We're NOT Grouchy {ladybugs}! We're MAD About Math!!

Hope I'm not BUGging you with another insect post!  

I don't know about you, but I LOVE to read "The Grouchy Ladybug" by Eric Carle!  The kids favorite line each year {of course} .... "Hey, you! Wanna fight?"  This year we decided to tie in math to our grouchy ladybug project.  We happened to be learning about addition, so why not create math problems using each Smart Tart's grouchy ladybug's spots? 

HOW TO:

Each child was given a tracer in the shape of {what I call} a "cave door" for the body and their cute, little cut out grouchy mug, which was laminated.  They drew a black line dividing the body in half and also colored a little black triangle where the outer wings "split."  Each Smart Tart created their own addition problem by drawing some dots on the left and some more on the right and wrote the corresponding addition problem on the word bubble.  ***Note for next year: Add head FIRST, THEN draw dots!!*** Each ladybug was finished off with six legs and two antennae adorned with sequins.  

TADA! Our grouchy masterpieces!

Don't have this book? You can pick it up here:

No time to buy it?  Here is the tale as a bedtime story by Mr. 7 Yea!

HEY, YOU! WANNA TRY THIS?!?! ;) 

We Can't BEElieve That We Look Like Bumblebees!

Hey all! I am excited to BEE able to share this post with you, but first a joke....

Why are A's like flowers?

Because bee's come after them!
Bah dum dum!

Our study of insects was jam packed with tons of activities.  Here is an idea from my co-teacher Ms. Perry that we worked on all week. Although these look like the most adorable human bumblebees .... might we even call them "human BEEings" .... they are actually the covers to our very own bee story.  We imagined ourselves as bees, and many of us decided that one of the worst things that could happen to us {as bees} would be to lose our honey.  It took all week for my Smart Tarts to write their rough drafts, go through the editing process and finish their final drafts which were then assembled as this BEEutiful book. We were definitely busy little bee's! 

Thanks for looking at some of our tales, and we hope 

that you will BEE able to use this idea in your classroom! :)

Dollar Tree Find #6 {of 7} - Don't BUG Out in Your Small Group!

Well, someone's been naughty busy and forgot to continue my Dollar Tree posts!  I am SO sorry ... maybe I will have to add a few more "bonus" posts to make up for it. ;)

Well, this next post will make literacy or math Teacher Table time a BUGGY good time!  Here is what I picked up at Dollar Tree:

Packs of Bugs {8 per bag}

Bug Explorer Kits

Safari Hats

**Safari Vests Can Also Be Picked Up There 

{just thought of this ... DOH!}

So ... I made a little sheet for this game called, "Don't BUG Out!"  It's a basic table with 8 spots for whatever skill you would like to focus on... I focused on reading, but I think next time it will be math {subtraction for Violet & number recognition for Mal}. It could be laminated and individualized for each child or group level. {DID YOU NOTICE MY MISTAKE??}

HOW TO PLAY THE GAME:

Players take turns using their tweezers or insect net to select a bug from their mat.  

They have to read or solve what is hiding under their bug.  

If they can read/solve etc... it, then they keep it in their bug box.

If they miss it, they recover the skill & can't come back to it for 2 turns {unless, of course, it is the last one they have to solve.

The first person to clear their board first, WINS!

Getting Started!

WHOOPSIE ... Got One Wrong. All part of learning! 

**BONUS** ... If they are talented enough to grab 2 bugs with one pinch of the tweezers {believe me, it's not easy!} they have a chance to keep both bugs if they can answer both spaces.

 Bugs are YUMMY too??!!

YAHOO ... We had a BLAST!!

I have a question?????? 

WHAT SKILL WOULD YOU FOCUS ON FOR THIS GAME??