Thanks to our family vacation to the beach, it's been a while since I've posted. I originally planned to do an ocean themed week before leaving for the beach but ended up taking the week off instead - mostly because I just didn't have the time amidst packing and working to plan activities and get supplies for an ocean themed week, partly because it felt like overkill to do a bunch of ocean themed activities and then spend a week at the beach. So, we're back from vacation and moving on to the theme of "Nighttime" - which turned out to be a really fun week!
We dedicated a day this week to fireflies. I found a lot of books about fireflies, but decided to read The Very Lonely Firefly by Eric Carle along with our firefly activities. The story was simply, the book featured classic Eric Carle illustration, and the fun surprise of fireflies that really flash light on the last page was almost more than my toddler could bare. In addition to talking about fireflies, it was a good book for a nighttime theme because it mentioned lots of other "lights" that you might see in the night. We borrowed this one from the library, but may need to add it to our permanent collection!
Read on to learn about the activities we did to accompany The Very Lonely Firefly!
We dedicated a day this week to fireflies. I found a lot of books about fireflies, but decided to read The Very Lonely Firefly by Eric Carle along with our firefly activities. The story was simply, the book featured classic Eric Carle illustration, and the fun surprise of fireflies that really flash light on the last page was almost more than my toddler could bare. In addition to talking about fireflies, it was a good book for a nighttime theme because it mentioned lots of other "lights" that you might see in the night. We borrowed this one from the library, but may need to add it to our permanent collection!
Read on to learn about the activities we did to accompany The Very Lonely Firefly!
GLowing Fireflies in a jar
I had hoped to go outside after dark and catch some real live fireflies. Unfortunately, I think I waited too far into the summer to find any. T has seen them before, but it's a pretty rare occurrence for him to be outside after dark in the summer time with how long the sun stays out.
So we went to "Plan B" and did a firefly craft instead. My husband gets credit for this craft. I am going back to work full time (teaching) and child care will be a group effort between my husband, my mom and me. That means that our "curriculum" will be more of a group effort as well!
For this craft, you'll need:
We cut a piece of light blue construction paper into the shape of a mason jar. Next, we painted T's finger with yellow glow in the dark paint (we found ours at JoAnn Fabrics) and made yellow fingerprints in several spots on the "jar." After the fingerprints dried, my husband used a marker to draw the rest of the fireflies around the glowing yellow and add some cute dotted "flight lines." A small strip of aluminum foil formed the "lid" of the jar and, voila! Glowing fireflies in a jar:
So we went to "Plan B" and did a firefly craft instead. My husband gets credit for this craft. I am going back to work full time (teaching) and child care will be a group effort between my husband, my mom and me. That means that our "curriculum" will be more of a group effort as well!
For this craft, you'll need:
- A piece of light blue construction paper
- Yellow paint (preferably glow in the dark!)
- A black pen or marker
- Some aluminum foil
We cut a piece of light blue construction paper into the shape of a mason jar. Next, we painted T's finger with yellow glow in the dark paint (we found ours at JoAnn Fabrics) and made yellow fingerprints in several spots on the "jar." After the fingerprints dried, my husband used a marker to draw the rest of the fireflies around the glowing yellow and add some cute dotted "flight lines." A small strip of aluminum foil formed the "lid" of the jar and, voila! Glowing fireflies in a jar:
While this craft did focus a little more on product than it did process, it was still fun for T to get his finger covered in paint and squish it on the paper. And you better believe that looking at his fireflies glow in the dark at night was super fun for him!
Firefly Songs
The Laurie Berkner Band has a fun song called Fireflies on the album "Laurie Bernker Lullabies." We listened to this song throughout the week.
I also found a song called "Fireflies" online. There are lyrics at the link for a few firefly songs, but I liked this one best:
I like to chase the fireflies,
Chase them to and fro'
I like to watch them dart about,
Their little lamps aglow.
In the evening's twilight dim
I follow them about,
I often think I have one caught,
And then his light goes out.
I cannot tell just where he is
Until he winks, you see,
Then far away I see his light,
He's played a joke on me.
In my head, the lyrics are sung a bit like the song Tiny Tim (I Had a Little Turtle). But I suppose you could sing them any way you like!
I also found a song called "Fireflies" online. There are lyrics at the link for a few firefly songs, but I liked this one best:
I like to chase the fireflies,
Chase them to and fro'
I like to watch them dart about,
Their little lamps aglow.
In the evening's twilight dim
I follow them about,
I often think I have one caught,
And then his light goes out.
I cannot tell just where he is
Until he winks, you see,
Then far away I see his light,
He's played a joke on me.
In my head, the lyrics are sung a bit like the song Tiny Tim (I Had a Little Turtle). But I suppose you could sing them any way you like!