Themes

Bees and Butterflies Theme What’s in the Box?

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March 25, 2019 by Stacy Leave a Comment

April is almost here and we’re getting ready for our Bees & Butterflies theme from Mother Goose Time! I love spring but not the mud and dreary raining weather we get in March and April. We’re getting closer to green grass, flowers, and bugs once again! Here’s an overview of what’s in the box for April 2019’s box. I’m especially looking forward to the Moth and Butterfly Collages!

Bees and Butterflies

Teacher materials: Theme web, gathering list, daily activity calendar, music CD, skills chart

Teacher Guides:

Week One: Bee Basics
Week Two: Bees & Wasps
Week Three: Metamorphosis
Week Four: Butterflies

teacher guide books bees and butterflies theme

April calendar grid and numbers

Letters of the month: K, M, X

letter cards from Mother Goose Time bees and butterflies theme

Family Newsletter & My Creative Mind Daily Notes

Week 1: Bee Basics

Lesson 1: Home – Beehive Rhyme, Beehive Stamping, Who Lives in the Bee Nest?, Hexagon Designs

Beehive rhyme poster

here is the beehive where are the bees rhyme poster bees and butterflies theme

Lesson 2: Food – Helping with Hexagons, How Many Bees in the Hive? Fill the Honeycomb, Busy Bees

lesson 2 with fill the honeycomb game, hexagon shape and bee hive games bees and butterflies theme

Lesson 3: Babies – Name Your Baby Bee, Queen Bee Headband, My Little Bee Jounral, Counting Bee Eggs

Lesson 3 - bees and butterflies theme - babies - One Busy Bee book, bee headband craft, My Little Journals for preschoolers

Lesson 4: Work -A Strong HIve, Drones in the Comb, Bee Hunt, Little Letter Book: Kk

lesson 4 work - Drones in the Comb letter K letter books bees and butterflies theme

Bees and Butterflies Theme poster

Lesson 5: Safety – Protecting the Hive, Bee Puppet, Safe Homes, Bee Careful!

Lesson 5 safety around bees bees and butterflies theme

My Creative Mind Daily Notes for Week 2

Daily Notes page for parents bees and butterflies theme

Week 2: Bees & Wasps

Lesson 7: Bumble Bee – Baby Bumble Bee, Little Leter Book: Mm, Bees I Can Read Books, Bee Matching Game

Lesson 7 - Bumblebee, I Can Read books, matching cards and Letter M books bees and butterflies theme

Lesson 8: Carpenter Bee – Building a Tunnel, Bee Puzzle, Egg in a Hole, Wooden Letters

Lesson 8 bees and butterflies theme Carpenter Bee activities

Lesson 9: Yellow Jacket – Yellow Jackets Like to Sting, Yellow Jacket Noisemaker, Special Bees, Who STole the Honey?

bees and butterflies theme Lesson 9 - Yellow Jacket - shapes lesson, bee shakers Make and Play craft

Lesson 10: Hornet – Building a Nest, Listen & Draw, Counting Hornets, Stinging Words

bees and butterflies theme Lesson 10: Hornet - numbers 15 and 16, Forest Friends story page

Week 3: Metamorphosis

Lesson 11: Egg – Community of Eggs, Eggs on a Leaf, Open Your Egg, Hidden Eggs

bees and butterflies theme Egg on a leaf art, color white, sort by size leaves

Lesson 12: Caterpillar – Move Like a Caterpillar, Caterpillar Sculpture, Longest Caterpillar, Eating Through Letters

Lesson 13: Chrysalis – Wrapping Friends, Little Letter Book: Xx, Drawing the Life Cycle, LIfe Cycle Patterns

bees and butterflies theme Lesson 13 Chrysalis pattern cards and letter x letter books

Lesson 14: Butterfly – Community Butterfly, Life Cycle Plate, Butterfly Symmetry, Fly to Letters

bees and butterflies theme lesson 14: butterfly flower and butterfly game, paper plate butterfly life cycle craft

Lesson 15: Moth – Proboscis Challenge, Moth Hole Collage, Moth Landing, Puzzles in Nature

bees and butterflies theme lesson 15: moth bee and butterfly puzzle, moth hole collage art project

Week 4: Butterflies

Lesson 16: Monarch- Moving like Monarchs, Migrating Butterflies, Butterfly Math, Sunny Letters

lesson 16: monarch butterfly wand, math cards, letters, k, x and m

Lesson 17: Swallowtail – Hiding Swallowtails, Butterfly Collage, Would You Rather? Scary Eyes

bees and butterflies theme lesson 17: swallowtail butterfly collage materials

Lesson 18: Blue Morpho- A Blue Morpho, Butterfly Postcard, Pollinator Bingo, Letters in the Rainforest

bees and butterflies theme blue morpho butterfly, butterfly bingo game

Lesson 19: Peacock Butterfly – Be Brave, Butterfly, Butterfly Words, Butterfly Hunt

bees and butterflies theme lesson 19: peacock butterfly clothespin butterfly craft

Lesson 20: Butterfly House – Butterfly House Tickets, My Portfolio, Be a Butterfly, Save the Butterflies

Coming up next month: Bubbles, Boats & Floats

coming soon Bubbles, Boats and Floats theme from Mother Goose Time

Suggested Book List

Here is the Suggested Book List that coordinates with April’s theme.

Bees and Butterflies Theme Activities

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Cutting Herbs Sensory Activity

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March 20, 2019 by Stacy Leave a Comment

Did you know that thyme is a major food source for animals in the Sahara Desert? Honestly, I had no idea. I love when I learn right along with my kids. We continue to learn about the Sahara desert, specifically about the plants of the Sahara. It seems like a big topic, but I just loved this hands on cutting herbs sensory activity that relates to plants that grow in the desert.

Cutting Herbs Sensory Activity

This sensory STEAM Station activity is from the week of lessons from the Sahara Desert in the Desert Discovery theme from Mother Goose Time.

I picked up four different kinds of herbs from the grocery store including marjoram, dill, thyme and rosemary.

Learning about plants that grow in the desert seems pretty boring but we’ve had the best time on this topic! Everyone enjoyed this simple activity cutting herbs. We also learned about olive trees and did some desert plants sensory play.

You just need a tray, some herbs and a pair of scissors. I put a sprig of each herb on the tray.

I set up this center for two children at a time. They love to have a turn sitting here and doing something new.

While they were working I talked to them about plants that grow in the desert. Not all of these herbs grow there, but I showed them the thyme, that does.

They discovered that some parts were easier to cut than others. Some of the plants were kind of “woody”. Can you imagine being an animal and eating that?

I told them that herbs are the kinds of plants that we eat on our foods. They give our foods flavor. Can you smell the herbs?

When we cut the plants, they smell wonderful!

Questions to Ask

Which plant smells best to you?
What kinds of smells might there be in the desert?
What do you think plants need in order to grow in the desert?
What animals might eat the desert thyme?

More Desert Discovery Activities

Rainbow Sugar Cube Pyramids

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March 20, 2019 by Stacy 1 Comment

We’ve been learning about The Great Pyramid in Desert Discovery from Mother Goose Time. One of the STEAM Station ideas provided in the teacher guide for week three is to make a Cubed Pyramid with sugar cubes. I liked the idea, but the sugar cubes I bought were small. I wasn’t sure how the activity would go with my young group, so I changed it up and we made rainbow sugar cube pyramids.

Rainbow Sugar Cube Pyramids

The inspiration for our rainbow sugar cube pyramids came from this block STEAM Station idea. Before painting the pyramids, the children can work to build pyramids with sugar cubes on a tray or paper plate.

First, we talked about the pyramid shape. It’s like a triangle shape and we can see each side of the pyramid.

Creating the Pyramids

To make rainbow sugar cube pyramids: you will need sugar cubes, hot glue, liquid watercolor paints (or food coloring), and pipettes.

Each pyramid is made with 26 sugar cubes. I prepped this activity by hot gluing the cubes together. Try to use as little glue as possible because it does show a bit after the sugar dissolves.

The bottom layer is 12 cubes. Middle: 9 cubes Top: 4 in a cross shape. Place one cube on the very top.

sugar cube painting with liquid watercolors

Painting the Pyramids

Obviously sugar dissolves with liquid so I limited the amount of liquid watercolor paints each child in order to retain the pyramid shape. Using the paint trays shown above I filled each one spot with six colors. This was the perfect amount of liquid.

Then we talked about what happens when we mix sugar and water. This can be demonstrated stirring sugar into a cup of water. I explained that we would be using *a little* bit of paint. If we use too much, the pyramid will melt. I encouraged them to take their time, dripping paint a drop at a time.

Rainbow Sugar Cube Pyramids painted with liquid watercolors

Remind the children to turn their pyramid so they can color the other side.

They did very well with this! It’s fascinating to watch the colors slowing soak into the sugar.

You can see some were quite careful and controlled with this, while others squeezed all their paint on quickly, not allowing enough time for it to soak in.

The youngest one (2 years) needed a little help learning how to use the pipette. He’s used them before but forgets. He started to “chop” at his pyramid with this pipette. Well, it’s all an experiment.

I use Colorations Liquid Watercolors. I love the vibrancy of liquid watercolors.

We put a paper plate under the pyramids before painting. The pyramids stayed on the plates to dry.

It took 2-3 days for the pyramids to harden, even the really wet one. I put them in a bag and each child could take their rainbow sugar cube pyramids home. I’m not sure the parents loved it but we all thought they were treasures!

The pyramid in the picture below was the work of a 4 year old who wanted to make sure her pyramid didn’t lose it’s shape. She demonstrated quite a bit of restraint in painting her rainbow pyramid.

Even if they melt a little, they still look like pyramids.

More Desert Discovery Activities

Desert Small World Play

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March 12, 2019 by Stacy

This month we’re learning about the desert. It’s not always easy to make places like the desert come alive for little learners because many of us in Wisconsin have never seen the desert. I use many different types of materials to help children get the feel for what the places might be like including pictures, books, videos and play, like this desert small work play bin. This invitation to play includes simple materials you can find to recreate the desert themed small world and sensory bin.

Desert Diorama Science & Nature STEAM Station play idea from Mother Goose Time in this month's preschool theme Desert Discovery. #MGTblogger #MotherGooseTime #DesertDiscovery #deserttheme #smallworldplay #sensoryplay #sensorybin #invitationtoplay

Desert Small World Play

This is my take on the Desert Diorama Science & Nature STEAM Station play idea from Mother Goose Time in this month’s theme Desert Discovery. I decided to invest in some small cacti plants that we can hopefully use for many years ahead. They can be a little pricey but I found them 40% off at Michael’s.

I loved the color of these marble rocks so I added those with a small amount of fine sand.

The Desert Toob desert creatures are perfect for this desert invitation to play. Toob toys are the perfect addition to sensory bins!

We’re loving our new IKEA FLISAT Children’s Table! I can see it being very flexible and fun for our ever changing room.

I found these small wood bowls at Ross Dress for Less – they came in a set of 4. They’ve been perfect for so many uses – love them!

This cactus planter looks real but it’s not. It’s not very pokey, but just enough to make it seem real. The plants do not pull out of the pot so I think it will hold up well. I do have a rule that these items stay in the sensory table so they do not get dropped or handled too roughly.

Kids love snakes. Me, not so much. The scorpion is very popular too.

Our lonesome coyote.

Lots of moveable items make this bin attractive to little hands.

Mr. lizard hanging out near the rock.

I didn’t add water to our STEAM Station but you could.

Questions to Ask During Play

What might you find in the desert?
How do people and animals cool off in the hot desert?
How can you move the water from the bowl to the other areas in the desert? (if you use water)
How could you make a river in the desert?

More Desert Discovery Activities

Preschool Slice and Count Play Dough Math Activity

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February 20, 2019 by Stacy Leave a Comment

The Slice and Count Play Dough Math Activity we did last week with Mother Goose Time In the Kitchen theme was a hit! Mother Goose Time provided the Slice and Count food mats and bowl cards. We just added play dough.

Slice and Count Play Dough Math Activity

I laminated the slice and count play dough mats and bowls so they would hold up for extended use. This is an activity I can pull out any time in our play dough center!

play dough and knives for Kitchen math slice and count activity with play dough

Children explore measurement and counting while slicing “fruits and vegetables” made from play dough.

Slice and Count Play Dough Math Activity by Mother Goose Time preschool curriculum Number concepts

How much fun is it to cut up a play dough banana?? In this case we have more than twelve slices but she’s just 2 years old. I could guide her cutting but she’s working on different skills than the older children.

Older children can work on counting the correct number of slices for the bowl.

slicing and counting bananas Slice and Count Play Dough Math Activity

We also talked about safety in the kitchen. Who should use knives? Is it okay to use a knife if an adult isn’t around? What could happen?

Slice and Count Play Dough Math Activity number recognition and number concepts for preschool

Little hands are very capable!

slicing play dough berries Slice and Count Play Dough Math Activity

Slicing berries!

Types of Utensils

Children love to use knives and cut! Try plastic knives, wooden knives as shown, or child sized cutlery sets.

strawberry play dough Slice and Count Play Dough Math Activity

Mother Goose Time provided wooden knives which were exciting for the kids to use and more durable then plastic knives. It’s interesting that they are actually compostable as well. I like that idea!

Slice and Count Play Dough Math Activity

Oberservations You Can Make

While the children work, you can make authentic observations about the child’s development. Along with observing fine motor development, check to see:

slicing play dough carrots kitchen theme activity for preschoolers Slice and Count Play Dough Math Activity

Was the child able to count out the correct number of pieces to match the card?
Did he/she demonstrate an ability to count up to 10 pieces of play dough?

counting carrots into a bowl Slice and Count Play Dough Math Activity

We had fun with the Slice and Count Play Dough Math Activity in the kitchen!

Themes

Bees and Butterflies Theme What’s in the Box?

Bees and Butterflies

Week 1: Bee Basics

Week 2: Bees & Wasps

Week 3: Metamorphosis

Week 4: Butterflies

Suggested Book List

Bees and Butterflies Theme Activities

Cutting Herbs Sensory Activity

Cutting Herbs Sensory Activity

Questions to Ask

More Desert Discovery Activities

Rainbow Sugar Cube Pyramids

Rainbow Sugar Cube Pyramids

Creating the Pyramids

Painting the Pyramids

More Desert Discovery Activities

Desert Small World Play

Desert Small World Play

Questions to Ask During Play

More Desert Discovery Activities

Preschool Slice and Count Play Dough Math Activity

Slice and Count Play Dough Math Activity

Types of Utensils

Oberservations You Can Make

More Health and Fitness Activities

News & Updates!

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Themes

Bees and Butterflies

Week 1: Bee Basics

Week 2: Bees & Wasps

Week 3: Metamorphosis

Week 4: Butterflies

Suggested Book List

Bees and Butterflies Theme Activities

Cutting Herbs Sensory Activity

Questions to Ask

More Desert Discovery Activities

Rainbow Sugar Cube Pyramids

Creating the Pyramids

Painting the Pyramids

More Desert Discovery Activities

Desert Small World Play

Questions to Ask During Play

More Desert Discovery Activities

Slice and Count Play Dough Math Activity

Types of Utensils

Oberservations You Can Make

More Health and Fitness Activities

News & Updates!

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More to Share & Remember!

Join Our Newsletter

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