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CURIOUS CRAWLERS

Firefly Fun
Children will investigate fireflies.

Lesson Objective
Children will investigate fireflies, including what makes a firefly different from other insects, and will create a firefly.
(Science) Science(Art) Art
What You'll Need
- Close-up pictures of insects (including fireflies and other insects)
- 1" black pompoms – 3 per child (available at craft stores)
- Glow-in-the-dark paint – 1 bottle
- Paintbrushes – 1 per child
- Wings (cut from black construction paper) – 2 per child
- Cardstock – a 3" × 1" piece per child
- Glue – 1 bottle per 2 children
- Googly eyes (¼") – 2 per child
- Black pipe cleaners – cut to 1" pieces – 2 per child
What To Do
Note: Cut the wings from the construction paper in advance.
- Display the insect pictures, and ask the children to compare their own human bodies to the insects’ bodies; both have heads, eyes, and legs (see Did You Know?).
- Have the children count the insect body parts, and then give each child 3 pompoms and the cardstock.
- Have the children glue the pompoms on the cardstock in a row.
- Ask the children to identify where the wings are attached to the insects in the pictures (thorax).
- Distribute the wings, and instruct the children to glue the wings onto the middle pompom (thorax).
- Have the children identify the insect body part where the eyes are located, and then help the children glue the googly eyes on the top pompom.
- Ask the children to identify where the antennae are on the insect pictures, and help the children glue the pipe cleaners onto the head for the antennae.
- Compare the firefly picture with the other insects, and ask the children to name the difference (glowing tails – see Did You Know?).
- Demonstrate how to paint the last pompom with the glow-in-the-dark paint, and then let the children paint the pompoms.
- When the paint is dry, hold the fireflies up to the light for a few minutes. Turn off the lights in the room, and the fireflies will glow in the dark.
Resources
Home School Resources
Home educators: use these printable lesson PDFs to teach this lesson to your home schoolers. They're available in English and Spanish.
Content Provided By
Common Core State Standards Initiative – These lessons are aligned with the Common Core State Standards ("CCSS"). The CCSS provide a consistent, clear understanding of the concepts and skills children are expected to learn and guide teachers to provide their students with opportunities to gain these important skills and foundational knowledge [1]. (External) Visit the CCSS