Kitah Alef and their Ladybugs

Springtime announces the arrival of green leaves, blooming flowers and crawling insects. Our class received a shipment of ladybugs! Keeping live insects provides an up-close and hands-on learning experience with nature and science. 

The ladybugs are teaching us about their unique life cycle. When they arrived, we noticed that they did not look like the rounded, red and black ladybugs we know and love. They were longer and black and yellow striped. This is the first stage.

Every day at circle time we brought out the ladybug house to observe changes. We also gave them a few drop of water with a pipette. The children are learning about the needs of living things as well as a timeline for their growth.

Soon after arrival, our ladybugs began their metamorphosis by sleeping in little balls, similar to the way butterflies make a chrysalis. When they emerged, they had grown to be red with black spots!

Finally, the ladybugs were ready to be set free! We brought them to the playground and looked for a safe place for them - somewhere they could crawl around with plants to eat and where they would be in danger of getting stepped on. We settled on Morah Ruth's garden, where plenty there is plenty of green growth and protective sides. 

Bye, bye, ladybugs!

Keeping Healthy in Kitah Alef

When it's cold outside

do you curl up? Do you hide?

Do you sleep all winter long,

'til the birds burst out in song?

Do you gain a lot of weight,

and sleep very, very late?

Do you hibernate?!

(Tune of "Do your Ears Hang Low")

With the recent blast of cold weather, some of us might feel like hibernating - under our covers! We are grateful for the heat in our school building and our warm jackets and coats. The winter and all it brings with it provides opportunities to talk about important life skills. Even our little Kitah Alef-ers can learn healthy habits that prevent the spread of germs and illness! At circle time we've been practicing sneezing and coughing into our elbows as well as wiping our own noses with a tissue and putting it in the garbage.

We've also taken out our doctor set, complete with toddler-sized scrubs and doctor tools. This dramatic play area introduces new items and vocabulary and helps the children learn empathy as they care for their baby dolls. They feel empowered as they get to be the doctor instead of the patient this time!

Even the babies joined in!