Ladybug Lesson Plan for Preschool Children

Not every child likes bugs, but I have not met a child yet that does not love ladybugs. Here is a great lesson plan for preschoolers, age 2-5 to learn about ladybugs and to maybe discover them first hand.

Ladybug Facts

• Ladybugs are a kind of beetle. Beetles are insects.
• There are more beetles on the Earth than any other kind of animal.
• Ladybugs were named in England more than 500 years ago, when they were called beetles of Our Lady or Lady beetles. They may have been named after Mary, the mother of Jesus, who was called "Our Lady."
• In many countries, people think ladybugs are good luck.
• Ladybugs come in many colors--yellow, orange, pink, and red. Some ladybugs are black with red spots. Some have no spots at all.
• Birds don't eat ladybugs because their bright colors are a warning that they don't taste good.
• Ladybugs don't chew up and down the way people do, but side-to-side.
• Ladybugs also smell with their feet.

Song:

Five Little Ladybugs
5 little ladybugs climbing up a door
One flew away and then there were four
Four little lady bugs sitting in a tree
One flew away and then there were 3
Three little ladybugs landed on a shoe
One flew away and then there were two
Two little ladybugs looking for some fun
One flew away and then there was one
One little ladybug sitting in the sun
She flew away and then there was none.

Math & Science:

Ladybug Counting

Buy a bag of large dried lima beans. Spray paint the lima beans red. This is optional, but really adds to the effect...use a black Sharpie marker and add the black head and dots to the beans. Use an Egg carton and label each section with the numbers 1-12. Have the children sort the right number of ladybugs into each of the sections. ex. 1 ladybug in the #1 section, 2 ladybugs into the #2 section, and so on.

Examine Live Ladybugs

If it is spring or summer you can take an excursion outside to look for ladybugs. But when I did my lesson plan it was early winter and all of the ladybugs were gone. I turned to Ebay and found a wonderful vendor selling live ladybugs as organic pesticide control. I contacted the vendor and asked if I could purchase about 200 live ladybugs for my preschool class. The ladybugs arrived 4 days later and I was able to hand out recycled glass jars (spaghetti sauce and baby food jars), with holes punched in the lids, full of ladybugs. The kids were super excited to examine and touch the ladybugs. Then the children could take the ladybugs home and set them free in their own garden.


Craft:

Ladybug Crown Make a ladybug crown for each child so they are a ladybug for the day. http://www.dltk-kids.com/CRAFTS/INSECTS/mladybughat.htm Books: