STOP BUGGING ME
Buggy Fun for Summer
By Sharen Pearson
Much to
the dismay of their mothers, toddlers hold a relentless fascination for bugs.
They follow, squish, catch and even eat them! Perhaps the novelty lies in the
never-ending variety of creepy crawlers or that bugs are smaller than these
little ones. Here are some simple buggy activities that will enchant your
children this summer.
Bug Catcher
Save the net from your fresh produce. Lace a chenille wire
around the top to support the sides. The net makes a tiny bug catcher for your
child. Always help identify any bugs that might be dangerous. Catch, observe
and release.
Butterfly or Dragonfly
Attach colored tissue paper wings to a toilet tissue or
paper towel tube for wings. Slip a hair band over the tube and place on
toddler’s wrist to flap and fly. For more advanced work, drop food color onto a
wet coffee filter. Allow to dry and use for wings. Two filters for dragonfly
and one for butterfly.
Big Bug
Fashion antennae with chenille wire and attach to your
child’s head with clips. Gather a sheet of tissue paper at the center. Duct
tape to the back of the shirt for butterfly wings. Fly away little butterfly!
Tot Cocoon
Give your toddler the end piece of a roll of toilet
tissue. Have him gently spin to wrap the paper around and around forming a
cocoon. If the paper breaks, just tuck the loose end in and begin again.
Continue as your child is comfortable (most won’t let you cover the face).
Count 1, 2, 3 and have your butterfly “hatch out” and fly away.
Lady Bug
Make a tiny ladybug from the cup of an egg carton. Cut the
section. Paint red and add black dots. Tape twisted bits of paper on for
antennae. For a counting activity: make five bugs and draw 1 spot, 2 spots etc.
on the five bugs. Count the spots and the bugs.
Caterpillar
Cut a six-section length from an egg carton. Your toddler
can glue cotton balls on each section for “fuzz.” Draw a face on one end of the
section and add chenille or paper antennae. Punch a hole in the front and tie a
string on to “walk your bug.” For more advanced work, paint each section of the
caterpillar yellow or even a rainbow.
Bug Collage
Draw (or print from a website) several bugs on paper. Make
a simple paste of flour and water. Your tot can glue on dry rice, macaroni,
bits of colored paper and/or cake sprinkles to decorate the bugs.
Bugs in a tub
Pour 6 cups of dry rice into a large flat container. Add
toy plastic bugs (or your ladybugs), measuring cups, recycled plastic
containers, paper tubes and play as in a sand box. To protect the floor and
give your activity a boundary, place the tub in the center of a sheet or shower
curtain. Your child will play
for hours.
About Sharen
Sharen Pearson’s Goof &
Giggle classes and materials continue to provide a quality Mom/Tot interaction.
Widely popular, Goof & Giggle’s child-focused play plans are offered in
various Arizona communities. She’s also created a variety of Goof Juice DVDs
and filmed episodes of Baby D.I.Y. and written workbooks for BabyFirstTV.
Arizona Midday (NBC) tapes monthly segments with Sharen to provide their
audience with a variety of original and creative “easy to do” activities for
babies and preschoolers. Sharen’s creativity reaches a combined audience over
200 million viewers worldwide. Goof & Giggle classes and products encourage
green living, repurposing materials from around the house into affordable
objects for play and learning. Learn more at: http://sharenpearson.com/
The timing of this guest blog was perfect because I just finished reading a cool 5* book by Anne Rockwell called,
Honey in a Hive (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2)
Children's Bug & Spider Books)
Here's an excerpt:
" Buzzing from flower to flower, honeybees are busty gathering nectar and pollen. The nectar will be made into honey, and the pollen will feed their queen bees from societies with leaders-the queen-and workers, and like people, their survival depends on every bee doing its part..."
Be sure and stop by Sharen's site and learn all about,
Goof & Giggle
Best,
-- LadyD
