insects Archives - JDaniel4s Mom

Roll and Cover Star Themed Game Boards

November 15, 2023 By Deirdre

Children can work on number recognition and addition facts when they explore this set of star-themed roll and cover game boards. Each of star displays a number. The game board is available in B/W and color versions. It will be up to you to decide which version you want to use.

The stars on the mats allows this set of gameboards fit into a summer night, insect, or even nocturnal animal unit. Actually you could probably use them whenever you want.

Getting the Star Roll and Cover Game Boards

First, you download the set.

Roll and Cover Star Game Boards Download

Second, if you don’t have Acrobat Reader please download it. The set is an Acrobat Reader PDF file.

Third, go to your download file and open the set.

Reusable or One Time Use

The pages can be laminated so that they can be reused. If you want to use them like a worksheet, just print them out and give them to your children to use.

Uncovered Roll and Cover Mats

The numbers on the uncovered mats can to covered with counters or X’s made with pencils. One way is permanent and the other option allows children to play with mats cover and cover again. Dot markers could also be used on the uncovered mats.

Covered or Laminated Roll and Cover Mats

Covered mats will also work with counters. If counters aren’t something you have or want to use, the numbers could be marked with dry-erase markers. Once your children have rolled each of the numbers, they can wipe off the way they have marked them with a dry-erase or wet cloth.

Making the Game Boards Reusable

If you plan on using the pages over and over again, you may want to laminate them. Below I have suggested products that you may want to use to cover them.

The links below are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. My Amazon Picks

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More Math Activities

Building Shapes with Crayons STEM Task Cards

Greater Than and Less Than STEM Task Cards

More Math Activities

Seed Packet Shape Building Mats

Farm STEM Challenges- Build Pattern Block Animals (Available on my TPT shop)

Directed Drawings – Drawing Insects with Algorithms

April 10, 2020 By Deirdre

Directed drawings invite children to work through a set of pictures or written directions to create a picture. Coding algorithms do the same thing. They use a series of steps to complete a task. This fun set coding worksheets feature Blockly blocks. When the Blockly block algorithm or series of steps is followed, an insect is drawn.

You will find two versions of each of the directed drawings worksheets. If your children are readers, then you will want them to do the algorithm with words and pictures sheet. If your children are not readers or would find the word distracting, then you can have them do the sheet without words.

Getting Ready

You May Want to Read a Book

Before you start this activity, you may want to read a book about insects. Below are some of my favorite insect books. When you read a book before starting an activity, you help your children do several things. You activate or engage the information your children already have about insects. You also help your children build background knowledge of insects. Finally, you give them the opportunity to listen or read a good book.

The links below are affiliate links.

Downloading the Directed Drawings Set

The directed drawing set is a PDF. You will need to have a PDF reader like Acrobat Reader on your computer to open it up. Each of the insects was created as a separate document. You can download all of the insect pages or just one of them.

Directed Drawing -How to Draw a Ladybug with an Algorithm
I know some of you call ladybugs by another name. If you called them ladybirds, this is an opportunity for your children to learn a different name for them.
Directed Drawing – How to Draw a Butterfly with an Algorithm
Directed Drawing – How to Draw a Bee with an Algorithm

Getting Started

There are several ways to work through the sheets. You can work step by step with your child. If you choose to do that you may want to draw an insect of your own on your own sheet. Children can also work through these on their own.
I think it is a good idea to talk through the steps before starting each of the directed drawings. When they finish their drawings, it is a good idea to doublecheck and make sure they have completed each step.

If you like this coding activity, here are some more you will like:

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish Blue Fish Coding Activity

Offline Coding Academy – Muffin Tin Algorithm

Offline Printable Coding Games

How to Make Liquid Starch Slime Algorithm

5 Days of Insect Themed Activity Pages for Kids

April 30, 2017 By Deirdre

I am joining 3 Dinosaurs and Royal Baloo in sharing collections of insect-themed printables. You are going to love the wonderful printables that we all are going to share with you.

Please stop by each day this week to see what new insect-themed printables have been shared. Your children will enjoy getting to explore them. This series will have activity pages for children in preschool all the way through third grade. You are sure to find it hard to decide which one to do first.

A list of each day’s activity pages will be posted on my Facebook page. If you don’t currently follow JDaniel4’s Mom, you will want to start following so you will see the new printables when they are added to my feed. I will be sharing the worksheets and activity pages from Royal Baloo and 3 Dinosaurs too.

Insect Themed Activity Pages

Day One

Butterfly Shape Activity Mats

Wiggle and Squirm With Bug Gross Motor Dice

Fun Bugging Math with Buggy Makes 10 Printables

Day Two

Counting Money with Caterpillars

8 Fun Bug Themed Bookmarks

Bee Theme Double E Word Slider

Day Three

Bug Counting Mats

Life Cycle of a Spider Coding Printable

Learning to Read with Buggy CVC Short U Word Sort

Day Four

Telling Time Worksheets and a Printable Clock with Ladybugs

Bug Themed Spin and Cover Division Activity

Buggy Shape Cards

Day Five

Spider Letter Web Printables

Hands-On Mat for Making UG Word Family Words

If you like these activities, here are some more activity pages and printables found right here on JDaniel4’s Mom.

Little Miss Muffet Coding Activity

Recycling Bin Counting Mats

Roll and Cover Ladybug Mats

Penguin Number Activities

Very Hungry Caterpillar Coding Sheet

Ocean Themed Roll and Cover Mats

Muffin Tin Learning- Plastic Egg and Number Match

Here are some more insect-themed activities and books I think you will like:

Morpho Butterfly Rhymes and Craft

Counting LEGO Bees on a Hive Printable

Crafting a Bee

Three The Very Hungry Caterpillar Learning Activities

Check Out These Insect Themed Books for Kids

You will also find a number of insect-themed activities on my Early Learning and Early Learning- Science boards on Pinterest. I hope you will take a few moments and check them out.

Check Out This Insect Book Collection

April 29, 2017 By Deirdre

If your children love bugs or insects, you are going to want to check out this insect book collection. It is filled with favorite fiction and non-fiction books. You will find books for preschoolers thru third graders in the collection.

Why include a wide range of books? Just because an insect book is a picture book doesn’t mean it is written on a young child’s reading level. Conversely just because a book is written for older children doesn’t mean that you can’t picture or caption walk through it with your kids. We used to do that with my son when he was little. He loved non-fiction book from the big kids section.

Insect Book Collection

Picture Books

The Very Hungry Caterpillar – This fun book walks through the life cycle of a butterfly. It is amazing just how much a caterpillar eats before it forms its cocoon. Your children will also explore the days of the week and number words while reading this book.

The Grouchy Ladybug– Your children will have fun reading about this grouchy ladybug. She picks fights with animals large and small every hour for a whole day. They will love getting to see her put in her place at the end of the day.

Bugtown Boogie– This is a favorite at my house. A boy finds a magical door in a tree. When he looks inside he finds the spot that insects and bugs go to boogie. Your children will love the rhythm and rhymes in this book.

Buzz– If your children have said they can’t do something, this is the book for you. The bee is this book learns he isn’t supposed to be able to fly and starts to lose its confidence. I love that it doesn’t give up!

Diary of a Spider– Your children will love hearing and reading about the everyday things that spider does. Some of the things will be things just they do. Other things will be unique to a spider.

Ace Lacewing: Bug Detective – This book is part of a series of Ace Lacewing books. If your children love mystery books, this is an insect book you want to check out. Ace and Sergeant Zito the Mosquito try to find out just what happened to Queenie Bee.

Non-Fiction Books

Bugs A to Z– Your children will love learning about bugs they already know and finding out about new ones. This insect book shares one or two books for every letter of the alphabet.

National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Bugs– The color photos of bugs and an abundance of bugs facts will draw even the non-bug lover in your house in.

Ultimate Bugopedia: The Most Complete Bug Reference Ever – The bug loving children in your life will love all the wonderful pictures and facts about bugs. This is a book you could picture or caption walk through with younger kids.

My Best Book of Bugs– This bug book focuses on the life cycles and habitats of a variety of bugs. Your children will be able to compare bugs and their lives after reading this book.