Going Buggy in Kindergarten!
I am so excited about our insect unit! The boys and girls have been going crazy over the fun centers!
In this center the boys and girls choose a jar, read the word, build the word and then write the word. This activity helps them focus on each letter in the word.
In this center the boys and girls look for word families in simple sentences. The boys and girls have loved using the expo markers to circle the word family word. After they have found all of the words, they record them next to the matching word family. I like to add a magnifying glass to help them feel like they are true investigators!
Leapin' Lily Pads is a great center for students that are still struggling with learning sight words. There are 8 lily pads with 8 sight words. The boys and girls work together to sort the words as they read them. Next, they color the frogs to match the sight word and write the sight word. I also have the boys and girls write the number of words per lily pad.
The boys and girls LOVE this activity. After discussing that most bugs hatch from eggs and that many bugs start out as larva or grubs, I place the grubs in plastic eggs with grass. First, the boys and girls choose an insect. Then they search the grass for an egg. They open the egg to see if they find the matching word. If they find it they write the word under the word under the matching insect on their recording sheet.
I love sensory table activities. I usually run four centers (Word Work, Sight Word Work, Writing and Reading). After they finish using quality work they are able to go to a play center (with an academic or social-based goal). The centers vary each year depending on student levels and maturity. This year I have found that the play-based centers have been motivating for struggling students. Students that used to not finish their work will finish their work with higher quality in order to play at one of the centers. If you click on the pictures below it will take you to my TPT site to download the activity for free.
Tried this activity out in our bathtub over spring break and my son loved it as well! To prep this activity I bought foal squares (dollar store) and cut them out to look like lily pads. I choose 7 of our heart words and wrote the words on the lily pads using glitter glue pens.
Then place the frogs on the lily pads (I also purchased the frogs from the dollar store-in the party section)
Next the boys and girls will read the "Froggy Menu" and place the insects on the matching word-by the matching frog. It is great to hear them talk about the sight words.
I purchased the insects at the dollar store as well (in the toy section). Even my infant liked this one!
