Monday, May 23, 2011

the bug search is on...

every friday, we have a small group of kiddos come over for a couple of hours of learning.  a few other moms and myself have come together to create a little co-op of sorts... where the little ones play, learn, eat... and just have fun. 

last week, we had a day of bugs!  well, it was actually a day of frogs and lizards, because it was impossible to find some inexpensive toy bugs.  but the frogs and lizards worked just fine :)


we spread some frogs and lizards in the grass...


got some magnifying glasses and jars, and went collecting!


all the while practicing some counting and color identification.

on the way to finding some frogs and lizards, we searched for some real critters and came across some slugs and worms, as well...

later, we filled some bowls with rice, and hid the frogs and lizards in them.  we used some plastic tongs (a score from the 99 cent store... four to a pack!) to search for the bugs and grab them out...
this is a great activity for hand strengthening...


even if the tongs don't get used, the tactile experience is wonderful, too!

even once the kiddos left, leo was still excited to play.  he got to counting the frogs and lizards, adding one, recounting...


cleaning them all up into the jar with the tongs...


dumping them all out...



and starting all over again!


give it a try... you can get started just by using some salad tongs, an empty jar, and any small objects that can represent bugs (great pretend play exercise!  try blocks, cotton balls, puzzle pieces...).  the rest is bonus! 

5 comments:

  1. i'm sure that cat food just looks sooooo tempting!!! it's definitely fun at this age right now, but i'm also excited for the baby age all over again with the new little one!

    p.s. the food pyramid was a hand-me-down from a friend... it's become a wardrobe staple!

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  2. Fun! I enjoy my moments with Rylie as they are right now (a lot of prevention of cat food consumption), but I do look forward to lizard hunts in the backyard in the years to come! I love Leo's "food pyramid" tee!

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  3. thanks, stacey! we couldn't have done it without your frogs & lizards! we'll miss you on friday :( enjoy your weekend!

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  4. this is wonderful heather- well done! :) and leo looks absolutely adorable too..muchlove, stacey

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