The early preschool classes are learning all about insects for the month of June! The Sunflowers and Ladybugs have absolutely loved exploring and learning about the features of various insects. They have incorporated insects into all aspects of their day – even cooking! The children have made dragonfly toast and butterfly snacks, which were equally as fun to make and as delicious to eat. One of their favorite activities so far has been their gross motor time. In one activity, they ran and jumped around, using a fly swatter to keep balloons in the air. Each balloon had a flying insect on it and the children had to “make it fly.”
Next, the class enjoyed a marching parade where they acted as if they were ants, carrying leaves on top of their heads. The Sunflower and Ladybug teachers do an excellent job integrating both math and literacy into their learning about insects as well. The children enjoyed counting spots on ladybugs and looking for letters in books about insects! Centers are great opportunities for the children to enjoy independent and group play as they discover more about their study. In early preschool, the children enjoy a sensory table with real soil and grass, along with plastic and stuffed insects to play with. They also have been enjoying insect puzzles and love a game where they get to explore insect x-rays!
We are so proud of how far our Sunflowers and Ladybugs have come from the start of the year! They are currently working on holding a book correctly and turning pages one at a time, while listening to the entire story. They couldn’t get enough of the book, Oye hormiguita! by Phillip Hoose In math they are counting to ten and identifying basic shapes as well. Their Spanish language acquisition is quite impressive. The Sunflower and Ladybug teachers do an excellent job narrating their entire day so the children are able to absorb as much of the language as possible. At this point, the children are able to follow multi-step instructions in Spanish and can name and describe most familiar items! Way to go, Early Preschoolers!
