Create excitement for preschoolers by transforming your classroom into an outside insect world. The teacher and students can work together to create this preschool insect theme which lends itself to many fun bug activities that can have science, literacy, math, and art connections.
-Cut very long strips of light and dark green butcher paper and tape around the walls of the room.
-Make a sun/ cloud out of paper to hang from the ceiling.
-Bring in, or ask parents to donate, house plants to give the room an outdoor feel.
-Have terrariums of bugs in the class for the students to observe. Some ideas are ant farms and meal worms. It is amazing for students to see meal worms transform into darkling beetles.
-Students can create large flowers and bugs to decorate the room with.
Outside of the room, make a sign on the bulletin board, that says, "Crawl, Buzz, or Flutter into Our Room!" or anything "buggy" you can think of.
You can have students color in bugs, cut them out, and then glue pictures of their faces on the bugs on a bulletin board that reads, "Mrs./Mr.________ Little/Learning Bugs"
The room will begin to make you and your students fell like bugs living in a grassy garden!
Here are some great lessons and activities to use in your class that are related to insects:
All about Bugs: An Insect Lesson Plan, by Melissa Elizondo
It's a Buggy World! A Science Experiment for Young Children, by AmandaKShannon
Imaginary Insect Toddler Craft. This was designed for toddlers but can be a neat craft project for preschoolers as well.
It is easy and fun to put an insect theme spin on your preschool lessons. Students will feel they were a part of something different and special if you take the time to decorate your room in an exciting way that encourages learning.