Ladybug Love Activities and FREEBIES Part 3

Welcome to Part 3 of our Ladybug Love Unit! If you missed Parts 1& 2 , you can check them out here:

AKGVH Ladybug Love Activities & Freebies Part 1 

AKGVH Ladybug Love Activities & FREEBIES! Part 2 

We are so STOKED you fluttered on by for Part 3 of our Ladybug Love Activities & FREEBIES!

So land on this here post and hang with us for awhile, as we tripped on some far-out ladybug games and did an out-a-sight craft!!! You will want to trip our dyno Ladybug Mask Pattern FREEBIE scene with your babes as well!! 

My babes were DIGGIN' this Ladybug Posture Balance Game! First I made our ladybug balance ballons. Using a funnel, I put some rice inside a red balloon. Then I blew up the balloon and tied it. Next I drew a ladybug on each babes balloon. I turned on our record player and put on our Romper Room record and played the Posture Basket Song...

...while they walked around balancing their ladybug balloons on their heads. Instead of the word "basket" in the song, we substituted "ladybug"...WHAT FUN they had balancing their ladybugs:

  

Your babes can play our Ladybug Posture Balance  Game as well using the following vintage Romper Room Posture Basket song: 

And if you are interested in purchasing Romper Room Activity Records for your classroom, while I am currently unable to find this exact record here are some other Romper Room Activity Records you may want to trip on from eBay:

Romper Room Activity Record

We learned about ladybug claws. They are called palps. Ladybugs use them to put food into their mouths. 

 

Ladybugs are very helpful to us because they eat aphids, scale and spider mites and mealy bugs that attack other plants. Some even eat plant mildew. Because of their usefulness ladybugs are often harvested and sold to farmers to control the harmful insects.

I gave each of my babes  a clothes pin and a bowl, then placed some large pom poms on the table. My babes then simulated a ladybug catching (with the clothespin) aphids and putting them in their mouth (bowl).  They did such a DYNO job of filling their bowls with much excitement along with a sense of accomplishment! DIG the scene:
 

Ladybugs also use their antennae's attached below their eyes to feel, smell and taste. Along with their eyes, antennae's help the ladybugs gather their environment info and hunt for their foods of interest.

 

With this in mind, we learned about ladybug eyes. Ladybugs have two compound eyes. Their compound eyes are made up of what looks like a collection of bumps. The sections are called ommatidia that point in different directions to pick up movement. Each ommatidium is able to pick up certain details such as brightness, color, etc. We made our own ladybug eyes using egg carton portions, foil & wiggle eyes. 

First, I cut an egg carton flat into a circle. Then I had my babes paint their egg carton circle piece and let it dry. Next I had my babes make foil balls to fit inside each compartment. Then they glue gunned their large wiggle eyes and foil into the correct spot:

Next I crumpled up foil and wrapped it around each eye circle to complete:  

These ladybug eyes are OUT - A - SIGHT:

DIG this vintage Circus theme egg carton checkers game FREEBIE you can make with your left over egg carton:

You can get these from our Teacher's Dojo Shop:

Egg Carton Games Craftivity

Last we covered the ladybug's lifecycle. Since ladybugs are indeed beetles, their correct name being ladybird beetles and I do not have an actual ladybug lifecycle flannelboard set, I used my beetle set. First I set up the ladybug beetle lifecycle in rote. We reviewed it several times, then I had my babes build the ladybug lifecycle in sequence themselves:

Then we made these cute little Ladybug Lifecycle Mini Books. For their covers, I had each babe  put their finger on a red ink pad, then place their inked finger on the page. They did this as many as they wanted, and when the ink was dry, I drew on the antennae's and legs:

For the inside pages I used the following ladybug lifecycle sequencing cards printout from Enchanted Learning. My babes colored & cut the page into 4 smaller pages, one page for each stage. Then I stapled them together in sequence:

Enchanted Learning Ladybug Sequencing Cards 

And one of our FAV pastimes each Spring is a ladybug hunt!

I get out their bug boxes & off around our yard they go:

 And as one can imagine, they can NEVER resist bringing those lovable lady's into the house:

 Hey, l@@ks like they missed this ladybug:

Hey, bet you did NOT know baby ladybugs fly with a paci!

If you want to make a Ladybug foam mask with your babes, yes even your paci babes, DIG our AKGVH Ladybug Mask Pattern FREEBIE!!!

 AKGVH Ladybug Mask FREEBIE

At the end of the day, ladybugs go back to their homes, our bug boxes and masks are put away for another day! 

And to wrap up our ladybug unit for the year, I made some most delectable ladybug cup cakes. Easy to make & FUN to eat, they were SWEEEEEEEEEEET!!!

And now, here is our COMPLETE Ladybug Love Bundle Pack. 71 vintage and current pages STUFFED with activities, games, stories, rhymes & poems, crafts, worksheets, coloring and MORE for ages pre-k - grade 4! Check it out at our Teacher's Dojo Shop: 

AKGVH Ladybug Love Activity Pack Bundle

Our Ladybug Love activities over the years were a BLAST & we hope you enjoyed them as well! If you missed parts 1 & 2 of our Ladybug Love activities & FREEBIES, here are the quick links once again for your convenience: 

AKGVH Ladybug Love Activities & Freebies Part 1

AKGVH Ladybug Love Activities & FREEBIES! Part 2 

For added ladybug fun, visit these choice sites:

Bible Fun for Kids God Makes Spring for Preschool

The Preschool Toolbox Blog Ladybugs and Insects Theme for Preschool  

Enchanted Learning Ladybugs

National Geographic Ladybug Images

DLTK Ladybug Crafts 

Kids Growing Strong Ladybugs

Primary GamesLadybug Insect Games 

Ladybug Resources 

Pinterest Ladybugs Kids Party 

Crafts by Amanda Swirling Twirling Ladybugs 

MDA State MN Pest Patrol Action Kit Caring for Ladybugs 

A Teachers Touch Ladybug Emergent Reader 

Living Montessori Now Free Ladybug Printables 

How to Nest for Less Ladybug Themed Birthday Party 

Making Learning Fun Ladybug Printables 

Catch My Party Free Ladybug Party Printables 

ehow Homemade Ladybug Food 

ehow Ladybug Breeding 

Be sure to visit us soon for MORE AKGVH activity fun & FREEBIES from the days of today & yesteryear!!!

Our Ladybug Love Activities & FREEBIES Part 3 is featured in:

The Gardening Daily

 

See you there!
 

C.S. Calkins
© 2015 C.S. Calkins All Rights Reserved 
© 2020 C.S. Calkins All Rights Reserved
 

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