In A Grasshopper’s World

For this activity you will explore the fascinating world of grasshoppers with young children!

Grasshoppers are insects.  They have six legs, two of which are long and muscular and used for hopping.  Grasshoppers have three main body parts: head, thorax, and abdomen.  They also have two antennae.

Begin by asking children if they have ever seen a grasshopper. Where did you see it? What did it look like?  What was it doing? Record children’s responses and display in the classroom.  Read a story about grasshoppers; try “Are You a Grasshopper?”  by Judy Allen and Tudor Humphries.

Now it is time to go on a grasshopper field study! Take children outside to a grassy area to look for and observe grasshoppers.  Have children bring their own notebooks or field/nature journals to draw pictures or make notes in.  Be sure to remind children to be respectful of the grasshoppers. 

Next create a terrarium together that will house several grasshoppers for a week. Use soil and grass (return to field study area to collect or collect while out observing grasshoppers).  Include places for the grasshoppers to climb and hide.  Providing water is not necessary because grasshoppers do not drink water, they get enough water from the food they eat.  Be sure to provide fresh grass or leafy plants, as well as dry food such as grass seed or oatmeal, every day for the grasshoppers to eat.  Allow children to be active participants in setting up the terrarium. Ask: What do the grasshoppers need? Where should we find it? What should we feed the grasshoppers? Also, talk about how most animals drink water but grasshoppers are unique and they get their water from their food.

Once your terrarium is set up return to your grasshopper field study location and using insect nets and bug jars, carefully capture and collect four to six grasshoppers.  Place grasshoppers in the terrarium.

Over the course of a week give children time every day to observe and monitor the grasshoppers. Ask:  What do you want to learn about grasshoppers? How can you find out the answers to your questions? For younger children you may want to have a set observation for each day.  For example, Day One: observe the grasshopper’s bodies. What do you notice? Count the legs and antennae. How can you tell the grasshoppers have wings? Describe their eyes Day Two: observe the movement of the grasshoppers. Describe how the grasshoppers walk. How do they jump? Are they fast? Do they jump high/far?

At the end of the week when the study is over, return the grasshoppers to the location where you collected them.  Use the information you gathered as a class to create your own book about grasshoppers.

For this and other great activities, including grasshopper craft and snack ideas, use Growing Up WILD’s “In A Grasshopper’s World”.

Book List

Alexander, E., and J.U. Kim. 2010. The Grasshopper Hopped!. Random House Children’s Books.

Allen, J., and T. Humphries. 2002. Are You a Grasshopper? Kingfisher.

Archambault, J. 2006. The Leaping Grasshopper. Jitterbug Books.

Ashley, S. 2011. Incredible Grasshoppers. Gareth Stevens Publishing.

Bosca, F. 2006. The Three Grasshoppers. Purple Bear Books, Incorporated.

Coleman, G. and T. Gibbons. 1997. Grasshoppers. Gareth Stevens Publishing.

Giovanni, N. and C. Raschka. 2008. The Grasshopper's Song: An Aesop's Fable Revisited. Candlewick Press.

Heinrichs, A. R. 2002. Grasshoppers (Nature's Friends Series). Coughlan Publishing.

Leahy, C. 1998. Peterson First Guide to the Insects of North America. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Lobel, A. 1986. Grasshopper on the Road (I Can Read Book Series: Level 2). HarperCollins Publishers .

Loewen, N. 2003. Hungry Hoppers: Grasshoppers in Your Backyard. Coughlan Publishing.

Murray, J. 2010. Grasshoppers. ABDO Publishing Company.

Trueit, T. S. 2009. Grasshoppers. Cavendish, Marshall Corporation.

Trumbauer, L. 2000. The Life Cycle of a Grasshopper. Coughlan Publishing.

Links

Wikipedia: Grasshoppers

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grasshopper

NWF: Bug Bingo

http://www.nwf.org/News-and-Magazines/National-Wildlife/Outdoors/Archives/2011/Play-Bug-Bingo.aspx

 

To Be a Tree

Ask children: How many arms do you have? How many “arms” does a tree have? How do you use your arms? How does a tree use it’s “arms”? Do you have skin? Does a tree have “skin”? How is your skin different from a tree’s “skin”? Does your skin do the same thing? Do you have feet? Trees have feet too, we call them roots. What do your feet do? What to tree roots do?

Take children outside and have them find a place on the grass at least an arm’s length away from other children. Read “Grow from a seed” to them found on page 81 of Environmental Experiences for Early Childhood, have them act out what they hear as you read it.  Encourage children to share their experience when you are done.

Take children on a walk to look for and explore tree parts.  Compare tree parts, i.e. some trees have smooth bark while others have rough bark, leaves are different shapes and sizes, some trees are very tall, others are very small. Ask questions and encourage children to share their observations. Try making a class tree journal: http://www.nwf.org/activity-finder/outdoor-activities/tree-journal.aspx

Make tree costumes with paper grocery sacks.  Precut sacks as shown on page 79 of Environmental Experiences for Early Childhood, making holes for arms, head and cutting up the front to make a vest.  Allow children to decorate their vests by gluing leaves to the vest, and/or making leaf rubbings on the vests.  Give children crowns made of leaves and yarn to tuck into their shoes to represent roots, have them act out the parts of trees!

For this and other great ideas use Environmental Experiences for Early Childhood’s “To Be a Tree”!

Book List

Behn, H. and J. Endicott. 1994. Trees. Henry Holt & Company, Inc.

Burnie, D. 2005. Plant. DK Publishing, Inc.

Burns, D. and L. Garrow. 1998. Leaves, Trees and Bark (Take-Along Guide). NorthWord Books for Young Readers.

Canizares, S. and P. Chanko. 1997. Look At This Tree. Scholastic, Inc.

Cassie, B. and M. Burns. 1999. Trees. Scholastic, Inc.

Charman, A. 2003. I Wonder Why Trees Have Leaves and Other Questions about Plants. Houghton Mifflin Company.

DePalma, M.N. 2005. A Grand Old Tree. Scholastic, Inc.

Florian, D. 2010. Poetrees. Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing.

Gackenbach, D. 1996. Mighty Tree. Harcourt Children's Books.

Gaff, J. 2005. I Wonder Why Pine Trees Have Needles and Other Questions about Forests. Roaring Brook Press.

Gibbons, G. 2002. Tell Me, Tree: All About Trees for Kids. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

Goldish, M. 1990. How Plants Get Food. Steck-Vaughn.

Gove, D. and M. H. Mallory. My Mother Talks to Trees. Peachtree Publishers.

Iverson, D. 1999. My Favorite Tree: Terrific Trees of North America. Dawn Publications.

Lavies, B. 1989. Tree Trunk Traffic. Penguin Group (USA), Inc.

Llewellyn, C. 2004. Tree. T&N Children's Publishing.

Miller, D.S. and S. Schuett. 2003. Are Trees Alive? Walker & Company.

Nayer, J. 1994. A Tree Can Be. Scholastic, Inc.

Pascoe, E. and D. Kuhn. 2003. Ecosystem of a Fallen Tree. Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.

Peck, J. and V. Petrone. 2005. Way Up High in a Tall Green Tree. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.

Udry, J.M. and M. Simont. 1987. A Tree is Nice. HarperCollins Publishers.

Van Laan, N. 2000. A Tree for Me. Random House.

Worth, B. 2006. I Can Name 50 Trees Today!: All about Trees. Random House Publishing Group.

Links

NWF: Leaf Prints

http://www.nwf.org/Get-Outside/Be-Out-There/Activities/Cook-and-Craft/Make-Leaf-Prints.aspx

NWF: Tree Journalhttp://www.nwf.org/Get-Outside/Be-Out-There/Activities/Observe-and-Explore/Make-a-Tree-Journal.aspx

Enchanted Learning: Leaves and Leaf Anatomy

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/plants/leaf/index.shtml

Leaf Print T-shirts

http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/family/decorate-kids-t-shirts5.htm