Good Afternoon!

It was a six legged kind of day at Wee friends as we found ourselves studying the insects of South Bend all led by the curiosity and questions provided by our kids!  Outside, Asher noticed that there were many insects on a tall milkweed plant.  We discovered that there are many different kinds that all called the plant home.  Many of our friends became very interested in a bright gold colored beetle we found under one of the leaves.

Next, as Asher continued to investigate the small details of Wee Friend’s outdoor space, he discovered a small hole in the sand box.  I pushed a bit of dirt into the hole to see if it would draw the inhabitant out…which it did.  It turned out to be a small solitary insect which quickly dug out all of the sand I had pushed in.  The insect, quite dramatically, kicked the dirt out with its back legs.  The kids were captivated and we repeated the experiment several more times as nearly the entire class gathered to watch!

Inside we continued with insects as some of the class worked on their butterfly metamorphosis journal.  They drew what they saw inside the cage and tried to pay close attention to the details they observed.  They saw two chrysalises inside the cage and noticed that they both had a gold line across them.  We learned that all monarch chrysalises look this way.  Afterward we used kid spelling or teacher help to describe what we saw with words. 

During group time today PREK2 read the book “The Life of a Monarch Butterfly”.  At the end of the story we talked about our Monarch caterpillar.  We looked at what we saw in the cage and picked which stage in the life cycle the caterpillar was in right now.

Breakfast: Kix cereal with fresh pineapple.

Lunch: Peanut butter on whole wheat bread, fresh cantaloupe/pineapple, and fresh cucumber/carrot.

PM Snack: Whole wheat bagel with peanut butter.

Wee Sprouts: Fresh carrots.

Have a great day!

~Wee Friend’s Teachers

Link to pictures:2024-06-18