducation101
Here is the lightning bug.
Here are a lot of insects!
© ECEducation101
Here is the Insect
by __________
Here is the grasshopper.
© ECEducation101
Here is the ant.
Here is the butterfly.
© ECEducation101
Here is the beetle.
Here is the dragonfly.
© ECEducation101
Here is the ladybug.
Here is the bee.
© ECEducation101
Here is the lightning bug.
Here are a lot of insects!
© ECEducation101
Here is the Insect
by __________
Here is the grasshopper.
© ECEducation101
Here is the ant.
Here is the butterfly.
© ECEducation101
Here is the beetle.
Here is the dragonfly.
© ECEducation101
Here is the ladybug.
Here is the bee.
© ECEducation101
Here is the lightning bug.
Here are a lot of insects!
A
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B
F
J
C
G
K
D
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© EC
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© ECEducation101
Insect Life Cycle Name:
What my insect looks like at the beginning of its life cycle:
My insect is the
What my insect looks like at the end of its life cycle:
What I learned about my insect’s life cycle:
© ECEducation101
11 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12
© ECEducation101
Insect Roll and Graph
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Ant
Bee
Butterfly
Firefly
Ladybug
Grasshopper
© ECEducation101
Insect Roll and Graph
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Bee
Ant
Dragonfly
Butterfly
Beetle
Grasshopper
Printable © Fantastic Fun & Learning | Fun-A-Day | Home Preschool 101 | Preschool Teacher 101 For personal or single classroom use only. May not be shared or distributed without permission.
Printable © Fantastic Fun & Learning | Fun-A-Day | Home Preschool 101 | Preschool Teacher 101 For personal or single classroom use only. May not be shared or distributed without permission.
The thing is, dear parent, that I can only talk to you about YOUR child. So, what I can tell you is this: If ever, at any point, YOUR child, or any of your children, becomes THAT child… I will not share your personal family business with other parents in the classroom. I will communicate with you frequently, clearly, and kindly. I will make sure there are tissues nearby at all our meetings, and if you let me, I will hold your hand when you cry. I will advocate for your child and family to receive the highest quality of specialist services, and I will cooperate with those professionals to the fullest possible extent. I will make sure your child gets extra love and affection when she needs it most. I will be a voice for your child in our school community. I will, no matter what happens, continue to look for, and to find, the good, amazing, special, and wonderful things about your child. I will remind him and YOU of those good amazing special wonderful things, over and over again. And when another parent comes to me, with concerns about YOUR child… I will tell them all of this, all over again. g r a s s h o p p e r
© ECEducation101
The thing is, dear parent, that I can only talk to you about YOUR child. So, what I can tell you is this: If ever, at any point, YOUR child, or any of your children, becomes THAT child… I will not share your personal family business with other parents in the classroom. I will communicate with you frequently, clearly, and kindly. I will make sure there are tissues nearby at all our meetings, and if you let me, I will hold your hand when you cry. I will advocate for your child and family to receive the highest quality of specialist services, and I will cooperate with those professionals to the fullest possible extent. I will make sure your child gets extra love and affection when she needs it most. I will be a voice for your child in our school community. I will, no matter what happens, continue to look for, and to find, the good, amazing, special, and wonderful things about your child. I will remind him and YOU of those good amazing special wonderful things, over and over again. And when another parent comes to me, with concerns about YOUR child… I will tell them all of this, all over again. d r a g o n f l y
© ECEducation101
The thing is, dear parent, that I can only talk to you about YOUR child. So, what I can tell you is this: If ever, at any point, YOUR child, or any of your children, becomes THAT child… I will not share your personal family business with other parents in the classroom. I will communicate with you frequently, clearly, and kindly. I will make sure there are tissues nearby at all our meetings, and if you let me, I will hold your hand when you cry. I will advocate for your child and family to receive the highest quality of specialist services, and I will cooperate with those professionals to the fullest possible extent. I will make sure your child gets extra love and affection when she needs it most. I will be a voice for your child in our school community. I will, no matter what happens, continue to look for, and to find, the good, amazing, special, and wonderful things about your child. I will remind him and YOU of those good amazing special wonderful things, over and over again. And when another parent comes to me, with concerns about YOUR child… I will tell them all of this, all over again. b u t t e r f l y
© ECEducation101
The thing is, dear parent, that I can only talk to you about YOUR child. So, what I can tell you is this: If ever, at any point, YOUR child, or any of your children, becomes THAT child… I will not share your personal family business with other parents in the classroom. I will communicate with you frequently, clearly, and kindly. I will make sure there are tissues nearby at all our meetings, and if you let me, I will hold your hand when you cry. I will advocate for your child and family to receive the highest quality of specialist services, and I will cooperate with those professionals to the fullest possible extent. I will make sure your child gets extra love and affection when she needs it most. I will be a voice for your child in our school community. I will, no matter what happens, continue to look for, and to find, the good, amazing, special, and wonderful things about your child. I will remind him and YOU of those good amazing special wonderful things, over and over again. And when another parent comes to me, with concerns about YOUR child… I will tell them all of this, all over again. l a d y b u g
© ECEducation101
The thing is, dear parent, that I can only talk to you about YOUR child. So, what I can tell you is this: If ever, at any point, YOUR child, or any of your children, becomes THAT child… I will not share your personal family business with other parents in the classroom. I will communicate with you frequently, clearly, and kindly. I will make sure there are tissues nearby at all our meetings, and if you let me, I will hold your hand when you cry. I will advocate for your child and family to receive the highest quality of specialist services, and I will cooperate with those professionals to the fullest possible extent. I will make sure your child gets extra love and affection when she needs it most. I will be a voice for your child in our school community. I will, no matter what happens, continue to look for, and to find, the good, amazing, special, and wonderful things about your child. I will remind him and YOU of those good amazing special wonderful things, over and over again. And when another parent comes to me, with concerns about YOUR child… I will tell them all of this, all over again. b e e t l e
© ECEducation101
The thing is, dear parent, that I can only talk to you about YOUR child. So, what I can tell you is this: If ever, at any point, YOUR child, or any of your children, becomes THAT child… I will not share your personal family business with other parents in the classroom. I will communicate with you frequently, clearly, and kindly. I will make sure there are tissues nearby at all our meetings, and if you let me, I will hold your hand when you cry. I will advocate for your child and family to receive the highest quality of specialist services, and I will cooperate with those professionals to the fullest possible extent. I will make sure your child gets extra love and affection when she needs it most. I will be a voice for your child in our school community. I will, no matter what happens, continue to look for, and to find, the good, amazing, special, and wonderful things about your child. I will remind him and YOU of those good amazing special wonderful things, over and over again. And when another parent comes to me, with concerns about YOUR child… I will tell them all of this, all over again. b e e
© ECEducation101
The thing is, dear parent, that I can only talk to you about YOUR child. So, what I can tell you is this: If ever, at any point, YOUR child, or any of your children, becomes THAT child… I will not share your personal family business with other parents in the classroom. I will communicate with you frequently, clearly, and kindly. I will make sure there are tissues nearby at all our meetings, and if you let me, I will hold your hand when you cry. I will advocate for your child and family to receive the highest quality of specialist services, and I will cooperate with those professionals to the fullest possible extent. I will make sure your child gets extra love and affection when she needs it most. I will be a voice for your child in our school community. I will, no matter what happens, continue to look for, and to find, the good, amazing, special, and wonderful things about your child. I will remind him and YOU of those good amazing special wonderful things, over and over again. And when another parent comes to me, with concerns about YOUR child… I will tell them all of this, all over again. a n t
© ECEducation101
© ECEducation101
© ECEducation101
© ECEducation101
© ECEducation101
© ECEducation101
