Sensational Wonder Bugs!

What a sensational week at Wonder Bugs!

Even though the sun wasn’t shining on Tuesday, we had some great times exploring nature using all of our 5 senses! On both days we saw the geese and their goslings, stepped around lots of scat, heard birds like swallows and red-winged blackbirds, smelled trees, and then tasted snack.  One of my favorite smells is crushed leaves from the previous fall. What is your wonder bugs favorite outdoor smell?

Take off your shoes and grab a tennis ball for this at-home activity! First ask a what-do-you-think question: if I touch the tennis ball with my fingers it will feel (the same) or (different than) when I touch the tennis ball with my toes. Touch the tennis ball with your fingers, noting how it feels. Then touch the tennis ball with your toes. Does it feel the same or different? Try other objects such as a leaf, grass, or the bushes in your yard.

One more activity to perk up your ears!  Collect a few small pebbles and half fill a large-mouthed mason jar with water. Place everything on a table or counter top. Then ask: if I drop the pebbles into the jar with water I (will) or (will not) be able to hear the sound. Place your ear close to the jar and drop a pebble in the water. Could you hear it drop? Did it sound loud or soft? Drop a similar sized pebble on the table. Could you hear it drop? Did it sound louder or softer than the one you dropped in the jar? At the end ask: when I dropped the pebble into the water, I heard….

(Activities are from: Sense-Abilities by Michelle O’Brien-Palmer)

Now go outside and see what you can see and listen for the soft and loud sounds of nature!

Bye for now,

Miss Tara

A fun book by Aliki: MyFive Senses (ISBN 0-690-04794-0)

A song to sing by Miss Tara Von Dollen: 5 Senses*

Chorus: I’ve got 5 senses. 5 senses have I.

I’ve got 5 senses. 5 senses have I.

I’ve got eyes to see with. A tongue to taste what I eat. Ears to hear sounds around me. A nose to smell something sweet. Chorus

I can feel with my fingers. I can touch with my toes. My skin makes up my 5^th sense; it covers me, head to toes. Chorus

*A-minor chord throughout except for G at the end of every second sentence.

Do you have any pictures to share from this week? Please email them to Miss Alanna or Miss Tara. Thank you!

Next Wonder Bugs Session: Shake a Leg!

9:30-10:45am
Tuesday, May 17th & Wednesday, May 18th, 2011
Registration Deadline: Friday, May 13, 2011

Move and dance like baby animals and their mamas. Live guest appearances are sure to fluff you up with knowledge!

ALNC Members: $6/child; Non-Members: $7/child
Click here to register!