Snails for snack

We didn't eat real snails but made some look-a-likes to eat.

First roll your bread out thin.

Next spread on jam, peanut butter, cheez whiz or whatever you prefer to fill your sandwich.












Then carefully roll it up to look like a snail. Add carrot antennas and raisin eyes.








Then eat it, of course!

Visiting Chicks

A while back we tried to hatch chicks. Unfortunately the water bottle didn't quite work well and the humidity level in the incubator dropped and the eggs dried.

But today we were able to walk to a neighbouring home that did successfully hatch chicks (the regular way - with a hen).

It was beautiful sunny weather that made it perfect to walk the 20 minutes to Natasha's.

We had opportunities to hold and pet the chicks. They were all different colours and some had stripes around their eyes.

Continuing bug garden

The snails were very active this morning in our bug garden.
Not sure who was more curious the child or the snail trying to get out of the container?

Last Friday our craft was based on Denise Fleming's book "In the Tall, Tall Grass"


I made a mural of ripped green and brown paper to represent soil and grass blades.


Then the children used Q-tips and paint to make
bugs to add to the mural.

Bug Garden

Wow over a month since my last post - sorry but life has been full.

We've been having a lot of fun exploring bugs. We decided to grow our own bug garden this year instead of bringing in sod.

We planted grass, lettuce, wild flowers and wheat grass seeds. After about a week it was ready for bugs to move in. Families brought in slugs, caterpillars, centipedes and millipedes, worms, wood bugs, an earwig, and snails.



We included rocks, sticks and flowers for a more natural environment.






The children used a spray bottle to imitate the rain and when the grass gets too long they use scissors to cut it.

more caterpillar crafts

Wow last week was so busy that I didn't have a chance to post anything and I got behind on my emails and spent yesterday clearing out over 200 messages.

Just wanted to finish off showing you the crafts we did for caterpillars.

The first was the second stage in the life cycle of a butterfly. Caterpillars.

We made them out of egg cartons.

They had fun mixing the colours before painting their caterpillars.


Close attention to detail.













Pipe cleaners and beads were added for antennae.

Then they could finish them off with pieces of yarn and more beads on the bodies.



The following day we made caterpillars in their chrysalis.

Starting with a toilet paper tube, gluing tissue paper on it then hot gluing a a pom pom on the inside.

Peek a boo caterpillar.

butterfly larvae hatching

Today we started a week of crafts to do with the life cycle of the butterfly.

We started with the butterfly larvae hatching from the egg. Materials needed include paper plates, watercolour paint, brad fasteners, googly eyes, round paper circles, hole punch, scissors and glue stick.

The children had fun just painting (note to self - have a week of a variety of painting). One little guy was thrilled that he could poke a hole in into the paint block.

After painting you need to cut the paper plate in half, punch a hole in two of the corners and put in the brad fastener.

Then glue the round paper circle on the inside of the plate. Add on googly eyes and any face you want.

I'm a hungry, hungry caterpillar.

games

We've been focused on "What comes from eggs?"

Here are a few games that have been out to explore.

I found these tiny coloured foam eggs at a dollar store and the egg cups that match.
The children enjoyed sorting the colours.
Although the little ones wanted to eat them.

Another matching game - stuffies to photos - of creatures that come from eggs.


Now we're getting into butterflies and this sorting game can sort by colour or shape.