A Bug/Insect Unit Using Eric Carle Books ~ The Grouchy Ladybug
Ava and I are working our way through a bug/insect unit using Eric Carle books. Homeschoolshare has a bunch of great lapbooks for these books which has been our stemming point. From there we also really like Enchanted Learning and First School for information and printables. Check in over the coming weeks for the rest of this 3 part series to learn more about spiders, crickets and grasshoppers. We are starting with The Grouchy Ladybug.
Ladybug Facts:
- There are over five thousand different species of Ladybugs throughout the world.
- The female ladybug is a little larger than the male but not by much.
- Ladybugs live about 1-2 years.
- Ladybugs are a great source of organic pest control. Their main diet is aphids but they will also eat small insects, moth eggs and pollen.
- One ladybug can eat up to 5,000 aphids in it’s lifetime.
- A female ladybug can lay anywhere from 20 – 1,000 eggs during a 3-month span in either the spring or summer.
- A baby ladybug is called a larva and does not look like an adult ladybug.
- Most ladybugs are red, orange or yellow in color. Most have black spots, though some are black with red spots.
- The bright colors of a ladybug warn predators that it doesn’t taste good!
- Ladybugs need their antennae to smell, touch and taste.
Internet Resources:
- FREE The Grouchy Ladybug lapbook
- Everything Ladybugs from Enchanted Learning
- The Grouchy Ladybug Word Search
- FREE Insects and Spiders Coloring Sheets and Letter Printables
- Watch a great Ladybug Life Cycle Video:
- For more in-depth insect studies check out this Amanda Bennett Download N Go™ One-Week Unit Study/Lapbook for Grades K – 4:
Strawberry Ladybugs:
Strawberry Ladybugs is a fun and easy recipe for your little ones to put together and eat!
Check out the other books in this unit:
June 4, 2012 @ 12:04 pm
Enjoyed hearing all the interesting details of a ladybug. I also clicked on some other videos on you tube. I viewed two others. The first was a duck who took on the role of being a mother to several abandoned kittens. Even animals have hearts of compassion.
Having been a collector of elephants, I viewed a mother giving birth. Absolutely amazing to witness the mother’s instincts and abilities to spank/slap her baby who was not breathing with her foot and trunk. Then the baby took her first breath while the mother was checking her out. Incredibly the mother was not done. She used her trunk to keep lifiting her baby encouraging it to stand and walk. The intricacies of each thing that God has created are incredible.
June 4, 2012 @ 2:37 pm
Great resources for homeschoolers! Thank you for sharing with us at NOBH and have fun with ladybugs.
June 5, 2012 @ 9:48 am
This school year has ended for us but I’m already getting excited for Sept.! Thanks for sharing 🙂
June 5, 2012 @ 4:13 pm
Great activity. Will be sharing this one
June 7, 2012 @ 3:41 pm
My first grader will LOVE doing this! We are seriously considering homeschooling our boys next year. I’ve always loved the title of your blog when I see it at NOBH, but I haven’t perused it much until now! I will definitely be back. 😉
Love and God Bless,
Christy
June 7, 2012 @ 4:36 pm
Thank you Christy! Have you read the story behind my blog? http://www.startsateight.com/?p=14 Just in case you are interested! 🙂
March 28, 2014 @ 7:19 pm
Thanks for the ideas! Pinned it! The facts are amazing that you wrote!
March 28, 2014 @ 7:49 pm
You are welcome Debbie! I hope you enjoy the unit!
The Ultimate Guide to Studying Insects | Eva Varga
April 7, 2014 @ 9:06 am
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