Did you think a cicada was a grasshopper? I thought they were more closely related than they are. They are definitely in different bug families. The grasshoppers have stronger legs and can jump much farther, and the cicada has wide set eyes and a very special way of making noise.
What do you think these look like when they come out of their exoskeleton?
Check out this cicadas eyes?
This one is a grasshopper. What looks different to you?
Let’s listen to the cicadas sound. For me, this is the sound of summer and camping.
How to they make that sound? Cicadas have a musical instrument called a tymbal built right into their bodies. Different sounds have different meanings.
Here is a coloring sheet of the life cycle of the cicada.
And another life cycle chart.
Here’s a cicada poem or song for you this morning.
Are you thinking about doing some bug collecting this morning. Do you have a net and a collecting jar? Do you have a bug journal so you can draw a picture of what you find? Maybe an adult can use a camera to take a picture of the insects you find.
Here’s a fun bug related math game to create. You could print it or just use a dice and plastic bugs in a jar.
I have some book recommendations for you. They are certainly books your child can grow into, but they both resonate so strongly with me when I think about the power of language.
I was in our classroom this week, and the irises are about to bloom outside of my window. That always reminds me of having butterflies in the room during the last month of school. I usually order painted lady caterpillars in the spring, and they are much more willing to sit on our fingers than the monarchs we release in the fall. It’s a great home project if you need something beautiful and hopeful in the coming weeks.
Happy Mother’s Day to all the mamas out there. Here’s a sweet project to remember this weekend. There are lots of sweet kits like this on Etsy, but I think you could let your children DIY this.
Put your hands in the air Garden Children. Wherever you are we wish you well.
