HOMESCHOOL - Ladybug Theme Part 2 - Puppet and Folder Game

LADYBUG PUPPET:

Part of our ladybug theme for the week focused on the anatomy of ladybugs. My daughter has recently shown a fondness for making puppets soooooo I came up with a way to incorporate both puppets and simple ladybug anatomy.

Ta -Dah! Meet our ladybug puppet, complete with elytra (outer hard part of ladybug) and inner fragile wings (see puppet opened up below). Now we have, not only another puppet for dramatic play purposes, but a reminder of some basic ladybug parts.
Can't do it? Too much expense - you say? Take heart, young friends! If you have an empty cereal box, some paper, a couple of brads, and a clear plastic lid left from an empty container (like cool whip or oatmeal), you too can create this beauty! Here's how:

1. Trace around your plastic lid - both on the paper and on the cardboard (I think we used an empty cereal box or cake box). Draw a little circle shape at the top of your circle on the CARDBOARD only - this is the head.

2. Cut out cardboard circle and attached head. Cut out circle on red paper (or just do it on white and have your child color the white part red later on).

3. Cut both the plastic lid and the red lid in half (can we say "mini-lesson on simple fractions" here?)

4. Let your child color the cardboard and head piece, black.

5. Let your child color dots on both sides of the red wings (another possible mini-lesson in symmetry).

6. Poke holes in both the red wings and white plastic wings and cardboard (make sure you line them up first and poke through them all at once - or mark them and poke through each individually).

7. Fasten these pieces together with a brad.

8. Cut out six legs and two antenna from black paper (or color some white paper black) and glue to ladybug (legs underneath and antenna to the head).

9. Color eyes on ladybug (or add wiggly eyes or black dots from a hole punch).

10. Cut a cardboard strip (or use a small piece of elastic if you have it) and staple/glue it to the underside of the ladybug for a handle.

LADYBUG MATH FOLDER GAME:


Ladybug Math Folder - How to play:

1. Place your "bugs"/aphids on the plant side of folder.

2. Drop the ladybug on top of bugs (velcro side down) and give a light tap (helps to ensure that the bugs are securely fastened to the velcro).

3. Pick up ladybug and look at underside to see how many bugs the ladybug ate for breakfast. Using a dry erase marker or crayon - write that number in the first blank of one of the math sentences on the opposite side of the folder.

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 to see how many bugs the ladybug had for dinner and write that number in the second blank of the math sentence.

5. Count the total number of aphids/"bugs" eaten by the ladybug that day and record in the third blank (after the "=" sign).

6. Continue this until all the math sentences have been filled in! :)

7. Note: you could easily make this be a review of the days of the week by writing in a day of the week above or next to each math sentence. The child could then respond at the end of the game "On Monday the ladybug ate 5 aphids. On Tuesday it ate 3 aphids. On Wednesday..., etc."

Ladybug Math Folder - How to make one:

1. Draw and color a plant (or have child do so) on one side of the folder. On the other side, staple a clear plastic sleeve (find these in an office store or office section of a store like Walmart).

2. Place your fill-in-the-blank worksheet inside the plastic sleeve (I made ours but perhaps you could find something you like in a workbook).

3. Cut out little "bugs" from green or yellow felt. Cut out a ladybug shape from stiff red or orange felt (find in a craft store) and add details with a permanent black marker.

4. Turn the ladybug over and glue/stick velcro pieces to the underside (use stiff part of velcro - not soft part of velcro).

5. Lift up the plastic sleeve on the side of your folder and staple a small plastic sandwich size bag to the folder underneath for storing the ladybug and "bugs".

6. PLAY!!!! :)