New Beginnings

Today is a new day!  We have lived in the same house for four years, and for four years we have tried to get internet...TODAY IS THE DAY!  I am so excited to say I am blogging from my house from the first time EVER!  Can you tell we live in the middle of  nowhere!?!  :)

During the month of April we did a unit on insects, and I had to share these fun photos!

I order my very first caterpillar kit and LOVED it!  I think my assistant and I had just as much fun watching the life cycle as the kids.  A week before our unit I order the kit online.  It came just in time!  Here is the website!

Here are all the goodies that came with our butterfly kit.

Each cup contained five caterpillars.  They are messy little creatures!

After a week, the caterpillars began to hang from the top and form a chrysalis. 

Once they all formed into a chrysalis, I transported them to the butterfly net.  About a week later they began to hatch.  So neat to watch!!  We waited to release the butterflies until all of there wings were dry, which was a couple of days after hatching.

This was worth every dollar I spent!  The best part is now that I have a net, all I'll need next year is caterpillars!  Releasing the butterflies was bittersweet, so sweet that one refused to leave the net!  He got a couple of extra days in the classroom.  :)

This unit is FREE!  Visit her fabulous blog as well!  

During our study of insects, I used this unit from TPT.  It was great!  I highly recommend it!  Great writing resources and small group activities!  I incorporated one of my favorite authors/illustrators Eric Carle with The Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Very Quiet Cricket, The Very Lonely Firefly, and The Very Grouchy Ladybug (a class favorite).  We also read lots of non-fiction books and learns tons of cool facts about bugs!

ALMOST FORGOT!  All of our caterpillars survived!! Big deal in first grade! :)