Things have been so crazy lately I haven't had a chance to sit down and update all the wonderful crafts (both mommy and daughter), plant life cycle lesson ideas, exploding frozen treasures, recipes, or a very informative post on GMOs... but they will come soon! For now, let me share my all-time favorite, the caterpillar life cycle! We did this one a while back and Vivian periodically brings us pictures like the one above showing the caterpillar crawling below the flower, the cocoon in a tree, and the beautiful butterfly flying above! It makes me heart so happy!
We started this lesson by reading "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle. This is such a great book, it's fun for the little ones then once they start to read, is filled with short words for them to pronounce. Then we reviewed some life cycles I printed of Pinterest (links to their blogs below). After that we painted the life cycle and then randomly reviewed through pictures, paintings, and drawings.
We then did a really fun caterpillar craft! First, we painted a tree to glue our leaves too. Then, we went outside and picked some leaves. We chose green, since the girls wanted a summer caterpillar and did a rubbing of the leaves. After cutting them out, the girls picked out their caterpillar colors. We painted their toes and stamped them on the leaves. After letting them dry, the girls each drew on the caterpillar faces and legs!
We started this lesson by reading "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle. This is such a great book, it's fun for the little ones then once they start to read, is filled with short words for them to pronounce. Then we reviewed some life cycles I printed of Pinterest (links to their blogs below). After that we painted the life cycle and then randomly reviewed through pictures, paintings, and drawings.
We then did a really fun caterpillar craft! First, we painted a tree to glue our leaves too. Then, we went outside and picked some leaves. We chose green, since the girls wanted a summer caterpillar and did a rubbing of the leaves. After cutting them out, the girls picked out their caterpillar colors. We painted their toes and stamped them on the leaves. After letting them dry, the girls each drew on the caterpillar faces and legs!
This is such an easy way to show how life on Earth changes! Your child's imagination can soar through the creation of different flowers, trees, caterpillars, and butterflies! Have fun trying different ways to engage your children and share your ideas!
Links:
http://www.amazon.com/Very-Hungry-Caterpillar-Eric-Carle/dp/0399226907/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415128842&sr=1-1&keywords=the+hungry+caterpillar
http://www.craftymorning.com/toe-print-hungry-caterpillar-craft-kids/
http://www.kinderalphabet.blogspot.com/2013/03/butterfly-gametivity.html