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You are here: Home / Archives for Bug Crafts

Bug Crafts

Color and Learn Worksheets

March 29, 2016 By Valerie Mcclintick 2 Comments

Recently we’ve added a handful of Color and Learn worksheets to our sister site Preschool Mom, and I wanted to take a minute to show you why they are so popular with our visitors.

Each collection includes a variety of different animals/bugs alongside some amazing and fun facts for children to learn.  Some pages include extra activities like footprint identification or beginning writing skills, but mostly they are designed to be no-prep, easy to implement resources you can use in your classroom.  In fact, it might be fun for children to create their own fact book featuring each of the different animals.

FarmAnimalColoringHeader

Color and Learn Farm Animals

A set of seven different color and learn pages, each featuring a baby farm animal, foot prints, and facts for children to learn. These are great for small bits of learning and you can read the facts as your child colors in their page.

 

ArcticAnimalHeader

Color and Learn Arctic Animals

Children love to learn about animals, especially animals that can survive in the cold harsh arctic tundra!  These free arctic animal printables are just right for your winter preschool lessons. Children can learn all about the amazing creatures that thrive in the worlds arctic deserts.  This is a great time to tie in some animal science, habitats & biomes as well as seasonal migration patterns and hibernation books.

 

BugsColorHeader2

Color and Learn Insects and Bugs

Children love to learn about all the amazing creepy crawlies in the world around them.  Below we’ve created ten different color and learn activity pages filled with fun facts, simple coloring and a space for children to write their own thoughts about the creature.  These are fantastic for science units, children can bind them together to create their own booklet to share with friends and family.

Filed Under: Animal Printables, Arctic Crafts, Bug Crafts, Coloring Pages, Farm Animal Printables

Butterfly Life Cycle Stamps

ButterflyPinThis set of life cycle stamps can be used over and over again!  Make a set for each bug you’re learning about!  Older children can make their own very easily, and use them to decorate research paper and to make visual examples on presentations.

Materials:

  • Craft Foam, Scrap Wood, Glue, Scissors, Pencil, Ink

 


Suggest Resources for a Unit Study:

ButterflyScience   butterflygarden    butterfly2 stamppad


Art Project Tutorial:

Step 1

Start by designing your stamp on the craft foam. Use your pencil and press hard

Step 2

Make sure that your pressing into the foam so that it stays indented.

Step 3

Once drawn, cut out all of your life cycle shapes

Step 4

Glue your shapes onto the backs of a piece of scrap wood. You can also use a wooden cube, an empty milk carton, yogurt cup or anything that has a flat surface and can take a bit of pressure.

Step 5

Allow your stamps to dry before using. Ink your stamp well by applying pressure

Step 6

Stamp your image onto paper too see how it turned out!

Step 7

Align your stamps in a circle for your life cycle and draw arrows showing which step is next!

All Done!

Now you've got a great set of Life Cycle Stampers! Hint: Use a diaper wipe to wash off the stamp in between colors.

Butterfly Lapbook & Notebooking Pages

April 15, 2013 By Valerie Mcclintick 2 Comments

It’s Spring!!

Around here that means butterflies!
I’ve just compiled an easy “pinable” list of our most popular butterfly printables.
We’ve also added some NEW butterfly notebooking pages so be sure to check those out too.

Preschool Butterfly Printables on Preschool Mom
Lifecycle Sequencing Cards
Lifecycle Classroom Charts
Butterfly Wordwall Cards
Butterfly Matching Game
Butterfly Counting Game
Butterfly Coloring Pages/Handwriting Worksheets
2 Butterfly File Folder Games

Butterfly Notebooking Pages on The Crafty Classroom
8 Notebooking pages featuring stunning full color photographs of different butterflies.

Butterfly Lifecycle Craft on The Crafty Classroom
This easy DIY craft will become your favorite go-to project for all your buggy themes this year!

Butterfly Lapbook on Lapbook Lessons
Printable Life Cycle Wheel
Label the Parts Worksheet
Butterfly Coloring Page
Butterfly Bible Verse
Bug Counters
and more!

Butterfly Bible Lesson on Preschool Post
-Morning Circle Time
-Preschool Theme
-Letter of the Week
-Music & Movement
-Center Time Activities
-Snack Suggestion
-Thematic Craft
-Bible Theme
-Bible Verse
-Bible Song
-Optional Resources

Hope that helps you get started on those Spring Lapbooks!

Blessings,

Valerie

Filed Under: Bible Printables, Bug Crafts, Butterfly Printables, Coloring Pages, homeschool printables, Life Cycle Crafts, Notebooking Printables, Preschool Printables, Printable Games Tagged With: bible lesson, butterfly printables, classroom quilt, file folder games, free coloring pages, homeschool, lapbook, notebooking pages, preschool printables, worksheets

What’s That Bug? Notebooking Printables

August 22, 2012 By Valerie Mcclintick 4 Comments


So if you’ve been following us on Facebook this Summer,
you’ve been treated to a plethora of animal and bug photos.

We’ve been visited by many NEW and interesting creatures this Summer,
and most of them we’ve needed help in identifying.

As handy as the internet it, sometimes it’s hard to look up a bug by description.
We use these sites quite often, they are the best we’ve found:

What’s That Bug
What Bird
Animal Track Guide
Printable Animal Track Identification Guide
Another Printable Animal Track Chart

But, we have come to realize that’s it’s much more efficient to simply post the photo to Facebook.
Within a few minutes we have gotten some very interesting and often accurate identifications.

It’s gotten to the point that directly after we catch a new critter,
my son says, “Post that to facebook so we can find out what it is!”
So I must say a BIG Thank you wise Facebook Followers for all your help!

You have made my job as Mommy/Biologist so much easier.

Just to prove I’m thankful, I whipped you all up a few identification printables.

What’s That? Notebooking Printables

There is a sheet for Bugs, Birds, and Animals.
These would be great to have on hand as your children come to you with their backyard discoveries!
I’m a big supporter of impromptu research sessions, and these will help guide young children through the identification process.

It’s Child-led learning at it’s finest.
I’m convinced that this is one of the best, easiest, and longest lasting styles of teaching.
You simply capitalize on their excitement,
and milk it for every educational drop you can get out of it.

So next time your little kiddos come to you with something crazy looking like this:

or this…

or even one of these…

Stop what you’re doing and take them on a learning adventure!
They will love you for it!

Filed Under: Bug Crafts, homeschool printables, Notebooking Printables Tagged With: animal track, bird identification, bug identification, free printables, homeschool, nature walk, notebook, printables, science, worksheet

Starting Nature Journals

July 12, 2011 By Valerie Mcclintick 12 Comments

Do your children have a nature journal?

Do you?

I’ll admit that I’ve tried them.

But first let me just tell you a little story….

So sit back……grab your coffee,
and enjoy my failure for a moment.

A few years ago when I first decided to homeschool,
I was introduced to the idea of Nature Journals.
There were so many amazing examples online of what
could be included, so many beautiful watercolors paintings
amid pressed flowers and texture rubbings of important things.

It was overwhelming.
But I like a good challenge

I decided that I would create (see the problem here)
lasting memories of a happy, outdoorsy childhood, spent
among wildflowers, babbling creeks, white tail deer that stood
still for hours.

Ha.

So I set out with my then 2 children
I packed up our watercolor pencils, sketchbooks,
apple juice boxes and peanut butter crackers.

I drove for a half hour, to a scenic viewpoint,
one I was sure would inspire my children to create magic.
We hiked for 20 minutes and finally sat down in the Summer
heat to begin our journaling.

So, I’m sure you can imagine,
(or at least infer by the tone of this post)
How it all went down.

And it went Down. Hill. Fast.

Think sticky juice box fingers mixed with expensive sketchbooks
Colored pencils with ever breaking tips. Not a sharpener in sight.
Peanut butter cracker crumbs.
And only ONE green pencil, in a field of green trees and flowers.
682 feet above sea level, Snickering onlookers, and two children coming down
from an Apple Juice high.
(Ooooh I could have just….)

MY DREAMS of inspiring, keepsake worthy nature journals
was shot.

I loaded the children back up in the car.
And drove home.
Defeated.

I haven’t attempted Nature Journals since.

Until Now.

WHY?

Because I had the privilege of hearing This Funny Lady,
speak at a Homeschool Conference last month.

And I was again inspired to try Nature Journaling.

However.

And this is a big However.

HOW – EV – ER
(are you catching my tone here?)

This time I’m going in with little to NO EXPECTATIONS.
This time I understand that I can’t expect a child to draw a bird
while it’s flitting around everywhere.
That it’s OKAY to just sit back and enjoy the creature, and then LATER
*gasp*
look up images and facts about the animal.

So, as you check out the following photos,
DO NOT BE DECIEVED.
There was no magic peaceful moment as we drew them.
It was actually an instructional time for us, sitting around the table
and working hard at where to put little eyes, and beaks, and toes.

But we do spend peaceful mornings together watching these little birds
fly around our yard. We talk about what kind of birds they are, and each time they visit we look for new things to learn about them.

And then later we looked up images and poetry online,
and added them to our nature journals.

And here’s how that all translates:

Didn’t they turn out cute?
Now those are keepsakes!

I was so jealous inspired with how easy things went
that I went out and got myself a sketchbook.

Oh. And colored pencils too.
The good ones.
I just can’t resist an opportunity for new pencils.

And you know what?
I forgot how therapeutic drawing was.

And I love that I can use my journal to document the “real life”
that causes us to add something to our journals in the first place.

I’m feeling pretty good about nature journals,
And this time around
I think we’re off to a great start!

Filed Under: Animal Crafts, Bird Crafts, Bug Crafts, Earth Day Crafts, Garden Crafts, Nature Crafts Tagged With: art, homeschool, journaling, lapbooking, nature journal, notebooking, sketchbook

Buggy Boards: Fun Printable Math Mats!

July 8, 2011 By Valerie Mcclintick 7 Comments

Got Boys?

Do they Like Bugs?
(nevermind. Silly question)

Need to work on Math?

Check out these Super Buggy Boards!

buggy boards

And these Super Buggy Number Cards!

math printables

Designed to appeal to your little men, while sneaking in a bit of math
like vegetables in a ice cold smoothie.

printable math mats

They’ll be rolling and counting, and checking out all the different bugs
that they’ll never know what hit them.

printable bug

Poor, unsuspecting little men.

These are pretty versatile, Check out all the Game Ideas I posted too!

Okay, ya got me.

I only posted like three ideas….
How would you use these with your little ones?

Filed Under: Bug Crafts, homeschool printables, New Posts Tagged With: bug printables, bug unit study, bugs, file folder, games, homeschool, homeschool printables, insect printables, learning, math, math mats, printable, summer, thematic units

One of the Perks….

May 25, 2011 By Valerie Mcclintick 5 Comments

Often I’m asked what we like about homeschooling
(besides saving $250/child/month for private school)
and usually I’ve got a few “perks” that I rattle off….
You know the standard

“I get to be home with the kids…”

“Each child is approached from their learning ability…”

“It’s kinda fun….”

Ect. You know them all right?

Well, another perk of homeschooling is that you often get hands on learning experiences:

And one of the CONS of homeschooling is that you often get hands on learning experiences:

Sheesh. Really?
That’s what I get for bringing out the bugs during handwriting.
Perhaps it will pass as a period.

And yeah. I just showed you a photograph of caterpillar pee.
Everything has educational value here. Everything.

Filed Under: Bug Crafts, Life Tagged With: butterfly garden

Butterfly Life Cycle Stamps

April 18, 2011 By Valerie Mcclintick 1 Comment

Oh golly, I couldn’t resist:

I made a set of Butterfly Life Cycle Stamps too!

butterfly life cycle stamps

Didn’t they turn out cute?

butterfly life cycle craft

Just in time for our butterflies too!

Have you ordered your Butterfly Kits yet?

We ordered a kit last year, and loved it!
It’s about time to dig it out and order us some new grubs!

Can’t wait!

Filed Under: Bug Crafts, Insect Crafts, Life Cycle Crafts Tagged With: bug crafts, butterfly, crafts, crafts for kids, insect crafts, life cycle, make your own stamps, spring

Live Insects! Open Immediately

June 21, 2009 By Valerie Mcclintick 3 Comments

Time for the Summer learning to begin!

Last year we started our Alphabugs Lapbooks, and made it all the way through letter M for Mosquito.

This Summer we hope to bring those Insect Lapbooks back out and add a few more letters.

(Very Slowly.)

(Very, Very Slowly.)

Caterpillar Slow…..


That’s right.

We just got our own set of caterpillars in the mail.

That means (if these little buggers stick to their schedules) we’ll be seeing some beautiful painted lady butterflies in a little over 2 weeks.


Which is right around the time I’m due with Baby #3


Anyone wanna wager which happens first?

Filed Under: Bug Crafts Tagged With: alphabugs, bug lapbooks, butterfly garden, butterfly lapbook, butterfly lesson, insect lapbooks

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I am a Christian mother of four, with over 13-years experience homeschooling in Southern Oregon. The resources and products I create are designed to keep the prep to a minimum while also bringing a little educational fun to your classroom

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