The Children's Garden
  • Home
  • Philosophy
  • Early Childhood Programs
  • Homeschool
  • Summer Camps
  • Enrollment
  • About Us
    • Contact & Location
    • Open House
    • In The Press
  • Blog
  • Weekend Classes
  • Parent Portal

Banana Caterpillars

11/30/2014

1 Comment

 
These tasty snacks were so much fun to put together and worked great with our ongoing fascination with bugs!
Picture
Slice a 1/2 a banana in to 6 equal pieces (such an awesome opportunity to introduce fractions!).
Picture
Spread nut butter between each slice of banana.
Picture
The kids had different methods of constructing their caterpillars, some liked to dot each slice, others preferred a tower approach, and others had a zig-zag style.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Dab a little nut butter on top of the first banana so the raisins will stick for eyes. We used parsley stems from the garden for antenna but you could get creative at home... chow mein noodles, pretzel sticks etc.
Picture
Prepare to eat your caterpillar...
Picture
the kids pretended to be all different kinds of predators as they enjoyed their snack, here's a giant arachnid!
Picture
We learned about bugs in yoga class too.  Here we are singing "Fly Like a Butterfly" from Radiant Child Yoga.
Picture
And did you know how to tell the difference between a moth and a butterfly when they are at rest?  When a butterfly's wings are at rest they are up close to their body like this:
Picture
But when a moth is at rest, its wings are stretched out like this:
Picture
Dead Bug Pose is so much fun!  Lie on your back and move your arms and legs quickly... scurry scurry scurry!
Picture
Then... DEAD BUG! Stretch your arms and legs straight up to the sky, hold still!
Picture
We did the Itsy Bitsy Spider on our backs to remind us to keep a long spine when sitting.
Picture
Then the kids had the idea to create a spider web with each other!
Picture
The kids are really enjoying Relaxation Pose at the end of class, it's so lovely to lie right on the earth and take some deep breaths.
Picture


We got this coloring book at the gift shop at the Zilker Botanical Gardens:  "Incredible Insects" by Christopher Marley and the kids explored all different kinds of beetles and moths.
Picture
Picture
While we were coloring a June Beetle visited our table and we looked at the similarities of the real bug and our drawings.
Picture
Picture
Picture
All of our best ideas come from the kids - we put out pipe cleaners for them to create freely with and they started making... bugs!  So it turned into a week long pipe cleaner beetle extravaganza!!  How many legs does a beetle have?  6!
Picture
Picture
Picture
These nature bracelets are such a sweet simple activity that really helps kids slow down and notice the world of nature.  Bring a roll of tape on your next hike or trip to the park and see how much fun the kids have designing their own bracelet with flower petals, leaves, seeds...
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Intuitive Pesto!  This young chef created her own pesto with fresh basil, sprouted pumpkin seeds, olive oil, and salt without following a recipe.  We tossed it on some Tinkyada Penne and added some garden tomatoes and mozzarella. Yum!
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
We rolled our own sushi.  We kept the ingredients simple with cooked brown rice, cucumber strips and nori sheets.  One trick to keeping your hands less sticky when patting down the rice is to keep them moist with a bowl of salty water near by.
Picture
The kids were great at rolling it up and then giving it a big squeeze to help seal the roll.
Picture
Picture
Most of the kids just ate their roll in one piece, but you can slice it up 'maki' style too.
Picture
Picture
We made some interesting no-bake cookies with oats, raisins, almond flour, coconut oil, and Z Sweet Sweetener.
Picture
Picture
Picture
A big brother sweetly helps his little sister make some coconut cacao cookies:
Picture
Magical Birthday!
Picture
Picture
Dancing in the leaves!
Picture
Picture
Picture
The kids were so helpful in clearing out old plants in the garden, but instead of just composting all the debris they created "DEAD PLANT MAN!".  It was fun to go over all the body parts like elbows, wrists, ribs, and collar bone.
Picture
Picture
Picture
In music class we've been making up our own country and western songs! We love to pass around the microphone and create our own lyrics:

"My horse rides the sky!"  "I love my mama!"   "Texas is my home!"
Picture

We loved this Beginner's Origami Kit by Djeco.  The folds were challenging and very engaging for the kids.  It was awesome to see how quickly their fine motor skills improved! They were also designed by a French company so we got to learn the French names for the animals as well.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
The kids were inspired to use them as masks so we put on a play on our outdoor stage!
Picture
We started with a few warm ups to move like the animals our masks depicted and make fun animal sounds.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Then the kids improvised a story : one little kitty got lost in the woods and the wild boars were helping her find her way.
Picture
After they found some more friends and an earthquake hit...
Picture
Encore!!!
Picture
We keep hearing "It smells so good in here!" when parents and kids enter the schoolhouse.  We have been making our own Thieves essential oil blend and using it in all our home made cleaning products.  The following recipe was tested by the Weber State University and found to have a 99.6 percent kill rate against bacteria.

Recipe:
40 drops of Clove Essential Oil
35 drops of Lemon Essential Oil
20 drops of Cinnamon Essential Oil
15 drops of Eucalyptus Essential Oil
10 drops of Rosemary Essential Oil

For a simple all purpose disinfectant spray add one drop of oil blend to every ounce of water.

The kids enjoyed counting all the drops and smelling the different scents. Essential oils require caution when working with them and they exercised great care and followed directions very well.  It is not recommended for kids under 4 to handle the oils.

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
This young architect designed a unicorn stable with a unique variety of magnetic tiles and shapes...
Picture
and this young fireman likes to go "wee-ooo, wee-ooo, honk honk!".
Picture
More sweet friends!
Picture
Picture
Picture
1 Comment

    How we learn...

    The intention of this blog is to include the community in our learning process and to inspire families to engage in fun and healthy activities together!

    Archives

    February 2025
    January 2025
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    December 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Subscribe To Our Newsletter!

* indicates required