What's Bugging You? Summertime Dance Activities About Bugs and Insects!

Happy Summer!











Here are some fun movement activities that are based on bugs and insects.*  Many of them can be done outside, and would work well for a school or day camp activity for young children.  They can be used as brain breaks, transitions, or a whole morning or afternoon's theme for creative play.

Materials:

Several lively musical selections, and/or songs about bugs

Paper and crayons 

Craft Project:   Plastic headbands, pipe cleaners, beads,  curling ribbon, and/or other items to decorate antennae
(See photo below)


1.  Bug Dance and Freeze

Play one of the musical selections

Ask the children to dance while the music is playing

Stop the music throughout the song.  Call out a different bug each time, and ask the children to freeze in the shape of that bug.

Finish the game by asking the children to freeze in the shape of their favorite bug.


2.  Warm Up

Sitting on the floor in a circle:

Curl in and out like a pill bug.  Then try it lying down.

Roll onto your back, and imagine you are a bug that is stuck.  Move your arms and legs as many ways as you can.

Imagine you are a bug that is stuck on its back!

Roll from side to side like a role-poly bug, then bring yourself back up to sitting.

Inch around the circle like a caterpillar, and end up back where you started

Imagine you are a spider, going up and down (from floor to standing) on your silver thread.  Do it several times, finishing standing.

Imagine you are a little cricket.  First do small bounces, then do little bouncy jumps.  Always bend your knees when you land from a jump!

3.  Large Motor Skills Practice

March like hard-working ants!

Tiptoe like a very quiet bug

Walk fast in a zigzag pattern like a spider

Turn around like a caterpillar spinning a cocoon

Hop and jump like a grasshopper as it goes from one blade of grass to another

Run and swoop like a moth as it flies around a bright light at night

Skip and gallop like a water bug skimming across a pond

Leap like a butterfly taking off and landing 


4.  Opposites

Play another musical selection.  Ask the children:

Can you dance slowly like a caterpillar?  Now can you dance fast like a bumblebee?

Can you dance smoothly and gracefully like a butterfly, then in a zigzag, herky-jerky way like a housefly?

Can you dance quietly like a spider, the loudly like a buzzing mosquito?

Can you glide like a centipede, then bounce and hop like a jumping water bug?

Can you move like you have little tiny legs like a small spider, and then as if you have great big legs like a daddy longlegs?

Can you hop like a small cricket?  Now can you hop like a giant grasshopper?

5.  Craft Project

Take a break from dancing to make colorful and fun antennae.  Use the materials described above.  Help each child to string beads on two pipe cleaners and then twist them onto the headband.  Use whatever other materials you have to add extra decorations.

Draw a Bug and Dance!

Ask the children to think about all of the bugs they have danced about.  Then, ask each child to draw an imaginary bug, with all of his or her favorite ideas combined into one bug!

Play a musical selection, and prompt the children to dance like their imaginary bug would move, while wearing the antennae they made.

Finish the activity by asking:  How would a bug bow?



I hope your little ones had fun dancing about bugs!


Keep on dancin'!

Connie

Moving is Learning!

http://www.scbwi.org/members/connie-dow/

*Ideas based on the 5-session unit called Busy Bugs: A Multilayered Movement Study, from my book One, Two, What Can I Do?  Dance and Music for the Whole Day, published by Redleaf Press.

Montessori-Inspired Nutcracker Activities Using Free Printables

By Deb Chitwood from Living Montessori Now 

My daughter was a dancer from the time she was little. So, The Nutcracker became a part of our Christmas season. In honor of that tradition, I want to share some ideas for creating Montessori-inspired activities using free Nutcracker printables.
 
 

The Nutcracker can be difficult for preschoolers to understand, but it's helpful to share a Nutcracker book and activities for preschoolers who are exposed to the Nutcracker ballet because of older siblings or those who are already taking ballet classes. A number of these activities work well through early elementary and add to older children's appreciation and understanding of The Nutcracker. 

I shared a list of free Nutcracker printables in my post today at Living Montessori Now. Here, I've created some Nutcracker activities using free printables for preschoolers through first graders. You'll find many activities for preschoolers through first graders throughout the year along with presentation ideas in my previous posts at PreK + K Sharing. You'll also find ideas for using free printables to create activity trays here: How to Use Printables to Create Montessori-Inspired Activities. 

At Living Montessori Now, I have a post with resource links of Free Printables for Montessori Homeschools and Preschools.  

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links at no cost to you. 

Illustrating the Nutcracker Activity

  This activity could work well for a wide range of ages. It only requires printed out pages from the free Illustrating Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker by Sally of Elementary Matters at Teachers Pay Teachers along with colored pencils (or another art medium) and a stapler or another way to bind the pages. 

 I included a copy of The Nutcracker as a way to help children understand the story. I used a classic version of The Nutcracker by E.T.A. Hoffmann (retold by Anthea Bell) with lovely illustrations by Lisbeth Zwerger. The E.T.A. Hoffmann story of the Nutcracker is different from the ballet, so you'll want to choose whichever version of The Nutcracker is best for your child or students. 

You could either have the materials available on a shelf or on a table similar to the one in my photo.  

Nutcracker Craft Using a Paper Tube 

   

For this activity, I used Nutcracker Cut-Outs Using Tissue Paper Rolls from Mary Engelbreit. I show the Nutcracker craft here, although you can also create Drosselmeyer and the Mouse King. I placed everything on a Multicraft tray. The sequins are for the crown. This is a fun activity and works on a number of fine-motor skills, too. 

Tray for Making Nutcracker Decorations
   

This tray uses the free Holiday Bookmarks: Featuring the Nutcracker by Exploring Elementary at Teachers Pay Teachers. I also used printables for Nutcracker ornaments from Nutcracker Decorations at Hugo L'Escargot. 

I printed these on cardstock for durability.Your child could help you laminate the finished ornaments or bookmarks as gifts. Here's the link to my favorite laminator.

Ballet Slipper Color Matching Activity 

 

This is a fun extension to the Montessori color tablets for preschoolers! It uses Ballet Slipper Color Matching from 1+1+1=1 and Color Matching Cards from Montessori Print Shop (which can be used as a substitute for the Montessori Color Box 2). 

Both the Montessori Print Shop materials and the color-matching ballet slippers from 1+1+1=1 follow the Montessori principle of isolation of quality. 

 

I used a Montessori Services rug for my layout. 

"One Less" Ballet Subtraction Activity 

   
Renae from Every Star is Different has a wonderful Nutcracker unit study. "One Less" uses the Ballet One Less printable from that unit. I added a tweezers to some sequin snowflakes to add fine-motor activity. 


Greater Than, Less Than Nutcracker Activity

   
I'm a fan of the Greater Than, Less Than Alligator. This activity is a creative extension to that concept using a free printable Nutcracker Number Game from Preschool Mom. 

Printable nutcrackers are included for the greater than, less than symbols. I decided to use a real nutcracker. You could actually use real nuts rather than the printables to show the nutcracker eating the greater quantity. 

I like that this activity extends the greater than, less than alligator idea to become an image closer to the actual greater than, less than symbols. 

More Free Christmas Tree Printables and Montessori-Inspired Christmas Activities

Go to my post at Living Montessori Now for links to Nutcracker freebies from around the blogosphere: Free Nutcracher Printables and Montessori-Inspired Nutcracker Activities.

 

You'll find lots of Montessori-inspired December holiday activities and ideas in these posts at Living Montessori Now: Activity of the Week – Montessori-Inspired Decorating the Christmas Tree Activity, Activity of the Week – Gift Wrapping Work, How to Use Godly Play at Home During Advent, December Family Activities, Turning Christmas Crafts into Montessori-Oriented Activities, Montessori-Inspired Christmas Activities, 50+ December Family Activities, Montessori-Inspired Christmas Activities (Part 2), Holiday Manners, How to Prepare a Special Kids’ Table for Holiday Gatherings, Homeschool Christmas, Montessori-Inspired Christmas Playdough Activities, 40+ Christmas Countdown Activities, Montessori-Inspired Christmas Crafts, Montessori-Inspired Nativity Activities, Montessori-Inspired Hanukkah Activities, Christmas Around the World: Scotland, Montessori-Inspired Christmas Activities and Free Christmas Printables, 40+ Christmas Sensory Tubs, Montessori-Inspired Christmas Scavenger Hunt, Montessori-Inspired Kids’ Gift Wrapping Activities, Hundreds of December Holiday Activities for Kids, Christmas Countdown Activities {with Lots of Free Printables}, Montessori-Inspired Christmas Cards and Crafts, Montessori-Inspired Set-Ups for Christmas Playdough Activities, Christmas Gingerbread Man Fine-Motor Activity or Craft, Montessori-Inspired Christmas Craft – Painted Wooden Ornaments, Free Christmas Tree Printables and Montessori-Inspired Christmas Tree Activities.

If you'd like to focus on manners with children, please check out my eBook Montessori at Home or School: How to Teach Grace and Courtesy! It's written for anyone who'd like to feel comfortable teaching manners to children ages 2-12.

 Have a happy upcoming holiday season!

 
 
Deb Chitwood is a certified Montessori teacher with a master’s degree in Early Childhood Studies from Sheffield Hallam University in Sheffield, England. Deb taught in Montessori schools in Iowa and Arizona before becoming owner/director/teacher of her own Montessori school in South Dakota. Later, she homeschooled her two children through high school. Deb is now a Montessori writer who lives in San Diego with her husband of 39 years (and lives in the city where her kids, kids-in-law, and baby granddaughter live). She blogs at Living Montessori Now.

5 Budget-Friendly Ways to Enjoy Summer "Stay"cations

Hi! I'm Ayn and I am a Ga. Pre-K teacher, serving 4 and 5 year olds in an inclusive setting. I share my classroom adventures on my blog, little illuminations. 

**Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.**

As I browse my facebook lately, I am seeing post after post from parents ready for summer to end. Parents are simply running out of ideas to keep kids busy without spending a bunch of money. Of course, parents want the kids to have fun and enjoy the break, but these days spending a ton of money on each outing is just not feasible. Today, I'm sharing 5 low-cost/free outings parents and children can enjoy together. Along with each outing suggestion, I'm recommending a great children's book correlating to the trip.

1. Visit the library. Most libraries have a storytime, and many provide puppet shows, plays or children's activities---all for FREE!!! 

I took a preschool aged group to our local library and we saw a fantastic puppet show after hearing a story. Our library has a playground, so after the show was over, we had a picnic and played on the playground for the afternoon. (The bonus was that on the way home, I overheard some of the kids talking about how this was one of the "best field trips EVER!!"

Two of my favorite books about visiting the library are "Library Lion" and "Lola At The Library".

      

2. Visit your home improvement store for craft day! Home Depot (and other home improvement stores, as well, I'm told) has a great Kids Workshop each month for a very nominal fee. They also give the kids a builder's apron with the craft project. The kids may make bird houses, tool boxes, bug catchers, etc. and learn some valuable lessons about tools and basic woodworking. Our kids got to make this really cool bug catcher!

"The House I'll Build For The Wrens" is a great rebus read-a-long that comes with instruction on how to build a birdhouse!

3. Visit your local state park. Many state parks offer free or low cost programs for kids. We went to Mistletoe State Park, here in Georgia and heard a nature talk, learned about what a forest ranger does, participated in a nature walk/scavenger hunt, made a craft with found items, had a picnic and played games. 

The Nature Center at Mistletoe State Park has displays that children are encouraged to touch and explore!

This baby rattler was one of many of the indigenous snakes on display.

The children learned about the beavers' anatomy and habitat.

Taking turns at the bird watching station.
There were several types of birds that were just right outside the viewing window!
The bird houses played the song of the type of bird that it housed.

A baby fawn.

One of many learning games in the center. The children pulled the pegs and revealed indigenous birds and tree-dwelling animals.

The habitat display, filled with taxidermied animals from the area. We were assured that all animals were found already dead and that none were killed for display.  

More birdwatching on one wall and local fish identification on the adjacent wall. 

A river otter and pelt.

A raccoon! We learned the raccoon mask is one of its adaptive traits. 

Wild rosemary growing along the path of our nature hike.
It was quite fragrant!

The box turtle is one of the types of turtles found in our area.

Our nature hike. We took along a little bag to pick up specimens.

This group made a fish windsock from recycled materials and sticks found on the walk. The younger group made a nature collage with their specimens (not pictured).

We played several games with water sponges and toys to help us cool down. 

There are tons of great books about nature, but one of my favorites is "We're Going On A Nature Hunt". It's told in the same way as "We're Going On A Bear Hunt" and kids easily pick up the rhyme and read along!

4. Visit a ceramics shop and paint pottery! We visited our local ceramics shop Artsy Me, and painted tiles that will be gifts for the parents. Most shops charge by the item you purchase and provide the paint and firing services at no extra charge. 

Tomie dePaola has a wonderful book about individuality in creating art called "The Art Lesson".

5. Visit a local history museum or historical spot. We visited the Augusta Canal and National Heritage Area. We took a Petersburg Boat tour of the canal and visited the Augusta Canal National Heritage Area Discovery Center to learn more about the history of our area and the important contributions of our area during the Civil War. The children were shocked to learn about hard work, long hours and poor conditions that many of the child laborers endured back then. For a virtual tour, click here. On the boat tour, we learned about how the canal actually works, its importance during the Civil War, as well as learning a lot about the local flora and fauna. We saw many birds, turtles, fish, insects and even some river otters! 

The children got a chance to try some of the work that the mill children did daily in very poor conditions for very little pay. They discovered that it was hard work!

Getting all the bobbins for weaving placed on the frame correctly was quite tricky, especially while racing the clock!

Getting a safety talk as we start the journey down the Augusta Canal on our Petersburg Boat. These boats are replicas of the boats used to transport goods up and down the Augusta Canal to the Savannah River.

This image from Wikipedia.com is an artists' rendering of the boats in action during the Civil War.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petersburg,_Georgia

It's great fun to wave at folks in town along the Augusta Canal!

Augusta Confederate Powderworks manufactured and supplied gunpowder
to the Confederate Army during the Civil War.

Wood ducks out for a swim on the canal.

River otters play and swim as we pass by in the Petersburg boat.

The two recommendations for reading to kids about museum visits are "Franklin's Class Trip"and "Miss Malarkey's Field Trip".  "Franklin's Class Trip" is about the beloved turtle "Franklin"'s field trip to the museum. Zany Miss Malarkey takes her class on a museum adventure in "Miss Malarkey's Field Trip".

What is your favorite "go to" spot for free or low cost activities for kids? If you have a great free/low cost daytrip suggestion, I'd love for you to share it in the comments! 

Stop by and visit me anytime at littleilluminations.blogspot.com or visit the little illuminations fanpage on facebook! And be sure to check out PreK+K Sharing EEE!