Torn paper grouchy ladybugs

One of my favorite authors is Eric Carle and with his birthday coming up on June 25th, I thought I would spend a little time sharing ideas that I have used to extend his books in my classroom….

“The Grouchy Ladybug” is about a ladybug that spends an entire day picking a fight with each new animal or creature she encounters throughout the day…

This book is wonderfully illustrated and there is much more to the book than at first meets the eye – from the sun rising and setting, to the clock on each page showing the time, to the unusual creatures that the ladybug encounters on each page…

Of course, if you are going to read about a grouchy ladybug, you can extend the reading by making a grouchy ladybug too…

We made a torn paper grouchy ladybug.  Before starting, the children helped me make my own ladybug.  I started with one piece of red paper for the ladybug then we needed to add dots.  The children noticed that I only had one black dot to start with and it was a big black dot. So I decided (out loud) that I could tear the paper into pieces to make more than one black dot…

Each time I tore the paper in half, the children discovered that we could make more dots and that our one large dot was now a half of a dot and soon we had one-fourth of a dot.  We even noticed that if were to put all four pieces of our torn circle back together, we would have one whole dot again! Kind of like a puzzle…

Now the children went off to create their own “grouchy ladybugs hidden in the grass.”   As always, the children interpreted the process the way they understood it or preferred….

Tearing the paper was quite challenging for their fine motor skills. The children had to perfect their technique for how to get a tear to start then take it from there…

But it didn’t take long before we had all kinds of grouchy ladybugs showing up on our paper…

And some of our grouchy ladybugs made themselves at home in the grass…

“Hey you!”  “Do you want to fight?” Then just try and say that these don’t look like ladybugs!

Simply beautiful!

Available on Amazon

 

Deborah J Stewart

Deborah J Stewart

Every time I think I know everything I need to know about teaching young children, God says, "Hold on a minute!" and gives me a new challenge.

Let me tell ya...

With each new challenge that you overcome, you will find yourself better equipped and more passionate about teaching young children.

God didn't call wimps to lead, teach, or care for His children. Nope, he has high expectations, so get ready. You will have to give your very best but after teaching for over 30 years, I can tell you that it is a wonderful and rewarding journey.

Whenever your calling feels hard, just remember, 'He who began a good work in you (and in the children you serve) will be faithful to complete it.'

Subscribe to My Newsletter

Latest Blog Posts

P is for Pizza!

While learning about the letter “P” we decided to explore with pizza! Pizza is an all-time favorite food for many preschoolers, and activities involving pizza

Read More »