Kids are endlessly fascinated by insects. The life cycle of a butterfly, the iridescent wings of a dragonfly, and the honeycomb of a bee are just some of the incredible natural wonders they can explore in this collection of creative STEM-based lessons.
You'll find a variety of cross-curricular ideas connecting Science with Language Arts, Math, and Art including model building, bug catching, virtual tours, and research projects.
1. Label Insect Drawings
These elaborate yet clear anatomical drawings are an excellent way for kids to learn the body parts of various insects including butterflies, dragonflies, and grasshoppers.
Learn more: Twinkl
2. Build An Insect Model
Hands-on learners will love building an insect of their choice out of common household objects. As an extension activity, they can present their scary and colorful creations to the class.
Learn more: Education.com
3. Discover the Vital Role of Bees
Apart from providing us with delicious honey, bees benefit humans by pollinating the plants that produce nearly all of our food. Students will learn about pollination, the different types of bees, as well as key buzzwords such as 'royal jelly' and 'venom.'
Learn more: World Bee Day
4. Watch an Incredible Insect Video
This animated kid-friendly video provides an easy-to-understand overview of a variety of insects along with some corny insect jokes. There are also a variety of extension activities to choose from, including a quiz, map, and fun matching game.
Learn more: Brain Pop Jr.
5. Draw Symmetrical Butterfly Halves
This part-art, part-math lesson is a creative way for students to learn about butterfly anatomy while reviewing the mathematical concept of symmetry.
Learn more: Deep Space Sparkle
6. Create Your Own Insect Emergent Reader Book
This colorful beginner's reader book has repeated sentences on each page for building sight word recognition and includes a picture-to-word matching activity to reinforce student learning.
Learn more: Childhood 101
7. Create an Insect Life Cycle Craft
This inventive craft has students creating the life cycle for various insects including ladybugs and ants right on a drawing of their bodies! It's a fun and easy way to wrap up an insect unit.
Learn more: Teachers Pay Teachers
8. Play a Butterfly Counting Game
Kids adore roll and count games since there is an element of surprise with each roll of the dice! This butterfly math game incorporates number recognition, writing numbers, and counting.
Learn more: Life Over CS
9. Build a Model of Insect Eyes
After learning about how compound eyes help flies survive, students will create a model of an insect’s eye using materials from around the home.
Learn more: Harry's Big Adventure
10. Learn the Difference Between Insect Camouflage and Mimicry
Apart from learning the tricky difference between camouflage and mimicry, students will discover why camouflage is essential to insect survival. As a wrap-up activity, they can camouflage their insect cut-outs and go on a hunt to spot as many as they can.
Learn more: Lesson Planet
11. Complete a Fun Insect Activities Packet
Your learners will develop reading, writing, and comprehension skills while enjoying this fun collection of mazes, word scrambles, and coloring pages.
Learn more: Kids Activities Blog
12. Study the Life Cycle of a Fruit Fly
Fruit flies have been used for genetic research for hundreds of years, making this experiment a great opportunity to have a science discussion about genetics and genetically derived traits such as eye color. Students are sure to love watching the life cycle of fruit flies unfold before their eyes.
Learn more: Education.com
13. Take a Virtual Classroom Visit
Students will be delighted to see and learn about a wide variety of captivating critters including a towering walking stick, elegant praying mantis, and hairy tarantula, all from the comfort of their own classroom.
Learn more: Exploring By The Seat Of Your Pants
14. Read and Discuss Bugs! Bugs! Bugs!
This beautifully illustrated non-fiction book makes for a great read-aloud. It includes an actual size bug chart, so kids can see how big each bug is in real life, and lists a variety of interesting facts about each insect.
15. Explore Cross-Curricular Connections
This comprehensive week-long unit includes a nonfiction book, poems, math games, hands-on science activities, and ideas for literacy centers. With lessons across different subject areas, students are sure to gain a well-rounded understanding of the insect world.
Learn more: Teachers Pay Teachers
16. Build An Insect House
Building an insect house is a terrific way to get kids thinking about microhabitats and environmental protection, all while enjoying the great outdoors. They will have lots of fun welcoming critters into their tiny creations.
Learn more: Twinkl
17. Fill in an Insect Crossword
Kids will have plenty of fun solving this engaging crossword while developing their problem-solving, vocabulary, and spelling skills. This is a fun way to wrap up a unit and reflect on all they have learned.
Learn more: Education.com
18. Complete an Insect Research Project
This packet poses helpful questions to guide students in their research. Once their projects are completed, they can share all they have learned about their favorite critters, including their habitat, diet, and life cycle.
Learn more: Teachers Pay Teachers
19. Classify Insects
With over one million species identified, insects are the largest class of animals on Earth. Help students learn essential vocabulary terms such as 'classification' and 'taxonomy' while categorizing insects into seven major orders.
Learn more: The Homeschool Scientist
20. Butterfly Theme Playdough Tray
Students will study the life cycle of a butterfly by shaping eggs, caterpillars, cocoons, and butterflies out of playdough. This hands-on activity is also a great way to develop their fine motor and artistic skills.
Learn more: Twinkl
21. Nonfiction Insect Close Reading
This unit contains close reads for the most common insects including ants, bees, flies, and beetles, as well as open-ended questions for each passage. Students can also organize their ideas with graphic organizers and reflect on their learning with the accompanying writing prompts.
Learn more: Teachers Pay Teachers
22. Learn About the Butterfly Life Cycle
This informative and engaging video is a great way for students to see the butterfly life cycle up close. The accompanying writing and drawing activities are an easy way to reinforce student learning.
Learn more: Brain Pop Jr.
23. Have an Outdoor Adventure with a Kid-Friendly Insect Kit
Your students will love being bug detectives with the help of this kit designed just for them. The comprehensive bundle includes a compass, butterfly net, magnifying glass, tongs, binoculars, and containers for catching all sorts of bugs.
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