Compare and Contrast National Symbols with Other Symbols Simplified for Grades K to 2

Welcome to Becca's Heart for Early Childhood Education blog! My heart's desire is connecting my creativity with making learning playful for students of all ages but especially the littles! A day or two ago I shared an activity sheet that included both Illinois state symbols (the state I live in) and national USA symbols. Just a few minutes ago I finished making a simplified version that focuses only on national symbols. And it is not 1 to 1 correspondence matching in each row but recognizing that there is a 2nd national symbol in each row after they focus on the first USA pictured icon at the start of each row.

So here's a snapshot of what that looks like:

Keeping Social Studies simple for early learners:

Row 1: The U.S. Presidential Seal and National Flag
Row 2: The U. S. Capitol Building and Statue of Liberty
Row 3: The Liberty Bell and Mount Rushmore
Row 4: The Lincoln Memorial and a Bald Eagle, national bird

My ideas that I share are for inspiration. Give credit where credit is due, please, if you refer to my activities.

Sharing my passion of creating interesting activities for ECE students,
Becca S

Illinois certification endorsements:
Birth to Grade 3/ECE
FACS Grades 6-12

and approval:
General Science Grades 5-8

Grade 1 or 2 ELA words ending in letters lf that change to plural ending of letters lves

Welcome to Becca's Heart for Early Childhood Education blog! I want to share a quick post this afternoon for an ELA activity sheet that I've made this past week. It's really crazy how a person's creativity gets sparked from reading words from someone else! What's more amazing is that I actually followed up on that spark to create this activity sheet that leads off with 1 elf and 2 elves!

I just kept picturing having columns with the numbers and word endings changing! I've got a few ideas for altering and providing more practice so hopefully time will open up in the next couple of days to make those into extra activities. Our English language has many different rules and exceptions to rules, so teachers at the primary level need to help children make sense of spelling and grammar rules through a variety of word work activities.

Elves, Calves, Shelves, Wolves, and Selves:

For student use I print everything in black and white, so this would appear differently to them. And since I was using clipart images, locating a single shelf image was very difficult and felt best using the mirror with an attached shelf photo for the singular. Then a 3-shelf bookcase clipart image is used for the plural.

I hope this inspires you to create something similar for your students!

With a passion for helping little ones,
Becca S

Illinois certification endorsements:
Birth to Grade 3
FACS grades 6-12

and approval:
General Science grades 5-8

Compare and Contrast USA and State Symbols for Social Studies Grades K to 2

Welcome to Becca's Heart for Early Childhood Education blog! This posting shares my love and patriotism for the USA. I live in Illinois so the photos show symbols that are part of our state history.

Last year I created this worksheet because I have so many ECE resources for science, ELA, and math but have very little for social studies. So I snapped photos of the document to share. Directions were simple for children to identify national symbols with a designated color and to use a different one for Illinois symbols.

I've added non-related symbols because I believe that cognitively children need to challenged to reason through why one item is acceptable but another one isn't. Some of those non-related symbols are the clover (which is used for 4-H clubs but those aren't a national or state symbol), birthday cake, and rabbit.

Here's the activity sheet I made shown by snapshots:

Above: USA President's Seal = yes for USA; also the flag in the top row; mark those with a blue crayon
Top row: has a map with IL shown in red = yes for IL; mark it with a red crayon

Some others to highlight:
Bottom row 4th image from the left= Illinois State Seal = yes for IL
Bottom row 3rd image from the left = Bald Eagle = yes for USA
Bottom row 2nd image from the left = Cardinal = yes for IL state bird

Could this be used as a pre-assessment before any brainstorming or wall décor pictures go up about state and/or national symbols? Sure.

Depending on the age group, the comparing and contrasting could be simpler. There are several on this sheet that are debatable:

Abraham Lincoln and his memorial might cause some arguments. He's a national figure since he was President from 1860-1864 however his youth and adult years were spent in Illinois. I'll let you decide whether or not you include him for symbol or not or just the memorial since that is in honor for him.

Cubs are based in Chicago but is that a state symbol?

Donkey is the symbol for the Democratic Party but is that a national symbol?

In the US, Presidents Day is celebrated in February because both George Washington and Abraham Lincoln have birthdays. This would make the perfect time for discussing and learning to recognize national and state symbols. Before or after this, learn the US Presidents' names in order to a catchy tune or focus on just a few. It could be a short study about 4 or 5 of the most recent Presidents. Illinois claims Lincoln and Reagan. It could also be Presidents whose images appear on coins or bills which would be a great 2-fer deal covering money for math and Presidents for social studies.

Look at your state or local scope and sequence for your primary level classroom and decide when it the most advantageous to teach about national and state symbols for social studies. It's always beneficial for the teacher and for the student if dual needs can be accomplished from one unit!

With a love for early learners,
Becca S

Illinois certification endorsements:
Birth to Grade 3
FACS grades 6-12

and approval:
General science grades 5-8

Insect Picture Strips Are Multipurpose for Science and Math and Fine Motor Growth

Welcome to Becca's Heart for Early Childhood Education blog! Insects are one of my favorite science concepts to teach with preschool and primary age children. Did you know that 75% of all animals are arthropods? Arthropods include 4 kinds: centipedes and millipedes, crustaceans (crabs), arachnids (spiders), and insects.

Insects are the largest group amongst the arthropods. Here are just some to get you brainstorming before you challenge your little ones about how many they know:
*grasshoppers
*fleas
*lice
*mosquitos
*flies
*bees
*butterflies
*moths
*praying mantis
*dragonflies
*mayflies
*beetles
*fireflies (lightning bugs)
*wasps
*hornets

Insects' bodies have 3 parts: head, thorax, and abdomen. On the head it is usually one pair of antennae and two compound eyes. They have multiple parts to their mouths which include a pair of mandibles. The thorax has 3 sections or segments and each has 1 pair of legs. If an insect has wings those are attached in the 2nd and/or 3rd segments but there are many insects without wings. Metamorphosis varies among insects with some having incomplete (larvae stage like grasshoppers) and others have complete (transformation from caterpillar to pupa to adult like butterflies).

The worksheet or activity sheet can be used many different ways. The main way that I wanted the children to use this was for their worksheet copy to be cut into the strips/rows. Then each student needs to use the single-hole puncher to punch holes in the first one shown and then any others that match it.

Gripping the hole-puncher helps develop strength in their dominant hand that they use to hold a pencil, crayon, and paintbrush. This is so vital for littles when they are between 3-7 years old. ECE teachers can have children color the insects first before doing the hole-punch matches.

It also might help them cognitively to have them only color the first one of each row and the subsequent ones that match instead of coloring all that are pictured.

This activity sheet took about 45 minutes to 1 hour to create in Google Docs. Maybe less time but definitely use a copy and paste method of placing the clipart images in order to save lots of typing time! There are so many different kinds of insects that you could put a different stack out for the kids every day of your insect unit!

Below is a photo from a recent post I did about setting up a sensory explore station with jumbo tweezers and little containers along with some nature items to give kids a simulated outdoor scene for more insect matching practice that can strengthen their pinching fine motor skills. A copy of the worksheet was cut into the individual boxed insect pics for the children to do the sorting.

Another variation for using the worksheet is a pencil (or colored pencil or crayon or marker) task to review by x-ing out each insect within a row that doesn't match the very first one shown. What doesn't belong is important cognitively. Children need to puzzle or reason out why one image is  correct while a different one isn't.

Good luck helping little ones figure out the world we live in! Also stop and think about other worksheets/activity sheets that you find at the store or online that can be altered and used in a way that builds other concepts or skills in your students. For the insect picture strips recognizing the differences in the 6 insects shown throughout these strips is important for science. One-to-one correspondence (matching) is a math numbering concept. And using a single-hole puncher to grip and punch small dots out of matching insects is a vital writing tool fine motor skill developer.

Having a passion for ECE children and curriculum:
Becca S

Illinois teacher certification endorsements:
Birth to Grade 3
FACS grades 6-12

and approval:
General science grades 5-8

Primary Sensory Station About Insects For Fine Motor Skills and Science

Welcome to Becca's Heart for Early Childhood Education blog! This posting shares my heart's desires for ECE and Science. My main focus is setting up a sensory station for children to explore, learn about identifying and matching different insects with different ways to strengthen their fine motor skills.

Set up a garden or outdoor scene to create a context where children will find insects in nature, their natural setting. Small containers with jumbo tweezers aid for young children to pick up small clipart pics of various insects and to sort, all while developing their cognitive skills essential in math and science and their writing tool gripping.

Small river rocks, flower arranging dried grasses, and butterflies and dragonflies meant for wreaths and floral bouquets are additions to simulate the outdoors. Placemats and/or hand towels with nature designs can anchor the sensory explore station to a set spot on a table or low bookcase.

The worksheet copies will be the focus of their own post. It took about 30-45 minutes to create this worksheet and I formatted it to be multi-purpose to get the most for science, math, and fine motor growth. The primary strategy I thought of was cutting the worksheet apart into the strips/rows and asking children to grip and squeeze the single-hole puncher on the insect(s) that match the very first one in the row. Before they do that you might ask them to color only the ones that are exactly the same as that first pictured insect.

Maybe they need to follow a designated color code? Like purple for a butterfly. Yellow for a bee. Other insects I used include fly, water beetle/bug, and horned beetle.

Add a vase of real flowers if possible or maybe a small silk cluster. A small potted plant would be great addition to the explore station, too.

Depending on the number of children allowed at the sensory station, another pair of jumbo tweezers might be needed. On the worksheet I had 6 insects to identify but for the station and your usable space that may need to be limited to 3 or 4. Timing allowed to be at the station would be another consideration. Little ones don't like to be frustrated so the explore station shouldn't be too big or have too much to do. Be willing to make adjustments if you find out that they need fewer things to do for the time they have to share the space.

A big passion of mine in ECE is giving science equitable time and space within the classroom space and weekly schedule. Choosing a science theme book for your read out loud time is one way. Lots of science books about inventors, environments, space exploration, and reference in your classroom library are an important way to give science equity in your room. Picking a decorating theme that's about animals, plants, rockets, gears and wheels would be another addition to keep science in your environment.

I've used a general outdoors with a bit of camping broad theme in recent years, but I'm thinking my next classroom space will have a four season combined with birds décor theme to help organize the room. But I'll save those thoughts for a future posting.

Sensory stations like what I've pictured focuses primarily on the tactile, touch. Pinching the jumbo tweezers to pick up the small pictures would be one task for touch. Maybe one of the containers could be for holding the river rocks. That would give the children more pinching or gripping practice.

Using the hole-puncher to identify and match insects could be in a station right next to this one. The hole-puncher involves eye-hand coordination and gripping strength.

Get little ones during their primary years of early learning involved in hands-on approaches like a sensory explore station that develops their small motor skills and cognitive intelligence.

With a passion for ECE,
Becca S

Illinois certification endorsements:
Birth to Grade 3
FACS grades 6-12

and approval:
General science grades 5-8