Pill Bugs, Pill Bugs Everywhere

Title of Activity: Pill Bugs, Pill Bugs Everywhere (Science Activity)

Age Group Recommended: Three to five year olds

Development Emphasis & Objectives:

Social/Emotional – work collaboratively with others as they hunt for pill bugs, ease fears of bugs as they become more familiar with them.
Cognitive/Language – describes, compare, classify and order in terms of observable characteristics and properties (number of legs, color, where the pill bugs where found, how many they found). Use of a variety of simple tools in their observation – magnifying glass, bug boxes. Raise questions, share and discuss what they found/discovered about the bugs.
Physical/Motor – use of fine motor skills and eye hand coordination in picking up pill bugs and using tweezers.
Creative - record observations and ideas through representation (drawing).

Materials Needed:
Sensory Table/Garden
pill bugs
Soil
Magnifying glasses
Bug Boxes
Crayons
Drawing Paper
Books with illustration and information about pill bugs (sow bugs)

Procedure:
1. If you do not have a garden, fill sensory table with soil and pill bugs you have found in your home garden, worms also if you like.
2. Read the story in “In My Garden” or any other story about bugs you might find in a garden.
3. Discuss with the students what lives in a garden and what their job in the garden is. (Pill bug-decomposition, worms-holes in the soil that helps get water and air to the roots of plants.
4. Distribute bug boxes, explain to the students that after they have examined the bugs that they must put them back in the garden or sensory tub.
5. If you have a garden it’s time to go on a bug hunt, if not have the students go to the sensory table. Explain to the children they must be gentle with the creatures they find.
6. If a student is frighten of bugs reassure them you will be there to help, provide gardening or rubber gloves, tweezers for those who might not wish to pick up the pill bugs with their bare hands.
7. Children can place one pill bug under a magnifying glass or bug box.
8. Once everyone has a pill bug, have the students examine the pill bug carefully. Ask questions such as; What does your bug look like? How many legs can you count? Does the pill bug have wings? What does your pill bug need to live?
9. While the students are looking at their pill bug, have them draw a picture of the bug and dictate to you about what they saw and/or how they felt.

Limits and Guidance Suggestions:
Some students may be fearful of insects/bugs and need lots of assurance.
Children will need to be reminded to be very gentle with the bugs.
Teacher should monitor the bugs/insects that the children a finding before they touch or pick them up.

Extensions of Activity:
Discuss what living things need to live.
Build a worm habitat.
Life cycles- Butterflies
Discuss the relationship between living things and their environment. How living things depend on other living and non-living things for some of their needs.

Feather Dancing

Feather Dancing (Music Activity) for children three to five years.

Development Emphasis & Objectives

Social/Emotional – Work collaboratively with others. Self expression through movement, how a piece of music makes them feel.
Cognitive/Language – Provide an opportunity to hear and learn about classical music. Introduce musical terminology. Encourage verbalization regarding how the music moves them such as feeling sad, happy or excited. Following directions.
Physical/Motor – Use of gross motor skills as they dance and move. Eye hand coordination as they use the feather as a dance prop. Provide opportunities for students to walk, skip, gallop, slither, crawl, etc. Moving their bodies in space. Breathe control.
Creative – Create movements to go along with the style, tempo, and rhythm of the music they are listening to. Self expression.

Materials Needed
CD “Classical Music for Children” or another classical CD or music
CD player
Large Space
Feathers

Procedure
1. Play short passages from the music you are going to play while they dance, have the children just listen.
2. Discuss what it sounds like; explain tempo, beat, rhythm and how the music makes them feel
3. Give each child one feather to "feather dance" with. While the music plays, they have to keep the feather in the air by blowing it or using it as a prop.
4. Have the children stop dancing and just listen to Le Carnaval des Animaux by Saint Saens- for a few minuets.
5. Play the "Royal March of the Lion" have the children use their feathers as they roar and march with the royal lions.
6. Continue through the animal themes letting the children create movements as they become elephants, swans, fish, etc.

Limits and Guidance Suggestions:
1. Remember there is no “right” way to dance and move each child will have his/her own style.
2. Some students may prefer to be the “audience” and not performers.

Extensions of Activity
Use Le Carnaval des Animaux by Saint Saens along with a “Circus” theme – the children can create animal costumes such as elephant ears and trunk, swan wings or a lion’s mane to wear during their musical circus as they dance to movement of Le Carnaval des Animaux.

Any style of music can be used for “feather dancing” as long as it provides varied tempos and rhythms.

Dance with ribbons or scarves

Books that can be incorporated: Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell, Elmer by David McKee, The Saggy Baggy Elephant by K & B Jackson, Going To The Zoo adapted from the lyrics of Tom Paxton, My School’s A Zoo by Stu Smith, The Tortise and the Hare Adapted by Janet Stevens, Thump, Thump Rat-a-Tat-Tat by Gene Baer, Head to Toe by Eric Carle, Polar Bear, Polar Bear What Do You Hear? By Eric Carle
.