Bees & Butterflies

Ian painted this bilateral symmetrical butterfly by painting one side with finger paint and then folding and pressing the paper.

Last weekend we attended "Wings in the Park - A Celebration of Bees, Blossoms, and Butterflies".  Ian and I learned about monarch migration, host & nectar plants, and the difference between bumble bees & honey bees.  We also looked at several different kinds of live caterpillars and Ian held a monarch butterfly.

We often see bees and butterflies in our vegetable garden and yard.  This week the boys helped me transplant some native plants to attract more pollinators.

Bee & Butterfly Activities:

• "Honeybees in Their Hive" puppet show (Small Wonders by Garrett & Thomas)
• "Collecting Pollen" (Small Wonders by Garrett & Thomas) - Ian pollinated flowers in our yard with a cotton swab.
• "Comb Shapes" (Hands-On Nature by Lingelbach & Purcell) - We compared hexagonal and circular comb shapes.
• "The Caterpillar" and "Here is the Beehive" hand rhymes (Hand Rhymes by Brown)

Books:  The Icky Bug Counting Book by Pallotta;  The Best Book of Bugs by Llewellyn;  Insectlopedia by Florian;  From Caterpillar to Butterfly by Heiligman;  Where Butterflies Grow by Ryder

Resource Links:  Penn State Center for Pollinator Research, The Great Sunflower Project

Water

Ian's rain drop painting made with diluted tempura paints, eye droppers, and a straw.

Eric's rain drop painting made with diluted tempura paints, eye droppers, and a straw.

Ian and Eric spend hours playing with water.  They dance in the rain, splash in puddles, "paint" the porch, wash things, fill containers, and water plants.  They also make their own streams, dams, and lakes in the yard and at the beach.  This month we tried a "Frozen Balloon" activity (Preschool Art: Clay and Dough by Kohl).  I filled various shaped containers and balloons with water and froze them.  The boys made ice sculptures using spray bottles, salt, and paints.  They also experimented with the ice in the wading pool.

Ian and Eric love the humorous and educational puppet shows from Small Wonders by Garrett and Thomas and Hands-On Nature by Lingelbach and Purcell.  Sometimes we use our puppets and puppets borrowed from our local library.  Other puppets we make from paper, felt, and wooden sticks.  Usually we repeat the puppet show several times.  One of the puppet shows we did this month is "Water, Water, Everywhere" (Hands-On Nature by Lingelbach and Purcell), which is about Wally the Water Drop's journey through the water cycle. 

Books:  We Use Water by Nelson;  Water Up, Down, and All Around by Rosinsky;  Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain by Aardema;  A Drop of Water: A Book of Science and Wonder by Wick;  The Snowflake: A Water Cycle Story by Waldman;  Hey, Frog! by Grobler;  I Am Water by Marzollo;  Did a Dinosaur Drink this Water? by Wells

Boats

Ian and Jenny boating on Black Moshannon Lake.

Ian has been learning about boat designs by assisting Mac with full-size boat building.  Ian used his knowledge to create various shaped aluminum foil model boats.  He tested his boats to see how much weight (pennies) they could hold and and how well they moved through the water.

One of Eric's favorite games is Float or Sink.   He puts objects in the bath or wading pool to see what happens.  Eric has discovered that some things, for example washcloths, float at first but then sink when saturated with water.

Books:  Rescue Boats by Ethan;  First Look at Boats by Butler;  Sail Away Little Boat by Buell;  This Boat by Collicutt;  Boats, Ships, Submarines, and Other Floating Machines (How Things Work) by Graham;  Captain Duck by Alborough

Videos:  Mighty Machines: Boats to the Rescue!

Reference Books:  Liquid and Buoyancy (Fun with Simple Science) by Taylor

Additional Pictures:
Plywood Adirondack Guideboat
Mouse Boat

Independance Day

United States Capital drawn by Ian with stencil.

Ian calculated that the United States is 236 years old this year.  We celebrated our country's birthday by attending a dinner party and watching fireworks.  We also read about Michelle Obama's "no-beet" White House Garden, past presidents, and the history of the Liberty Bell.  Ian is especially interested in the Liberty Bell and would like to visit it in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Books:  First Garden: The White House Garden and How it Grew by Gourley;  The President's Stuck in the Bathtub by Katz;  The Liberty Bell by Ashley;  K is for Keystone: A Pennsylvania Alphabet by Kane