Book Review - Bullfrogs and Butterflies

This spring, introduce your child to some great reads - all about butterflies and frogs - one of momstown's freshest curriculum themes!

 

very hungry caterpillar

 

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

A great classic read, and sensory too as babies and toddlers can put their fingers into the little holes in all the food the caterpillar eats! Try momstown's accompanying simple caterpillar craft.

 

good night sweet butterfly

 

Good Night, Sweet Butterflies by Melanie Gerth

Though the book is simple enough for babies and toddlers, preschoolers will enjoy the counting throughout, as the butterflies are counted down from 10 to 1. Sparkly butterflies are 3D and offer great sensory experience too.

 

butterfly butterfly

 

Butterfly, Butterfly by Petr Horacek

Simple story with great illustrations. A little girl named Lucy finds a butterfly one day, but the next day she can’t see it anywhere. She searches outdoors and sees lots of other insects, and finally when she looks up, she finds here butterfly in the sky – the last page ends with a huge pop-out butterfly that will delight all ages! You can make your own butterfly craft and help your child explore symmetry.

 

waiting for wings

 

Waiting for Wings by Lois Elhert

Tells the tale of how a caterpillar grows into a butterfly – in an illustrated style reminiscent of Eric Carle. At the end of the book, detailed information on types of butterflies is presented, which can help parents with all of those 'why?' questions!

 

too many frogs

 

Too Many Frogs! by Sandy Asher

A cute story about a rabbit who would like to keep his evening routine the same... but is constantly interrupted by too many frogs! You can make froggie puppets at home. Check out this craft in action with momstown Oakville.

 

frog where are you

 

Frog, Where are You?  by Mercer Mayer

This book has no text, but shows in simple illustrations how a boy and pet frog are separated, and then united again. Children ‘tell’ the story themselves using the pictures. It's amazing how well they can 'infer' from pictures. And, yes, your kindergarteners just might learn that word at school!

 

Have your own favourite butterfly or frog-themed book to share? Please tell us, we love to add to our library of favourite kids' reads!

Posted by Teacher Mom on 04/16/2011 - 21:22
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Matching Butterflies

At momstown we sure love simple things that teach and educate. This matching game is a perfect example of a quick and easy creation that will help your child match pairs, match colours and explore options – all with just a few pieces of paper. We also love how this one ties into our upcoming May theme of “Butterflies & Bullfrogs” so nicely.

 

matching game

 

Our friend Allison McDonald from No Time for Flashcards details out this craft (which momstown classifies as a parent resource too!) and has the instructions posted here on FamilyEducation.com.

Posted by momstown mama on 04/13/2011 - 16:16
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Mirrored Butterfly

Moms love simple crafts right? This is big on effect and a super fast and simple craft.

 mirror butterfly

 

It also demonstrates a mirroring effect which is really neat surprise for a toddler or preschooler.

 

You need:

- paint, paper & scissors

 

Simply cut out a large  butterfly shape on paper and fold  a crease vertically in half. Have your child put blobs of paint on one half of the butterfly only.

 

Fold the butterfly and voila!  The other side will magically mirror the first side. Make sure you cut out a bunch of butterflies first because likely your child will want to duplicate and try and try again!

 

This is a great book, My Oh My A Butterfly filled with fun facts about Butterflies - who doesn't love the Cat in the Hat?

 

My Oh My A Butterfly!

 


Posted by momstown mama on 04/12/2011 - 14:05
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Hungry Caterpillar Craft

Fun little Caterpillar craft which focused on hand eye co-ordination and colour!

 

 

 toliet paper roll caterpillar

 

You need:

  • empty toilet paper roll
  • paint & flat plate/tray
  •  paint brush
  • paper

 Use the toilet paper roll as a stamp and dip it in the paint. Encourage your child to stamp out the caterpillar body in a line (or let them do a free spirited caterpillar!).

 

Then using a paint brush let them practise their hand /eye co-ordination to fill the stamped circles in! Add eyes and antenna after the body is dried.

 

Voila a colourful caterpillar!

 

eric carle


If you have the book  The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle it's a fun one to read before or after this craft! My kids adore this book and love to mimic all the things the caterpillar ate but was STILL hungry! 

 

 

momstown Guelp did some great butterfly and caterpillar crafts at their Picasso's playgroup!

 

If your fun turns from caterpillar to Butterflies, momstown has some great butterfly crafts including this toddler friendly Mirrored Butterfly - sure to amaze!

Posted by momstown mama on 04/12/2011 - 14:03
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Toilet Roll Butterfly

We can't seem to get enough of toilet roll crafts at momstown!  This one is simple and fun and you can change up the colours to just make it a 'regular' butterfly if you've had enough of pink and red.

 

butterfly craft valentines day

 

You need: a toilet roll (empty), construction paper, pipecleaners, markers, tape and glue. Stickers are optional - we had some flowery foamies so I figured we'd use them!

 

butterfly craft valentines day

 

Cut construction paper the right height to wrap around the toilet roll and secure. We used tape as it was faster - no waiting for glue to dry.

 

butterfly craft valentines day

 

Then affix (tape again here!) two pipecleaners to the top of the roll for antennae, and have your child draw the butterfly face.

 

butterfly craft valentines day

 

Fold second piece of construction paper in half and draw butterfly wing shape. This will make the wings symmetrical - this is a neat trick that your child will enjoy! Older kids can cut it out themselves.

 

butterfly craft valentines day

 

Glue the toilet roll to the wings to make your butterfly. We did get into the glue for this one, you'll want to let it dry before your child starts the decorating.

 

butterfly craft valentines day

 

The finished masterpiece! My little guy found our pink bingo dabber and added some more details. As you can see for the 4 yr-old, symmetry wasn't exactly achieved, but a lot of fun was had! If you're looking for more Valentine's crafts, click here and you'll see all of the great momstown ideas!

 

Check out momstown Milton's amazing butterflies from their recent Crafty Critters playgroup!

Posted by Teacher Mom on 04/12/2011 - 14:02
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Earth coffee filter painting

Earth Day is April 22nd and momstown has some great crafts to try with your kids, to help them understand what it's all about.

 

earth day craft

 

You simply need a coffee filter (opened up and flattened) and blue and green paint (or food colouring). There is no right or wrong way to combine the blue and green - wherever it lands! You can explain to your child that the blue represents the water and the green is the land.

 

earth day craft

 

momstown Burlington did a similar craft using food colouring and droppers... note the simple addition of naming the bowls 'green' and 'blue' helps kids to understand that letters and words have meaning, even if they are not reading yet!

 

Posted by momstown mama on 04/11/2011 - 21:01
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