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An outdoor experience has strongly stimulated children’s curiosity and exploration of insects.
The children from Angelfish Class accidentally found a ladybug resting on the petals that had fallen on the ground and they were fascinated by this special guest. Children surrounded this little cute ladybug and they were so excited to talk to each other about their discovery. “Come and see, I have found a ladybug.” Where was it? One of the children said: “He might be a little tired and need to rest”, and another child said, “He might be hungry and unable to fly”. After that, we picked up a leaf from the ground and tried to feed the ladybug. “He might now have a place to stay.” Another child said. There were many different speculations and everyone was very curious about this ‘unexpected guest’.
When we went back to our classroom, the children were busy talking about their discovery, and almost all the topics revolved around that little ladybug. The children asked lots of questions like “Why do they have black spots on their backs?” “Where do they live?” I was deeply touched by the innocent questions and wistful eyes of the children.
Visual aids help with memory retention. Therefore, we decided to draw a ladybug based on children’s descriptions, and invited them to share more information about ladybugs with others. They talked about the characteristics they have, such as the colours, body patterns, facial features, etc. “The seven-spotted ladybug is red, with seven black dots on their body”, “They have wings, feet and a head”. Children all came up with different questions. “What’s on their head? “”Guess how many feet they have, how many pairs of wings?” “What do they feed on?” I asked. Children at this stage need to be encouraged by us to use their imagination and feel free to express their ideas and thoughts with confidence.
After a few discussions, we looked at a few photos of seven-spotted ladybugs. This time, instead of showing them the cartoon pictures, we deliberately selected some real photos so that children could see the appearance of seven-spotted ladybugs more clearly and in more details. The children were happy to share their little discoveries with everyone. Although everyone was very excited, the children showed great manners during the lesson as they listened carefully while other people were talking and they learnt to wait patiently and respecteach other.
Learning to wait, taking turns, and sharing are all really important aspects of child development . As teachers, we need help children to understand the importance of taking time to listen, and waiting to respond. This is essential as they are developing their understanding of social cues.
We learnt about the body structure of seven-spotted ladybugs, such as they have a black head with white patches on either side, they are abdomen, two pairs of cute little antennae standing on the top of their head, and they also have six short legs (forefeet, middle feet and hind feet). The seven-spotted ladybugs has soft wings under the elytra, which is a real flying tool. We discussed how the seven-spotted ladybug is a beneficial insect. Most people like ladybugs because they are pretty, graceful and harmless to people and farmers love them because they eat aphids and other plant-eating pests. The children all said that we need to be friendly to them and not to hurt them. Some children also mentioned that they should protect the environment, flowers and trees, and offer them a warm and safe home.
“Are all ladybugs red with black spots?” “Are all ladybugs classified as beneficial flying insects that kill aphids l?” “The kids had a lively discussion. Instead of answering the child’s questions immediately. We read them a story about different species of ladybugs, hoping that the children would find the answer by observing the ladybugs from the book. Afterwards, we had another round of in-depth discussion, and in the process of communication, the children found the answer: it turns out that there are many kinds of ladybugs, not all the ladybugs are red, and not all the ladybugs have black dots. Ladybugs with burrs on their bodies are not very friendly. In fact there are actually some other bugs or beetles that look like ladybugs but aren’t classified as ladybugs like clerid beetles and Colorado potato beetles that destroy crops.
Next, the children wanted to created their own ladybugs. The artistic creation was open ended with a variety of materials are provided and available for children to choose. They could choose any materials they wanted to use, how they wanted to use them and what they want to make. The materials included clay, colourful pencils, some natural materials like dried leaves, branches, petals and so on. Most of them chose to make a seven-spotted ladybug, and of course they could choose any other kinds of bugs. Some children made seven-spotted ladybug’s favourite food, and some children felt that one ladybug was too lonely so they made some butterflies, caterpillars and other small insects too. Some children also created a home for ladybugs to live in.
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