May
Arts and Crafts
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
1 sheet green construction paper (cut four, 2" X 12" strips)
red construction paper ( cut one, 2" X 12")
1/2 black pipe cleaner
tape
black magic marker
stapler
Fashion antenna out of pipe cleaner by folding in half and curling ends around pencil. Punch small hole in red strip about 1/3 way down from the top and insert antenna at middle. Put two small pieces of tape on back to secure antenna in place. Turn over, bend antenna up. Have student draw on two eyes and a smile. Roll red strip (head) into circle and staple closed. Continue rolling green strips to make body alternating placing pieces up and down. This makes the caterpillar look like it is crawling.
Butterfly Magnet
white coffee filter
washable markers
spray bottle with water
newspaper
paper towel
doll pin
ultra fine black Sharpie
magnet strip
1/2 pipe cleaner
Student colors coffee filter with washable markers until most of white is covered. (The darker the color the better). place newspaper on paint easel. Hold filter against newspaper and spray with water. The colors will run and blend together. Place wet filter flat on paper towel. When dry, thread into doll pin. Draw eyes and smile on flat surface. Fold pipe cleaner in half and twist around doll pin, and curl ends around Sharpie for antenna. Glue magnet strip on back.
Buttercups
large white paper plate (cut into flower shape)
yellow paint
yellow muffin cup
glue
green construction paper (cut long stem and long slender leaves ~ as in flower line below)
Paint paper plate yellow. Glue muffin cup to center. Staple on stem and leaves
Science
Earth Buddy
small white Styrofoam cup
dirt
grass seed
black marker
water
Have student draw a face on cup. Fill cup almost to the top with dirt. Sprinkle on lots of grass seeds and cover with layer of dirt. Water. Watch your buddy grow "hair." Student like to give their buddy haircuts!
Bird's Nest
Have children go outside and pick up twigs and grass. On poster board, make a paste of sugar, flour, and water. Form into a nest. Make eggs from playdough or use cotton balls which have been shaken in a bag of blue tempera, or you can stick in a paper bird on a toothpick.
Books
The Very Lonely Firefly
~ Eric Carle
The Very Busy Spider ~ Eric Carle
The Very Hungry Caterpillar ~ Eric Carle
The Grouchy Ladybug ~ Eric Carle
Ten Little Ladybugs ~ Melanie Gerth
The Very Lazy Ladybug ~ Isobel & Jack Tickle
A Nest Full of Eggs ~ Priscilla Jenkins
Baby Bird's First Nest ~ Frank Asch
Bugs! Bugs! Bugs! ~ Bob Barner
I'm a Caterpillar ~ Jean Marzollo
The Very Hungry Caterpillar ~ Eric Carle
The Eensy-Weensy Spider ~ Mary Ann Hoberman
The Itsy Bitsy Spider ~ Iza Trapan
Spiders Everywhere ~ Gail Herman
The Roly-Poly Spider ~ Jill Sardegna
I See a Bug ~ Kristen Hall
This is the Sunflower ~ Lola M. Schaefer
Grow Flower, Grow ~ Lisa Bruce
The Surprise Garden ~ Zoe Hall
In the Tall, Tall Grass ~ Denise Fleming
The Little Mouse, and the Red, Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear ~ Don & Audrey Wood
Recipes
Fuzzy Caterpillars
8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
12 oz. shredded Cheddar cheese
parsley flakes
pimento pieces
pretzel sticks
Soften cream cheese and add Cheddar cheese. Mix together. Make five small round balls and roll balls in parsley flakes. Arrange on a lettuce leaf. Add pimento pieces for eyes and nose. Use pretzel sticks for antennas.
Dirt Cake
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
2 3 oz. pkgs. instant vanilla pudding (prepared as per package directions)
1 lb. Oreo cookies, crushed
1 8 oz. container Cool Whip
Gummy worms
In a bowl, mix together cream cheese, sugar and pudding. Fold crushed cookies into Cool Whip. Layer mixture along with gummy worms in a clean plastic sand pail, starting and ending with cookies. Serve with plastic shovel.
Suckers
1 C water
1 C sugar
2/3 C plus 2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
2 Tablespoons butter
3 teaspoons flavoring; cherry, butterscotch, root beer, etc.
food coloring (to match flavoring)
Popsicle or sucker sticks
Brush a baking sheet, parchment paper or sucker molds with butter. Place sucker sticks on surface. Leave enough room to allow space between suckers.
Combine first five ingredients and cook to hard crack stage. Add food coloring. Pour or spoon mixture so suckers do not touch.
Hamburger Cookies
vanilla wafers
Hershey pure chocolate bar
coconut
green food coloring
yellow and red tube frosting
sesame seeds
egg white
Brush top of wafers with beaten egg white and sprinkle on sesame seeds. Bake until oven on low heat until slightly browned. Place another wafer, curved side down on plate ~ bottom of bun. Add square of chocolate ~ this makes the burger; one squirt of red frosting ~ ketchup; one squirt yellow frosting ~ mustard. In small bowl, add a few drops of green food coloring to coconut. Place small amount of green coconut on top of ketchup and mustard to make lettuce. Top with toasted wafer for top of bun.
Rainbow Jell-O
Each day mix up a color of Jell-O, start with red. Pour small amount into a clear plastic cup. Allow to harden and then add orange. Follow this procedure with all the other colors, at the end of the week you will have your own rainbow.
Rainbow Toast
bread
milk
food coloring
brushes
toaster
margarine
Pour a tablespoon or two of milk into a small dish and add a couple of drops of food coloring. The more drops, the more intense the color. You will want to have three or four colors. Wash brand new brushes and put two in each container of colored milk. Have the student daub the colors onto their bread. They should be careful not to put too much milk in one area of the bread. Once the design is done. lightly toast the bread. You or the children can spread the margarine onto the bread.
Edible Rainbows
1 C soft margarine
3/4 C white sugar
3/4 C brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 C flour
1/2 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
food coloring
Mix together margarine, sugar, eggs and vanilla well. In separate bowl mix together flour, soda and salt. Add flour mixture to margarine mixture. Divide the dough into four or more parts. Color each part with food coloring to make a rainbow color. On waxed paper, pat each color of dough into a strip 4" wide and 1/2" thick. Stack the rainbow strips on top of one another. Press down to help the strips stick together. Wrap the pile in waxed paper and refrigerate overnight. Slice the layered block of dough in 1/4' slices. Gently curve the slice into an arch. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 375 degrees for about seven minutes.
Songs and Fingerplays
Little Bird
One little bird with feathers of blue; .
Flew beside the green one, and then there were two.
Two little birds singing in the tree;
The red one came to join them, and then there were three.
Three little birds, wishing there were more;
Along came the purple bird, and then there were four.
Four little birds, happy to be alive;
Found a yellow one, and then there were five.
Five little birds, happy as can be;
Singing beautiful songs - just for you and me!
Two Little Birds
Two little birdies, sitting on a hill;
One named Jack, the other named Jill.
Fly away Jack; Fly away Jill;
Come back Jack; Come back Jill.
The Little Caterpillar (Itsy, Bitsy Spider)
The Little caterpillar crawled up into a tree,
Spun his cocoon and slept so quietly.
All through the winter, he didn't make a sound,
He dreamt of his new life, when he'd be flying around.
Butterfly, Butterfly (Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star)
Butterfly, butterfly, fly away,
You were a caterpillar yesterday.
Butterfly, butterfly, you never stay,
Ever flying to a new day.
Butterfly, butterfly, fly away,
You were a caterpillar yesterday.
Little Butterfly (I'm a Little Teapot)
I'm a little butterfly, I have wings
I fly around and see all things.
When I see a flower that looks great,
I call out to all my mates.
Ladybug Fun
Five little ladybugs went out to play,
The first one said, "What a beautiful day."
The second one said, "let's look for a flower."
The third one said, "here comes a shower."
The fourth one said, "We'd better run."
The fifth one said, "Now the day is done."
Ladybugs Fly (Three Blind Mice)
Fly, fly, fly. Ladybugs fly.
Fly over here. Fly over there.
They fly up high and they fly down low.
They fly fast and they fly slow.
Oh, ladybugs fly. Fly, fly, fly.
How Do Bugs Move? (Bingo)
There was a little bumblebee,
Who buzzed around the garden.
Buzz, buzz, bumblebee.
Buzz, buzz, bumblebee.
Buzz around the garden.
There was a little ladybug,
Who crawled around the garden...
There was a little butterfly,
Who floated 'round the garden...
There was a little pesky fly,
Who zipped around the garden...
The Insects Outside (The Wheels on the Bus)
The fireflies at night go blink, blink, blink,
Blink, blink, blink, blink, blink, blink.
The fireflies at night go blink, blink, blink,
Out in the garden.
bees/in the flowers/buzz
crickets/fields/chirp
ants/grass/march
caterpillars/on the leaves/munch
spiders/in the bush/spin their webs
butterflies/in the sky/go flit
ladybugs/on the wall/ have lots of spots
worms/in the ground/wiggle and squirm
mosquitoes/ outside/they get smacked
I'm a Little Sunflower (I'm a Little Teapot)
I'm a little sunflower; I'm so small.
Soil, sun and water, make me tall.
When I get all grown-up, you will see
That I'm as big as I can be!
Flower Garden (The Farmer in the Dell)
The farmer plants the seeds.
The farmer plants the seeds.
Hi, Ho and Cherry-O
The farmer plants the seeds.
The rain begins to fall...
The sun begins to shine...
The buds all open up...
I'll Plant a Little Seed (I'm a Little Teapot)
I'll plant a little seed in the dark, dark ground.
Out comes the yellow sun, big and round.
Down comes the cool rain, soft and slow.
Up comes the little seed, grow, grow, grow!
Buzzing Little Bee (Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star)
Buzzing, buzzing little bee,
Buzzing, buzzing right past me;
Stopping at each flower you meet,
Spreading pollen with your feet;
Buzzing, buzzing little bee,
Buzzing, buzzing right past me.
Baby Bumblebee
Oh, I’m bringing home a baby bumblebee.
Won’t my mommy be so proud of me?
‘Cause I’m bringing home a baby bumblebee.
Buzz, buzz, buzz -
Ouch! It stung me!
Oh, I’m bringing home a baby rattlesnake.
Won’t my mommy shiver and shake?
‘Cause I’m bringing home a baby rattlesnake.
Rattle. rattle, rattle -
Ouch! It bit me!
Oh, I’m bringing home a baby kitty cat.
Won’t my mommy be so proud of that?
‘Cause I’m bringing home a baby kitty cat.
Kitty, kitty, kitty -
Ouch! It scratched me!
Oh, I’m bringing home a baby turtle.
Won’t my mommy really pop her girdle?
‘Cause I’m bringing home a baby turtle.
Snap, snap, snap -
Ouch! It bit me!
Oh, I’m bringing home a baby elephant.
Wait ‘til mommy sees it’s big trunk.
‘Cause I’m bringing home a baby elephant.
Rumble, rumble, rumble -
Ouch! It stepped on me!
Skinnararink
Skinnamararink-a-dink-a-dink
Skinnamararink-a-doo
I love you!
(repeat)
I love you in the morning and in the afternoon.
I love you in the evening, underneath the moon.
Skinnamararink-a-dink-a-dink
Skinnamararink-a-doo
I love you, too,
Boo-boo-pe-do!
Mom, You Are So Nice
You are so nice,
I want you to know
You’re my special Mom,
And I love you so!
Mother’s Day Song
(Are You Sleeping)
We love mothers, we love mothers
Yes, we do; yes, we do.
Mothers are for hugging
Mothers are for kissing
We love you; yes, we do.
You Are My Mommy (You Are My Sunshine)
You are my mommy,
My special mommy.
You’re the very best in every way.
And that is why, mom,
I want to wish you
A happy Mother’s Day!
M-O-M-M-Y (Bologna Song)
Oh, my mother has a special name,
It’s M-O-M-M-Y!
My mother has a special name,
It’s M-O-M-M-Y!
Oh, I love to hug her every day.
And when I kiss her, I will say...
"Mommy, mommy, I love you!
I L-O-V-E-Y-O-U!"
Happy Mother’s Day (Happy Birthday)
Happy Mother’s Day to you;
Happy Mother’s Day to you;
Happy Mother’s Day, Dear Mommy.
Happy Mother’s Day to you!
Oh, Mother’s Day (Oh, Christmas Tree)
Oh, Mother’s Day, Oh, Mothers Day
Oh, how I love you Mommy
Oh, Mother’s Day, Oh, Mothers Day
Oh, how I love you Mommy!
You bring me joy and happiness.
I give you love and a kiss
Oh, Mother’s Day, Oh, Mother’s Day
Oh, how I love you Mommy!
Time to Say, "Bye" (My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean)
It's summer and we are excited.
The summer has come now at last.
We're going to be on vacation.
This school year has gone by so fast!
Time to say "Bye,"
To all the friends we've made this year!
Summer's here now,
And soon we will all be back here!
Parent-Child Time
~ Discuss the development of the butterfly with your child
~ Go to the library and check out books on butterflies and caterpillars
~ Talk about the different colors of butterflies
~ Go on a butterfly hunt with your child
~ Dance like a butterfly
~ Plant a flower or vegetable garden with your child's help
~ Talk about plant growth
~ Let child water his/her plants daily
~ Discuss the size, shape, and color of the flower or vegetable planted
~ Eat sunflower seeds
~ Clean and cut various raw vegetables for a snack. Before preparing any vegetables, show them to
your child. Make sure he/she sees things like carrots with the tops and peels, celery leaves,
cucumbers with skins, and a whole head of cauliflower.
~ Take your child on a bird walk
Calendars
CLASSROOM CALENDARS
Monday-Wednesday-Friday AM
Tuesday-Thursday AM
Tuesday-Thursday PM
Many of the monthly suggestions have been collected over the years I have been
teaching. It is not my intention to take credit for someone else's original idea.
Please see Resource Materials for a listing of books and publications I have and
the Links page.
