HS Life Cycles

Interest Area Changes to Environment

Pictures of:

Frogs 

Tadpoles 

Butterflies 

Caterpillars 

Cocoon 

Butterfly Puppet 

Frog Puppet 

Lilly Pads made from felt 

File Folder Game of Life Cycles 

Butterfly Net 

Bug Catcher 

Magnify Glass 

Coffee Filters 

Felt pieces of an Ecosystem for a frog (sun, lily pad, pond, etc..) 

Bug Counters/Sorting Tray 

Green Construction Paper 

Cupcake Liners 

Empty seed packets 

Cotton Balls (sensory item as rain clouds) 

Potting Soil

Teaching Concepts for Large Group

1. What is a life cycle? 

2. What would be the life cycle of a frog? 

3. What would be the life cycle of a butterfly? 

4. What happens during the life cycle? 

5. What is an amphibian? 

6. What is the life cycle of a plant? 

7. What do living things need? 

Great information on frogs here:  http://www.frog-life-cycle.com/ and here:  http://sciencewithme.com/learn-about-frogs/ 

Great information on butterflies here:  http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/butterfly/lifecycle/

Teaching Concepts for Small Group

1. Sequence life cycles of butterflies and frogs. 

2. Patterns with the bug counters. 

3. Classify the bugs. 

4. Draw an ecosystem where frogs lives. 

5. Make a butterfly from coffee filters and clothes pins. 

6. Make lily pads with construction paper and cupcake liners. 

7. Chart what living things need like below:

Teaching Concepts for Music Movement Wellness IMIL

1. Pretty Butterfly (Sung to: “Up on the Housetop”) First comes a butterfly Who lays an egg. Out comes a caterpillar With many legs. Oh, see the caterpillar Spin and spin. A little chrysalis to sleep in. Oh, oh, oh, look and see, Oh, oh, oh, look and see, Out of the chrysalis, my oh my, Out comes a pretty butterfly! 

2. The Life of a Butterfly (Sung to: “Skip to My Lou”) I’m a caterpillar, wiggle with me, I’m a caterpillar, wiggle with me, I’m a caterpillar, wiggle with me, What’ll I be my darlin’? A chrysalis, now sleep like me, A chrysalis, now sleep like me, A chrysalis, now sleep like me, What’ll I be my darlin’? A butterfly, come fly with me, A butterfly, come fly with me, A butterfly, come fly with me, What’ll I be my darlin’? Now all together, let’s do all three! A caterpillar, a chrysalis, a butterfly, three! Move your body like this with me, The life of a butterfly, darlin’! 

3. ABC Butterfly A B C D E I found a butterfly on me! F G H I J She started out in a very small way. K L M N O An egg smaller than my toe! P Q R S T Next a caterpillar she will be. U V W X Y In a chrysalis is where she’d lie. Z Z Z Z Z That’s how my butterfly came to be!

Teaching Concepts for Fingerplays

1. Five Little Fogs Five little frogs sitting on a well. (Hold up five fingers.) One peeked in and down he fell. (Hold up one finger.) Four frogs jumped high. (With hand holding up 4 fingers, jump up.) Four frogs jumped low. (With hand holding up 4 fingers, jump low.) Four frogs jumped everywhere, to and fro! (With both hands jump forward, sideways, backwards.) 

2. Five Little Speckled Frogs Five little speckled frogs, (Hold five fingers “frog” on top of your other arm “log.”) Sitting on a hollow log, Eating the most delicious bugs. Yum! Yum! One jumped into the pool, (jump a finger off the log into the pool) Where it was nice and cool. Now there are how many frogs? FOUR! (Hold up four fingers) Four little speckled frogs, Sitting on a hollow log, Eating the most delicious bugs. Yum! Yum! One jumped into the pool, Where it was nice and cool. Now there are how many frogs? THREE! Three little speckled frogs, Sitting on a hollow log, Eating the most delicious bugs. Yum! Yum! One jumped into the pool, Where it was nice and cool. Now there are how many frogs? TWO! Two little speckled frogs, Sitting on a hollow log, Eating the most delicious bugs. Yum! Yum! One jumped into the pool, Where it was nice and cool. Now there are how many frogs? ONE! One little speckled frog, Sitting on a hollow log, Eating the most delicious bugs. Yum! Yum! It jumped into the pool, Where it was nice and cool. Now there are how many frogs? NONE! 

3. A Little Green Frog There once was a little green frog, frog, frog, Who sat in the woods on a log, log, log. A screech owl sitting in a tree, tree, tree, Came after the frog with a scree, scree, scree. When the frog heard the owl in a flash, flash, flash, He jumped in the pond with a splash, splash, splash! 4. Caterpillar The caterpillar crawled from a plant, you see (left hand crawls up and down right arm) “I think I’ll take a nap,” said he. So over the ground he began to creep (right hand crawls over left arm) To spin a chrysalis and he fell asleep. (cover right fist with left hand) All winter he slept in his bed Till spring came along and he said, “Wake up, it’s time to get out of bed!” (shake fist and pointer finger) So he opened his eyes that sunny spring day (spread fingers and look into hand) Look I’m a butterfly!” and he flew away. (Interlock thumbs and fly hands away) 

5. Creepy Crawly Caterpillar A creepy crawly caterpillar that I see (shade eyes) Makes a chrysalis in a big oak tree. (make body into a ball) He stays there and I know why (slowly stand up) Because soon he will be a butterfly (flap arms) 

6. Roly-Poly Caterpillar Roly-Poly caterpillar, (wiggle right pointer finger) Into a corner crept. (place right pointer finger in left cupped hand) Then for a long time slept. (place head on folded hands) Roly-poly caterpillar (wiggle right pointer finger) Found himself with beautiful wings. Changed into a butterfly. (flutter arms like wings)

Teaching Concepts for Outdoor Experiences

1. Pretend to fly like butterflies.  Have the children follow directions. Have them fly fast, slow, backwards, etc. 

2. Hide butterflies on the playground and have the children go on a butterfly hunt. 

3. Hop like frogs. Have the children follow directions. Have them hop high, low, fast, slow, etc. 

4. Butterfly movements

CLASS Concepts 

After reading a book about a butterfly’s life cycle such as The Very Hungry Caterpillar or Waiting for Wings, explain that there are four stages that a caterpillar goes through to become a butterfly. These stages are called metamorphosis, which means change. Prepare and show the students pictures depicting the four stages of metamorphosis. The egg becomes a larva which is the caterpillar. The caterpillar then becomes a pupa and wraps itself in a chrysalis where it grows into a butterfly. Tell students that sometimes a chrysalis can be found hanging from the underside of a leaf. When it is ready to fly, the butterfly chews its way out. After drying its wings in the sun, the butterfly flies away.  The students will use their bodies to demonstrate what metamorphosis looks like. First, tell them they will become an egg. Have them sit on the floor, grasp their knees, and tuck their head under. Demonstrate the position.  Next, tell the students they will change into caterpillars by stretching out on the floor and wriggling. After that, they will stand very still and cross their arms tightly across their chest to look like the chrysalis. Finally, demonstrate how a butterfly gently stretches its wings and begins to flutter. Allow the students to fly around the room or outside as butterflies in the rain forest.

Teaching Concepts for Distance Learning

1. Pretend to be a seed that is planted in the ground and then grows into a big, strong tree.

2. www.kids.nationalgeopgraphic.com

National Geographic for kids. Learn all about geography and fascinating animals.

3. https://www.sheppardsoftware.com

Hundreds of free, online, learning games for kids.