"Ladybugs and Grasshoppers"

TEKS:
K (9) Form and Function -
c, Identify ways earth provides resources for life.

Materials:

* small balloons	* newspaper	* glue
* paper mache' kit	* paper egg carton	* big rocks
* paint (red, blue, yellow, green, blk, brn)		* wiggle eyes
* sponge	* paint brushes	* pliers
* M&Ms	* party whistle	* large leaf
* syringe	* fruit roll ups	* juice box
* red jello	* apple sauce	* Soft Drink
* hand lens	* Chart Tablet
* book: The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle
* book: Inside an Insect
* Various plastic Insects and Animals

Overview:

• Introduction to Insect-A-Camp
• Main Insect Body Parts
• Song: Head, Thorax, Abdomen
• Build a bug
• Nature Walk: Looking for Insects
• Inspector Insect-it
• Camouflage Insect
• Paper Mache' Ladybug
• Ladybug Rocks
• Insect Mouth Parts

Activities:

Activity 1: Introduction to Insect-A-Camp

• Today we will discuss the rules of our Insect-A-Camp.
  • "Give Me Five": When we want the camper's attention, we will say "Give Me Five" and that means:
    • Eyes on speaker
    • Mouths closed
    • Hands still
    • Ears listening
    • Brain thinking
  • When paired with a partner, it is important that you do not wander off by yourself. That is how campers get lost.
  • Questions are wonderful… ask as many as you want. No question is a silly question.
  • Do not pick up any insect before checking with an adult. Some insects can be harmful.
  • In the building, remember to use inside voices and quiet walking feet.
  • If you need to go to the restroom, please show the camp sign and we will be glad to let you go. (use the American Sign Language sign: shaking the letter R)

It is very important that you always listen to the adult in charge and we will have a great week!

Activity 2:Main Insect Body Parts

• How many of you have ever gone outside and seen an insect? What is an insect? Can you tell me what it looks like? I have a large piece of paper here and I need help drawing my insect.
• Children input ideas as to what the insect looks like. Does it have a head…. Is it square, circle, rectangle, oval? What does the body look like? Does it have a tail? Is it long or short? What does its mouth look like? Does it have any legs? How many? What color should we color it? Does it have eyes? How many? What about a nose? Does it have ears?
• After the drawing of the insect, we step back and look at it. Wow! Does that look like an insect you have seen before? What name would we give this insect?
• You have given told us so many wonderful things that you know about insects but this week we are going to teach you many things about insects. At the end of the day we redraw this insect and see if it looks the same as the one we created together.

Read book: Inside an Insect

Teacher draws an insect drawn on a big chart. It has:

• 3 body parts: head, thorax (a middle section), and an abdomen (rear section)
• 3 pair of legs off the side of the thorax
• 2 antennae on head
• one or more pair of eyes
• some have stingers
• some have 1 or 2 pair of wings

A comparison is made between original drawing and new drawing. Questions are asked and answers are given.

Activity 3: Song: Head, Thorax, Abdomen

(Tune: Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes)

by Cedric Wesley, Toni Casarez and Wendy Garrett

Head, Thorax, Abdomen… Abdomen

Head, Thorax, Abdomen…Abdomen

6 legs 2 Antennae

And Compound Eyes

Don't forget the ones with wings… Ones with wings!

Motions:

Head: point to head

Thorax: point to stomach area

Abdomen: point to rear and shake

6 legs: show 6 fingers

2 Antennae: with index finger wiggling above head

Compound Eyes: hands cupped like "c" around eyes

Wings: interlock hands at thumbs and wiggle fingers in flying motion

Activity 4: Build A Bug

McMillan Early Science Activities- New Bridge Communications Inc. pg. 5 1991

Boys and girls we've learned about the main body parts of an insect now we are going to use our bodies to make a human insect.

• Ask 3 children to come to the front of the room to be the three main body parts. Have the children sit on the floor with arms wrapped around pulled up legs. The thorax (middle child) should have legs stretched out.
• Tell the class that insects have 6 legs- three on each side of the thorax. Ask six children to get down on the floor on their hands and knees facing the thorax.
• Next, tell the students that most insects have two feelers, or antennae, on their heads. Ask two children to stand in front of the "head" with their arms straight up in the air to be antennae.
• Finally, tell students that many insects also have one or two pairs of wings attached to the thorax. Ask two children to be the wings, standing at the sides of the thorax with their arms outstretched.
• Now let another group of children see how fast they can form an insect like the first one. Have the class remember the name of each segment.
• Conclude by explaining that insects have no bones inside their bodies. Instead, they have a hard protective covering called the exoskeleton on the outside.

Activity 5: Nature Walk: Looking for Insects

Children are sitting in a circle on the floor and teacher says, "now that we know what an insect is and how many body parts that it has, we are going to see just how smart you are and to see who the experts are in this class. We are going to show you some critters and name them and if it is an insect I want you to spring up in the air like a grasshopper and sit back down again. If it is not an insect I want you to stay seated on the rug and shake your head side to side which tells me, (No, it is not an insect)"

• The following insects/ non-insect will be named:
• Bee * Cow
• Grasshopper * Spider
• Worm * Pig
• Scorpion * Lizard
• Lady bug * Person
• Fly * Dinosaur
• Rock * Ant

Since you have done such a good job of picking out the insects, we are going to go outside and see if we can find some insects. Okay, put on your super duper double powered looking eyes and off we go. Remember we are going to stay together in a group and we must be very, very quiet or we might scare the insects away.

Children and teacher go outside for a nature walk/ Insect search.

Activity 6: Inspector Insect- It

We have completed our Nature insect walk and viewed and discussed all insects we have found. One teacher already hid the plastic insects (viewed earlier in the day) in various places on the campus ground. Teacher tells students:

• Our special friend, Mr. Wesley, hid some insects around the garden area and he wants us to see if we can find them. This is like the game "Hide and Seek". How many of you have ever played hide and seek? Mr. Wesley said he hid them really well. You must be the inspector and find them. Put on your good looking eyes and remember where you found them so when we go inside you can tell us.
• The following insects will be hidden:
• Roach
• Fly
• Ladybug
• Ant
• Praying Mantis
• Bee
• Beetle

Students will be allowed to find one insect. When he or she has found the insect, he or she will go sit in the designated area…until all campers have located an insect.

When all insects have been found, the child takes in the insect he or she has found and sits on the rug.

At this time, each child will have an opportunity to point out each body part on the insect and tell where he or she found the insect in the garden. He or she will tell the group if it was hard to find the insect or if it was easy and why.

Results will be written on a chart tablet.

Activity 7: Camouflage Insect

You've told us about how easy/hard it was to find the insects that were hidden in the garden. The term we use for this is called camouflage. That is when something blends in with things around it. It is hidden so well that you must look really closely to find it.

Why do you think insects use camouflage? (various responses are given) Not only insects use camouflage… people do too.

Examples:

* army men or women in the field

* hunters in the forest

* children when eating spaghetti

* weather man (can't wear green)

Now, we are going to camouflage some insects that we can hide outside. Teacher passes out egg cartons, pipe cleaners, paints, wiggle eye, tissue paper and glue.

Children are allowed to create an insect that later we will go outside and hide.

Activity 8: Paper Mache' Lady Bug

Read the story: The Grouchy Lady Bug by Eric Carle

Discuss what makes the lady bug an insect. Today we are going to go outside and make a lady bug with a balloon and paper mache.

* Balloon is blown up to the size of a grapefruit.

* Long strips of newspaper are torn from top to bottom.

* Paper is dipped in paper mache mixture and placed on balloon.

* Balloon is covered many times with saturated paper.

* Balloons are left outside to dry and will be painted later.

* Paper Mache balloon is cut in half.

* Top half of balloon is cut ¾ of the way down the middle. This part will be the wings.

* The bottom portion is painted black.

* The wings are painted red, yellow, or orange with black spots

Activity 9: Lady Bug Rock

Tune: " the Brady Bunch theme"

By: Wendy Garrett, Cedric Wesley and Toni Carsarez

Here's a story of Ladybug

That was sitting on a green blade of grass

She has four wings and 2 antennae

But she was all alone

Until one day when she met a fella

Who was sitting on little green leaf

He said, "hey girl- come over here"

And share my lunch with me.

Children will be given a rock and they will be allowed to paint it like a ladybug.

Activity 10: Insect Mouth Parts

Ask students to imagine they are an insect. It is getting late and they have not had anything to eat all day long. If there was a table full of human food in front of you, how do you think you would eat it?

All insects do not eat the same way.. just like a baby and a big person do not eat the same way. A baby does not have teeth. How does it eat its food? Adult?

Not all insect eat the same things either.

* Some insects chew food. (leaves, grass, etc.)

* Some eat mushy food.(vomit, decaying garbage, etc.)

* Some suck their food.( blood, drinks, water, etc.)

On a table, the teacher has the following food items: fruit roll ups, M&Ms, red jello, juice box, apple sauce, soft drink

The following utensils are used as mouth parts: pliers, syringe, straw, sponge.

The children are shown the various utensils and they are allowed to pick the insect they wish to be.

* Pliers: caterpillars, grasshoppers, ants and praying mantis

* Syringe: mosquito

* Straw: bees and butterflies

* Sponge: fly

* The children are given an opportunity to try to eat the various food items with the utensils provided. At the end of the lesson, the children will explain the problems they encountered eating their food.

A recap of the days activities will be done at this time.

Return to Lesson Plans