Bug Sensory Activity

Frozen Bugs:  Freeze plastic bugs in ice cubes and place them in the discovery table.  Fill the discovery table with water for some water fun.

Concept Activities

Bug Sort:  Provide the children with a bunch of bug counters.  They can be purchased from school supply stores and used for sorting, patterning, and counting.


Bug Jar Collection

Supplies:  Copies of an empty jar picture. Many bug stickers!

Directions:  Have the kids put bug stickers in the jar for their own bug collection...we will talk about each kind of bug and special facts we know about it.  You may also wish to turn this into a counting book activity: Make many copies of the jar and number the pages 1-10 or 20 and have kids put that many bugs in the jar on each page.

Math & Science

Bug Matching, Patterning, and Sorting

Using stickers, a bulletin board set (Carson-Dellosa) or clip art, create some bug matching cards.  Laminate them for protection.

Directions:  Play concentration and then make patterns like ladybug, fly, grasshopper,- ladybug, fly, _____? Have kids pick what comes next.  Sort the bugs next.  Sort them by kind, color, and features like flying bugs and crawling bugs, let kids think of other ways to sort them.

Homemade Ant Farm

Use a clear plastic shoe box. Heat a nail and press it against the box lid to make air house. Make several holes. Find an area that has lots of ants and scoop them up along with dirt or sand. Transfer them to box. Stuff cotton into the air holes and securely tape on the lid. Then cover the box with a dark cloth. Once a week, use an eyedropper to place a small about of jelly or honey mixed with water through one of the air holes. Remember to replace the cloth whenever you are not observing the ants.

Bee Science Fun

Roll a cotton ball (pretend it's a bee) on a flower (a daisy works really well) see the pollen that collects. Bees collect pollen when they land on a flower and carry it back to their hive in their pollen baskets. Pollen is mixed with honey and fed to the baby bees (it's called bee bread).

Bee Hive Song

This is my bee hive (put hands together)
(loud) but where are the bees?
Hidden inside where nobody sees
One, two, three, four, five, (raising up fingers)
There they go, off to the trees (point)


More about bugs:

Visiting the Bug Petting Zoo by Surviving a Teachers Salary
Play Dough Bug Sculptures by No Time for Flash Cards
Beautiful Bottle-cap Bugs by The Fantastic Five
The Eensy Weensy Spider by Snails and Puppy Dog Tails
Ladybug Girl & Bumblebee Boy by Mama Jenn
Ladybug Dice Game by Learning and Teaching with Preschoolers
Lady Bugs by Kidz Kraftz
Creating ladybugs in preschool by Teach Preschool
Amazingly Simple Bug Crafts by Surviving a Teachers Salary

Directions: Trace hands onto construction paper and cut out (need 4 hands). Glue hands palm down near the bottom of the white paper. Dip finger into red paint and press onto grass area. Create a sun with yellow paint. Once the paint has dried add legs and dots to ladybugs with marker.