Bugs for lunch?  Well yes, depending on what type of creature you are.  Reading this poetic story introduces the children to many animals that eat bugs for their lunch.

Materials

•             Insect lotto boards
•             Poker  chips or small plastic circles

Vocabulary

•             Bugs (another name for insect.)
•             Entomophagy (a person who eats bugs)

Before Reading the Story

Ask the children to name some of their favorite lunch foods.  Afterwards tell the children that you are going to read a book called Bugs For Lunch.  Ask if they have ever eaten any bugs.  Most children will laugh and say gross.   Ask the children if they know who does eat bugs for lunch?  Give them a moment to reply and then introduce the story. 

Science/Scientific Knowledge; expands knowledge of and abilities to observe, describe, and discuss the natural world, materials, living things, and natural processes.

Reading the Story

Point out the variety of bugs on each page and name those that you can. Those that you do not know, look for inside an insect identification book.  Have the children repeat the many varied names of the insects. 

Literacy/Book Knowledge & Appreciation; shows growing interest and involvement in listening to and discussing a variety of fiction and non-fiction, and poetry.

After Reading the Story

Do a walk through of the book and see if the children can recall the names of all the animals that eat bugs.  Tell the children that in many parts of the world people eat insects and they say that they taste good!  People say that they are crunchy.  Ask the children to help you list other foods that are crunchy. 

Mathematics/Patterns & Measurement; begins to make comparisons between several objects based on a single attribute.

Science

Bring in any bug homes (bee hive,cocoon) or dead insects that you might have for the children to look at through the magnifying glasses.  Bring in an insect identification book.  Take this out onto the playground with you and take bug boxes to capture the insects to better examine. 

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; begins to use senses and a variety of tools and simple measuring devices to gather information, investigate materials, and observe processes and relationships.

Music and Movement

            Sing Five Little Speckled Frogshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziGG_L9C12o

Five little speckled frogs,

Sitting on a speckled log

Eating the most delicious bugs, yum, yum

One jumped into the pool where it was nice and cool

Then there were four more speckled frogs, glub, glub.

(Sing down 4, 3, 2, 1–Then there were no more speckled frogs. Glub, glub)

Mathematics/Number & Operations; develops increasing ability to count in sequence to 10 and beyond.    

Blocks

 Have the children use the blocks to make a pond.  Using two poker chips, show the children how to slide one poker chip off the edge of the other to make it jump like a frog into the pond.  

Physical Health & Development/Fine Motor Skills; grows in eye-hand coordination in building with blocks, putting together puzzles, reproducing shapes ad patterns, stringing beads and using scissors.

Art

Encourage the children to draw insects.  As they draw remind them that insects have 6 legs and 3 body parts, etc. If they are drawing a spider, remind them that spiders have 8 legs. 

Mathematics/Number & Operations; begins to associate number concepts, vocabulary, quantities, and written numerals in meaningful ways.  AND Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; develops growing abilities to collect, describe, and record information through a variety of means, including discussion, drawings, maps, and charts.

Sand and Water

 Add dirt to the table today and plastic insects.  Bring in a variety of items that the children can use to make an insect/bug environment.  Include rocks, sticks, leaves, bark, etc. 

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; develops growing abilities to collect, describe, and record information through a variety of means, including discussion, drawings, maps, and charts.  AND Literacy/Book Knowledge & Appreciation; demonstrates progress in abilities to retell and dictate stories from books and experiences; to act out stories in dramatic play; and to predict what will happen next in a story.

Library and Writing

Play insect bingo.  Help the children read the names of each insect. (Make copies of the insect page. Cut out the pictures and glue 8 of the 12 pictures onto a clean piece of paper, one card of 8 per child.  Cut out one set of 12 insects to use for the call cards.  Pick up a card and name, or have a child name the insect.  If the child has it on their piece of paper they may cover it with a marker. The first to cover all 8 insects shouts bingo). 

Social & Emotional Development/Cooperation; develops increasing abilities to give and take in interactions; to take turns in games and using materials; and to interact without being overly submissive or directive.

Dramatic Play

Bring some plastic insects to the center and encourage the children to cook some delicious meals that crunch and munch. 

Literacy/Book Knowledge & Appreciation; demonstrates progress in abilities to retell and dictate stories from books and experiences; to act out stories in dramatic play; and to predict what will happen next in a story.  AND Approaches to Learning/Initiative & Curiosity; approaches tasks and activities with increased flexibility, imagination, and inventiveness.

Math and Manipulatives

Use the book to go through pictures with the children and count the number of insects on each page. Give the children time to discuss the variety of bugs and they are alike and different. 

Mathematics/Number & Operations; develops increasing ability to count in sequence to 10 and beyond.   AND Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; develops increased ability to observe and discuss common properties, differences, and comparisons among objects and materials.

Outdoor Play

Look for bugs on the playground and put into bug catchers to observe.  If you find a mound of roly poly bugs, put them onto a tray and see what happens to them when they uncurl themselves.  If you find ants, see if the children can find the ant trail.  If you find a spider, have the children carefully examine the spider web.  Encourage the children to talk about what the see and ask them questions about what the insect is doing, going, what they might eat, how many legs, etc..

Science/Scientific Knowledge; expands knowledge of and abilities to observe, describe, and discuss the natural world, materials, living things, and natural processes.   AND Approaches to Learning/Initiative & Curiosity; grows in eagerness to learn about and discuss a growing range of topics, ideas, and tasks.

Transitions

Encourage the children to fly like an insect or crawl like an insect to the next activity

Approaches to Learning/Initiative & Curiosity; chooses to participate in an increasing variety of tasks and activities.  

Resources