Category: Grade School

Butterflies Day 3 -Butterfly Anatomy

Now we have moved on to the anatomy of butterflies and moths.  We experimented with how butterflies eat, discovered what symmetry  is, and made some butterfly snacks today. T loves when we make things with food, he is my big sweet eater!

Butterfly & Moth Anatomy

1. Discuss: Explain that butterflies and moths are both insects. The order that they belong to are called Lepidoptera. Like other insects, butterflies and moths have three major body sections, a head, a thorax, and an abdomen. Ask the children if they have those three body sections. Have the children put their hands on their heads. What do we have on our heads? Have the children point to their eyes, nose, ears, mouth, and hair. What do butterflies and moths have on their heads? eyes, antennae and proboscis
 

Butterflies and moths have two eyes. People have two eyes too but each of our eyes only has one lens. This means we only see one picture. Butterflies and moths have hundreds of lenses on each eye. This means that they see lots of little pictures. This kind of eye is called a compound eye. The children can look through kaleidoscopes to see what it looks like to have a compound eye. This is how a butterfly sees the world.
 

Butterflies and moths have two antennae between their eyes. They use their antennae to feel and smell. What do we use to feel and smell? hands and nose Insects do not have hands (to touch) and noses(to smell) like we do, so they use their antennae. 
 

Butterflies and moths have a different kind of mouth. Their mouth is called a proboscis. The proboscis is a long straw-like tube that unrolls from the head when the butterfly needs to take either food or water.
 

Where do you think our thorax is? Have the children put their hands on their chest. This is our thorax. What is attached to a butterfly’s or a moth’s thorax? legs  Butterflies and moths have six legs we have 2 legs.
 

Butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera) have four wings. The top two are called the fore wings and the bottom two are called the hind wings. Each wing is covered in thousands of colorful scales. The colors and patterns on their wings are always symmetrical. This means that each wing is a mirror image of the other. Hold out your hands with your palms up. Now look at your hands side by side. Your hands are symmetrical. Place the palms of your hands together. See how your fingers line up perfectly together. This is how butterfly wings line up when they come together. 
 

Where do you think your abdomen is? Have the children hold their stomach below their belly button. This is your abdomen. An insect’s abdomen is usually long. Just like our abdomen, a butterfly’s abdomen contains the stomach, helps produce baby butterflies, and gets rid of waste.

2. Read: Waiting for Wings by Lois Ehlert

3. Comprehension questions:

  • What are the 3 body parts of a butterfly (and all insects)? Head, Thorax, Abdomen
  • What are the butterflies eyes called that are made up of many hexagonal lenses so that they see lots of little images? Compound eye
  • What do butterflies use to see and smell? Antennae
  • What is a butterflies mouth called? Proboscis
  • How many legs do butterflies have (and all insects)? Six
  • What are the two wings on the top called? Forewings
  • What are the two bottom wings called? Hindwings

Eating Like a Butterfly

Discuss:

Butterflies and moths drink their liquid food through a proboscis. The proboscis is a long

straw-like tube that unrolls from the head when the butterfly needs to take either food or

water for its liquid diet.

Materials:

  • Paper
  • Markers
  • Scissors
  • Straw
  • Orange Juice
  • Cranberry Juice
  • Honey

Directions:

1) Draw a flower on the piece of paper.

2) Color and cut it out.

3) Poke a straw through the center of your flower.

Recipe for Nectar:

1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup cranberry juice
1 tablespoon honey
Mix the juices together, and taste first for sweetness before adding honey. Stir the honey until dissolved. 

Drink some nectar through the straw. Now you are eating like a butterfly!

Orange Slice Butterflies

Materials:

Orange slice cut into fourths

Grapes

Chocolate Sprinkles

Toothpicks

Directions:

  1. Put an orange fourth on a toothpick then a grape then another orange fourth.
  2. Put a grape on another toothpick and then slide it through the grape from the previous toothpick and then add on more grape.
  3. Use a chocolate sprinkle for each antenna.

Butterfly Word Search

I found a fun Butterfly Word Search for J to do.  It was a bit difficult for him to do alone, so I helped him a bit.

Butterfly Symmetry

Discuss:

Look closely at a butterfly’s wings and you’ll see that each is made up of thousands of overlapping scales; it’s an example of symmetry in nature.  A line of symmetry divides a shape into two identical parts.  In some cases, as with a butterfly, you’ll find one line of symmetry.  In other cases, there is more than one ; like with eight sections of an orange.  Look at butterfly pictures to study the patterns on their wings.  Discuss how the patterns are useful to butterflies (camouflage, alert predators that the butterfly is poison, attract a mate).  Ask students to describe characteristics many butterflies have in common (bright colors, distinctive markings and patterns, wings are the mirror image of each other).

Materials:

-old newspapers

-round coffee filters

-food coloring

-plastic cup

-water

-clothespin

-pipe cleaner

-glue

-Q-tips

Directions:

1. First cover work surfaces with newspapers.

2. Fold the coffee filter in half and then in half again so it is folded into fourths.

3. Using a Q-tip, demonstrate how to dip the Q-tip on the end of the food coloring bottle and squeeze it into the cotton part.  Then dab designs on the folded filter, using different colors and shapes (such as rings, dots, or lines). Then let students get started on their own designs, replicating patterns from a real butterfly or making their own.

4. After the designs are finished, set the folded tip of the filter into a clear cup of water. Have the students observe what happens. Capillary action is occurring, the filter is soaking up water from the cup; as water reaches the colors, they begin to bleed into one another.

5. After a few minutes, when the filter is completely soaked, remove the filters from the water and open them up.  Set them on the newspaper to dry.

6.  Ask the students to describe how the colors changed.  What do they notice about where the patterns appear? The colors soaked through the folds of the filter, creating mirror-image, repeating patterns all around the circle.

7. When the filters are dry, pinch the filters together in the middle, then slide it into the clothespin and spread out the wings.

8. Put a small pieces of pipe cleaner into the front of the clothespin for antennae.

Candy Butterflies

Materials:

1 paper plate

3 Tbs. vanilla frosting

4 toothpicks

1 candy fruit slices

2 unbroken pretzels

1 gumdrop

2 mini M&Ms

1 large marshmallow

1 two-inch piece red shoelace licorice

paper towels

6 half inch pieces black shoelace licorice

Discuss:

1. Start by showing the children the picture of a butterfly.

2. Review the three main body sections (head, thorax, and abdomen) and their components.

3. Tell the children that everyone is going to build their own butterfly out of candy but they have to make sure not to eat the pieces until everyone is finished.

Directions:

1. Put the head (gumdrop) on the end of one of the tooth picks.

2. Slide the thorax (large marshmallow) on the tooth pick just below the head.

3. Slide the abdomen (candy fruit slice) behind the thorax.

4. Attach the two wings (pretzels) by pushing the bottom of the pretzel into the topsides of the thorax (large marshmallow).

5. Attach the legs (black shoelace licorice) by pushing them into the bottom sides of the thorax.

6. Insert two antennae (toothpicks) close together into the very top of the head.

7. Take the proboscis (red shoelace licorice) and coil it.

8. Stick the end of the proboscis into the bottom front of the head.

9. Dip the eyes (mini M&Ms) in the frosting and attach them to the head right beside the antennae.

Label a Butterfly

We used the Label a Butterfly page for review.  I used page 12 of the Butterflies Anatomy page to help with us with the review.

Here are the other days of out Butterfly Unit Study:

Butterfly Unit Study

Day 1 Butterfly Life Cycle

Day 2  Caterpillar Anatomy

Day 3 Butterfly Anatomy 

Day 4 Butterfly vs Moth

Butterflies Day 2 -Caterpillar Anatomy

Since butterflies start out as caterpillars we learned about the caterpillars anatomy for our second day of our butterfly unit study.  We had fun with some math, literature, crafts, spelling, and of course science.  We also made a caterpillar lunch today.

Caterpillar Anatomy

1. Discuss: Butterflies do all of their growing during the larva stage (caterpillar).  Like all insects they have three distinct body parts (head, thorax, and abdomen).  The head has a pair of short antennae, mouth parts (upper lip, mandibles, and lower lip), and six pairs of simple eyes, called ocelli, that can detect light and dark. Even with all of these eyes, the caterpillar’s vision is poor. Each body section has a pair of jointed, called true legs, while some of the abdominal segments have false legs, called prolegs. The body has tiny holes that the caterpillar uses to breath called spiracles. The caterpillar also has tiny hairs along his body that sense touch called setae

2. Read: Creepy, Crawly Caterpillars by Margery Facklam

3. Comprehension questions:

  • What are the 3 body parts of a caterpillar (and all insects)? Head, Thorax, Abdomen
  • What are the stumpy false legs called? Prolegs
  • What is the jaw located on the head called? Mandibles
  • What are the tiny hairs along his body that sense touch? Setae
  • What are the simple eye organs that can detect light and dark? Ocelli
  • What are tiny holes that the caterpillar uses to breath? Spircles

Caterpillar Math Game

I found a elementary Caterpillar Math Game that J liked to play.  You just need to get a file folder and tape in copies of the number caterpillar.  I colored mine to make it look more fun.  

Then you just cut out different addition and subtraction facts for your child to match up with the correct numbers on the caterpillar board.  I also laminated the folder and all the pieces.

Edible Caterpillar Cocoons

Ingredients:

1- 8 oz. tube refrigerated crescent rolls
4 hotdogs
1 ketchup

Directions:

Preheat oven according to directions on the crescent-roll package. Separate the crescent-roll dough into its pre-cut triangle pieces, and lay them flat. 

Cut the hot dogs in half and place one half hotdog on each crescent-roll. Roll and bake on a cookie sheet according to package instructions. Dip in ketchup and enjoy.

What a fun lunch for the kids, and for dessert I had made caterpillar cupcakes for them.

Label the Caterpillar Parts

We did the Label the Caterpillar Parts diagram to review what we had learned today.  I used the diagram in the front of Creepy, Crawly Caterpillars by Margery Facklam and the Caterpillar Anatomy page to help with the review.

Egg Carton Spelling

Materials:

  • Egg cartons
  • Green, purple, yellow, white paint
  • Paintbrush
  • Google eyes
  • Pipe Cleaners

Directions:

  1. Cut the bottoms off of a couple of empty egg cartons.
  2. Paint them green, purple, and yellow. 
  3. After they dry, turn the green ones into heads, with goggle eyes and pipe cleaner antennae.
  4. Paint letter on top of the yellows (two sets of vowels), and purples (only one set of consonants.)   
  5. After those dry, you can practice your alphabet, and simple spelling skills.
  6. We used them to review our spelling words for the week.

Caterpillar Poem

 Caterpillar

Fuzzy, wuzzy, creepy crawly

Caterpillar funny 

You will be a butterfly

When the days are sunny.

Wiggling, flinging, dancing, springing 

Butterfly so yellow, 

You were once a caterpillar,

Wriggly, wiggly, fellow.

by Lillian Vabada

Read the poem and write down all rhyming words from the poem below.

       1.___________________________________________________

       2.___________________________________________________

       3.___________________________________________________

       4.____________________________________________________

       5.____________________________________________________

       6._____________________________________________________

Here are the other days of out Butterfly Unit Study:

Butterfly Unit Study

Day 1 Butterfly Life Cycle

Day 2  Caterpillar Anatomy

Day 3 Butterfly Anatomy 

Day 4 Butterfly vs Moth

Butterflies Day 1 -Life Cycle

For the first day of our butterfly unit study we learned about the butterfly life cycle.  We learned that the butterfly and the moth life cycles are very similar. We made some life cycle crafts and did some writing and reading as well.

1. Discuss: Ask the children “How do butterflies and moths grow? Do they start out as little babies like us or from eggs like snakes, frogs, turtles, and birds?” Because butterflies and moths are insects they start as an egg. When the egg hatches the butterfly or moth is called a caterpillar or larva. Caterpillars spend most of their time feeding on plants and grow very quickly. A caterpillar grows into a pupa. A butterfly pupa is called a chrysalis and a moth pupa is a cocoon. What do you think happens to the pupa inside a chrysalis or cocoon? The pupa is turning into a butterfly or a moth. This process of change from caterpillar to butterfly or moth is called metamorphosis. Have the children repeat the word “metamorphosis.” During the pupa stage the transformation from larva to adult is completed. Butterflies make a chrysalis to protect them as pupae. Many butterfly pupae are well-camouflaged, since they can’t escape from predators by flying away. Just before the butterfly emerges, you can see their wing patterns through the pupa covering. The pupa stage usually last ten to fourteen days.

2. Read: Caterpillar to Butterfly by Camilla de la Bedoyere

3. Review: Review the butterfly life cycle with hand motions. What is the first stage in a butterfly’s metamorphosis? An egg (hand clutched tight in a fist). What is the second stage of a butterfly’s metamorphosis? A caterpillar (index finger extended, scrunched, extended, scrunched). What is the third stage of a butterfly’s metamorphosis? A chrysalis (index finger wrapped by other hand-like a hotdog). What is the last stage of a butterfly’s metamorphosis? A butterfly (thumbs interlocked, fingers wiggling and making a flying motion).

4. Comprehension questions: What are the 4 stages of butterfly or moth metamorphosis? Egg, larva (caterpillar), pupa (chrysalis or cocoon), adult (butterfly or moth)

Butterfly Life Cycle Craft

Materials:

  • Clothespin
  • Small pom-poms
  • Google eyes
  • Pipe cleaner
  • Glue
  • Toilet paper tube
  • Green tissue paper
  • Another color tissue paper
  • Tape

Directions:

1. Glue pompoms to clothespins with google eyes, and a piece of bent pipe cleaner for the antennae. 

2. Make the chrysalis by gluing green tissue paper squares onto toilet paper rolls. When they are completely covered and dry, staple one end closed. 

3. Make wings for the butterflies by pinching rectangles of tissue paper, and taping them in the middle, to fit in the center of the clothes pins. 

4. With the addition of a tiny pompom “egg”, you can discuss the butterfly life cycle.

5. Fold the wings up, and stuff them into the toilet paper rolls with the tape end up.

You can act out how the butterfly wraps itself in the chrysalis shell, and then emerges, after a few weeks, with it’s wings crumpled, and wet. To sun itself, and gradually dry, and straighten out it’s wings, ready to fly. 

Life Cycle Metamorphosis Activity

Materials:

-Drawing Paper

-Scissors

-Crayons

Directions:

1.  Fold a piece of paper in half.

2.  Draw a kidney bean shaped figure along the folded half.

3.  Cut out the figure.

4. Unfold the figure, draw, and color a butterfly on one side of the paper.

5.  Fold the paper in half again with the blank sides facing out.  Draw and color a caterpillar on one side.

6.  Flip the folded paper over to the other blank side.  Draw and color a chrysalis on this side.

Label a Life Cycle

I used the Label a Life Cycle form to review the stages of metamorphosis.  We also used page 33 of Butterflies and Moths to help with the review.

adult – the winged adult will lay the eggs. Adults do not eat, they only sip liquids through a straw-like proboscis.
larva – also called the caterpillar hatches from the egg. The larva spends its time eating, growing and molting (shedding its outgrown exoskeleton).
pupa – the stage in a butterfly’s life when it is encased in a chrysalis and undergoes metamorphosis into the adult.
egg – the tiny orb laid by a female butterfly. Eggs are usually laid on the underside of leaves – they hatch into larvae.

Butterfly Life Cycle Picture Wheel

Materials:

  • Bowl with about 8 inch diameter
  • 2 pieces of cardstock
  • Pencil
  • Scissors
  • Crayons or markers
  • Glue stick
  • Copy of butterfly life cycle pictures
  • Paper fastener

Directions:

1 Place the bowl upside on the cardstock and trace a circle around it. Do this to both pieces of the cardstock. Add a little handle to the wheel. Cut out both pieces.

2 Cut a triangle out of one wheel with the tip of the triangle almost to the center of the wheel as pictured.

3 Color the life cycle pictures and then cut them out.

4 Have the children sequence the pictures in the correct order to help with the next step.

5 Glue the pictures in order around the whole wheel.

6 Punch a whole in the center of the 2 wheels and place the one with the triangle cut out on the top.

7 Connect the wheels with a paper fastener.

Butterfly Story

I found this Butterfly Story page to color and practice some writing.

Here are the other days of out Butterfly Unit Study:

Butterfly Unit Study

Day 1 Butterfly Life Cycle

Day 2  Caterpillar Anatomy

Day 3 Butterfly Anatomy 

Day 4 Butterfly vs Moth

Butterfly Unit Study

In this unit study we learned about the life cycle of butterflies and moths, the anatomy of butterflies and moths, and the differences between butterflies and moths.  We also grew a butterfly and record our observations.  This unit study has 4 days worth of lessons, and it takes 3 to 4 weeks to grow the butterfly.  I did this unit study with my 1st grader and I recommend it for Kindergarten to 3rd grade.

Day 1 Butterfly Life Cycle

Day 2  Caterpillar Anatomy

Day 3 Butterfly Anatomy 

Day 4 Butterfly vs Moth

Butterfly Book List

Books can be read by the child or by the parent to the child, depending on the child’s reading level. I don’t think that a child is ever too old to be read to.

Books I used in the lessons…

Waiting for Wings by Lois Ehlert

Creep, Crawly Caterpillars by Margery Facklam

Caterpillar to Butterfly by Camilla de la Bedoyere

What’s the Difference Between a Butterfly and a Moth? by Robin Koontz

Other age appropriate books…

Butterfly Story by Anca HaritonButterfly House by Eve Bunting 
The Lamb and the Butterfly illustrated by Eric Carle

Painted Lady Butterflies by Martha E. H. Rustad

The Magic School Bus the Butterfly and the Bog Beast by Nancy E. Krulik and Thompson Brothers

Can You Tell a Butterfly from a Moth by Buffy Silverman

Butterfly Video List

Wild Kratts Episode 109 Voyage of the Butterflier XT

http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/kids/animals-pets-kids/bugs-kids/butterflies-kids/ (Web Video)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vXmF5W_Wkc (Web Video)

The Magic School Bus Season 2 Episode 5 – Butterfly and the Bog Beast (DVD)

Live Butterfly Garden

We got a Butterfly Garden from www.insectlore.com.  When we got the kit we sent for the caterpillars.  They came in about a week.

There were 4 tiny caterpillars in a container with food and air holes in it.  We did not have to open the container at all.

J recorded his observations of the caterpillars in a home made butterfly journal.  He wrote an update every other day or so; he also drew a picture for each journal entry.

On day 10 two of the caterpillars hung from the top of the container in a “J” form.

By day 12 all four of them were hanging form the top in their chrysalis’.  And on day 14 we opened he container and gently moved the piece of paper under the lid that they were hanging from.  I pinned it onto the mesh sides of the butterfly house.

 Finally on day 20 one emerged from the chrysalis. Then a few days later we set them free outside.

Catch Your Own Caterpillars

We also caught our own caterpillars and put them in our butterfly house to see what would happen. 

We caught 3 that looked the same and had formed cocoons by the next morning.  We also caught 2 other types of caterpillars that we had to feed leaves for a week.  Since they were in the grass when we found them we took a few leaves from the different trees in our yard to see which type they would eat.  Then we added new leaves from that tree every day.

The moths came out of the cocoons about 18 days after they made them.   

The Butterfly House 

We also took a trip to the St. Louis Butterfly House.  They had tons of beautiful butterflies and flowers.

 The boys really enjoyed seeing all the different types of butterflies.

They also had a chrysalis viewing area.  We saw one butterfly hanging on his empty chrysalis pumping his wings.

There was a 15 minute video to watch about the life of a butterfly and a world map outline that showed where different types of butterflies lived.

Outside there was a huge stone caterpillar that they boys could play on.

The whole visit was only about an hour, but it was fun to see all the different kids of butterflies, my favorite was the blue morpho butterfly (I didn’t get a picture of one with open wings though).

Here are some of our other Elementary Unit Studies:

Christopher Columbus Day 7

This is the last day of our Christopher Columbus Unit.  Today we reviewed a lot of map skills that we learned throughout this unit.  We have come to the end of our Christopher Columbus Unit.  There are many more lessons in Hands on History Christopher Columbus by Mary Tucker that we didn’t do.  Be sure to look through them before the end of the unit to see if there are any that you want to add to your own Columbus study.

1. Review:  read “The Second Voyage” on page 27 and “A Voyage Over and Another Begun” on page 29 of Hands on History Christopher Columbus by Mary Tucker.

2. Read: pages 52-end of the book Columbus by Ingri and Edgar Parin D’Aulaire.

3. Discuss: An eclipse is the total or partial covering of the sun or moon by another planet, sun or moon. A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and the earth so you can’t see the sun for a short time; a lunar eclipse when the earth passes between the sun and the moon so you can’t see the moon for a short time.

4. Comprehension Questions:

  • How did Columbus get the Indians to start bringing them food again? He told them that God was angry with them and was going to take away the moon, when really it was just an eclipse.
  • How long were Columbus and his men shipwrecked in Jamaica? A year
  • Columbus spent the rest of his life in Spain. Was he happy that he found a New Land or sad that he never found his way all the way around the earth to the East (Asia)? Disappointed that he never found the East

5. Map Skills: review with a globe the places that Columbus had come across in his journeys.

  • Genoa, Italy
  • Portugal
  • Spain
  • San Salvador, The Bahamas
  • Spain
  • Haiti
  • Spain
  • Orinoco River, South America
  • Spain
  • Jamaica
  • Spain

Columbus Word Jumble

We used the Columbus Word Jumble to review some of the new words that we learned about in this unit study.

Columbus Poem

Read the poem “In 1492 Columbus Sailed the Ocean Blue” or the book In 1492 by Jean Marzollo.

In 1492 Columbus Sailed the Ocean Blue

In fourteen hundred ninety-two
Columbus sailed the ocean blue.

He had three ships and left from Spain;
He sailed through sunshine, wind and rain.

He sailed by night; he sailed by day;
He used the stars to find his way.

A compass also helped him know
How to find the way to go.

Ninety sailors were on board;
Some men worked while others snored.

Then the workers went to sleep;
And others watched the ocean deep.

Day after day they looked for land;
They dreamed of trees and rocks and sand.

October 12 their dream came true,
You never saw a happier crew!

“Indians! Indians!” Columbus cried;
His heart was filled with joyful pride.

But “India” the land was not;
It was the Bahamas, and it was hot.

The Arakawa natives were very nice;
They gave the sailors food and spice.

Columbus sailed on to find some gold
To bring back home, as he’d been told.

He made the trip again and again,
Trading gold to bring to Spain.

The first American? No, not quite.
But Columbus was brave, and he was bright.

Columbus Word Search 

We used this Columbus Word Search as a fun way to review a few more words that we learned for this unit study.  Ask student what each of the words means after he finds them in the word search.

Christopher Columbus Unit Study

Christopher Columbus Unit Study

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Christopher Columbus Day 6

We learned about Columbus’ other trips to the New World (4 total) and about the end of his life.  We review some vocabulary words and a little about sailors of the time using our book, Hands on History Christopher Columbus by Mary Tucker.   We also made a paper world map from Columbus’ time as well.

1. Review: read “Shipwreck!” on page 20 and “Honored in Spain” on page 24 of Hands on History Christopher Columbus by Mary Tucker.

2. Read: pages 44-51 in Columbus by Ingri and Edgar Parin D’Aulaire.

3. Map Skills: Columbus made several trips and never landed at the same place. When traveling a far distance over water they weren’t very accurate in landing on the same island with their old time navigation. Also the wind and storms that they would encounter were in the Atlantic were different for each trip and would cause them to be further South than they thought. Show on the map where they landed for each trip:

  • 1st trip Bahamas
  • 2nd trip Haiti
  • 3rd trip South America (Orinoco River)
  • 4th trip Jamaica

4. Comprehension Questions:

  • On Columbus’s second voyage across the Atlantic he sailed to the wrong Island inhabited by wild Indian’s, when they finally found Hispaniola (Haiti) what had happened to the fortress and Spaniards left behind? The Indians had destroyed the fortress and killed the Spaniards
  • Were the new sailors kind to the Indians? No, they made them their slaves.
  • On Columbus’s third voyage across the Atlantic he tried to go around the islands to reach Asia, but ran into another continent. What Continent was it? South America
  • Did Columbus finally reach Asia on his fourth voyage across the Atlantic? No
  • Columbus’s 3 very old ships finally wrecked in Jamaica and the sailors ran out of food. They were still over 100 miles away from Hispaniola (Haiti), who brought them food for a while? Friendly Indians

5. Discuss: read “Loading Up” on page 27 of Hands on History Christopher Columbusby Mary Tucker.  Talk with the child about what the would bring if they were traveling with Columbus.  Talk about things for now versus things that will last for a long time (hamburger vs. seeds).

New World Map

Materials:

  • Brown paper grocery bag
  • Pencil
  • Scissors
  • Water color paints: blue, brown, green
  • White craft paint
  • Paintbrush
  • Black marker
  • Lighter (optional: for parents only!)

Directions:

  1. Cut a rectangle from the side of the grocery bag that does not have seams.
  2. Use a pencil to draw simple land designs on the front of your bag (refer to a world map for a general idea).
  3. Paint the land on the right green (Spain, Africa, etc…) and the land on the left brown (the Americas).
  4. Paint the remaining areas (water) blue, leaving a small border around the land unpainted. Let paint dry.                                    
  5. When dry, use a black marker to add an outline to the land masses.
  6. Write the words “New World” on the land mass in the upper left and “Spain” on the upper right land mass.
  7. Use the marker to draw tiny curved lines around the water to represent waves.
  8. Draw a dotted line from “Spain” to the lower left land mass.
  9. Draw three small ships above the dotted line.
  10. Add another coat of green and brown watercolor paint to the land masses.
  11. Use a small paintbrush and white acrylic paint to paint the sails of the ships, and an upper and lower line around the dotted voyage line and thin white curves above the wave curves.
  12. When white paint is dry, outline the ship sails with a black marker.
  13. This step is optional and should ONLY be done by a grown up or parent: Use a lighter to lightly burn the edges of the brown paper map to give it an aged look.

Plus or Minus?

Discuss: Talk about the new things that the Spanish sailors found.  Things they had probably never seen before.  Talk about what new things the students would like and what things they wouldn’t like.  We used “Plus of Minus?” on page 28 of Hands on History Christopher Columbus by Mary Tucker.

Columbus Vocabulary

Use the Columbus Day Vocabulary page to put the words in alphabetical order.  Then use the dictionary to write a short definition next to each word.

Christopher Columbus Unit Study

Christopher Columbus Unit Study

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Christopher Columbus Day 5

Today we explored with Columbus farther South to Cuba and Haiti. We also learned about his return to Spain after his discovery of the New World and what a Coat of Arms is. We learned about another landform, mountains.   The boys had fun making a mountain cake and eating it!

1. Review: read “A New World” on page 17 of Hands on History Christopher Columbus by Mary Tucker. 

2. Read: pages 38-43 in Columbus by Ingri and Edgar Parin D’Aulaire.

3. Map skills: Columbus sailed from San Salvador on to Cuba and then to Haiti. Find Cuba and Haiti on a map. What type of landform are Cuba and Haiti? mountain

4. Comprehension questions:

  • Can you remember which ship crashed? Santa Maria
  • What did the Indians call Columbus and his men? White Gods
  • Where did they finally find gold? Haiti
  • What ship did Columbus ride on back to Spain? The Nina
  • What were some of the things that Columbus brought home with him to show the King and Queen? Parrots, strange fruits, sweet-smelling herbs, small chest of gold ornaments, and some Indians
  • Was Columbus a hero now? Yes

5. Discuss: When Columbus returned from his voyage he met with the King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, the king and queen gave Columbus the right to have his own coat of arms.  A coat of arms is the official symbols of a family, state, etc.  A coat of arms is a form of identification that goes back to before Roman times.  Back then the coat of arms was used to identify groups of fighting men within the Roman legion.  In the Middle Ages the coat of arms was used to identify each noble family.  Each item chosen to be in the design had a meaning.  After a family decided on a coat of arms the design was placed on shields, embroidered on tapestries, and carved in stone throughout the house.  It was also placed on swords and banners, and on special occasions the design was burnt into the top of breads.  The coat of arms that Columbus was assigned had a castle and a lion on it.  A few years later he added the island and anchors as a reminder of his adventures.

Columbus’ Coat of Arms


Discuss: What the children would want on their coat of arms, the symbols should be reminders of significant events in their lives or of personal characteristics (sports, music, art, lion= courage, lamb= peace).  We used “Columbus’ Coat of Arms” on page 25 of Hands on History Christopher Columbus by Mary Tucker. 

Sailing, Sailing

Review: What it would be like to sail on a ship for 2 months and why Columbus took a ship on his voyage rather that an automobile or airplane.  We used the Sailing, Sailing color page to review this.

Mountain Cake 

1. Columbus was looking for gold on the islands. The Indians told him there was gold in the mountains on Haiti. Mountains are another type of landform.

Define mountain-

Mountain: a high, raised part of the earth’s surface, higher than a hill

2. Make a mountain of your own mountain cake.


Supplies: square cake (baking) pan, 1 glass oven-safe mixing bowl, 1 box cake mix, green frosting, chocolate frosting, oreo cookies, and whipped cream.

Directions:

  • Make cake mix according to the recipe. Pour into your square pan until it is half full and use the rest in a glass mixing bowl. 
  • Bake according to recipe’s directions. Test with toothpick.
  • Once cooled flip the cake in your glass mixing bowl on to your square cake.
  • Frost the square portion of your cake with green frosting. 
  • Frost the mountain part with chocolate frosting. 
  • Crush up Oreo cookies to crumble on your mountain. For a snowcapped effect you could top your mountain with whipped cream. 

Christopher Columbus Unit Study

Christopher Columbus Unit Study

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Day 2

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Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Christopher Columbus Day 4

Today we learned where Columbus landed and about the natives that he met when he arrived in the New World.  We learned about islands and that he was not in India like he thought he was.  Today we read and had a lot of discussion time, we also had fun with a few art projects.

1. Review: read “King Ferdinand & Queen Isabella” and “Getting Ready” on page 12 and “Trouble on Board” on page 15 of Hands on History Christopher Columbus by Mary Tucker.

2. Read: pages 31-37 in Columbus by Ingri and Edgar Parin D’Aulaire.

3. Map Skills: On October 12 (Columbus Day), 1492 Columbus and his crew finally find land. They didn’t find Chinese people like they thought they would. He called the people Indians because he thought they must be in India. He named the island San Salvador. Find San Salvador on a map (hint: it’s part of the Bahamas). Find India and China on a map. Is San Salvador close to India or China. (no)

4. Comprehension questions:

  • How did the Pinta signal to the other ships that they have spotted land? Fired a cannon shot
  • What was the date when Columbus first spotted the New Land? October 12, 1492
  • How long did Columbus travel the ocean before they found land? Over 2 months
  • What are the first 2 things that Columbus did when he stepped on the land? Put the Spanish flag in the ground and thanked God
  • Columbus thought they had landed in India so what did he call the natives? Indians
  • What did Columbus name the island that they landed on? San Salvador
  • Did Columbus and his men find the gold and treasures that they hoped to find? No, just the nose rings that the Indian’s wore.

5. Discuss:  In Columbus’ journal he wrote that the Indians would make good servants.  Why did he feel like he was superior (better than) to the Indians?  Even though he felt this way Columbus told his crew to treat the Indians fairly, but they were trading things that were worth only pennies for things that were worth more.  What that fair treatment?  Why?

Read “The Search Goes On” on page 18 of Hands on History Christopher Columbus by Mary Tucker.  How do you think the crew felt when there was no gold for them to find?  What are some of the things that they did find?

Columbus’ Discoveries

Review what Columbus wanted to find on his voyage across the ocean.  Then talk about what he actually did find.  We used “Columbus Discoveries” on page 19 of Hands on History Christopher Columbus by Mary Tucker.

A Ship To Sail

We made a ship with “A Ship to Sail” on page 13 of Hands on History Christopher Columbus by Mary Tucker.  We copied the ship onto cardstock and colored it.  
                                       
Next we folded it in half and glued styrofoam to the bottom of it.  We were then able to float it in the water.

Columbus Maze

We had a simple Columbus Maze to help Columbus reach the island.  At the bottom of the page it reviews the year that Columbus discovered the New World.

Island Snow Globe

1. San Salvador is an island. An island is another type of landform.

Define island-
Island: a body of land completely surrounded by water.

2.Island Snow Globe
Supplies: Sculpey modeling clay, baby food jar, and glitter

Directions:

  • Build a mound of clay onto the lid of the jar. Twist the lid in place to make sure it fits properly before making your island.
  • Design your island as desired. J tried to make his island with a tree on it.
  • Bake the lid of your jar with your modeled island according to the instructions.
  • Once thoroughly cooled add water and glitter to your jar, place the lid on the jar and close tightly.
                                               
    We added some blue food coloring to it to make it look like water, but then it was harder to see the island so I wouldn’t recommend it.

Christopher Columbus Unit Study

Christopher Columbus Unit Study

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Day 2

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Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Christopher Columbus Day 3

On this day we learned about Columbus’ 3 ships the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria.  We learned what life was like for the sailors on the ships and actually measure out how big the ships were.  J also learned about navigation in Columbus’ time and  got to explore outside with a compass.

1. Review: read “At Home in Portugal” on page 9 and “Off to Spain” on page 10 of Hands on History Christopher Columbus by Mary Tucker.

2. Read: pages 22-30 in Columbus by Ingri and Edgar Parin D’Aulaire.

3. Comprehension questions:

  • Columbus left the port of Palos, Spain on August 3, 1492. He took three ships. Can you remember the names of the ships? (Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria) Which ship was the smallest? (the Nina) Which ship was the largest? (the Santa Maria) Which ship was the fastest? (the Pinta)
  • What did Columbus and his sailors hope to find? Gold and riches
  • Who did Christopher’s son stay with? The monks
  • What ship did Columbus ride on? The Santa Maria
  • What direction did they sail? West
  • Columbus’s sailors wanted to turn around and sail back to Spain, what did they threaten to do to Columbus? Throw him overboard
  • Why did Columbus finally change the direction that they were traveling to the Southwest? To follow the flock of birds

4. Map Skills: How did Columbus navigate on the Ocean?

Columbus kept a logbook (journal) of where he thought they were. He kept track by checking his maps, following his compass, and watching the stars. He used dead reckoning to get where he wanted to go.  Dead reckoning was a system of using a compass and the North Star to keep on course.

Define-Navigation is the art of getting from one place to another, safely and efficiently. 

Maps- In Columbus’ time they had not yet developed a way to measure distances at sea, also they hadn’t come up with a way to portray the round earth on a flat map.  This made the maps of the time very inaccurate.  The size of each land mass on the maps were more of a reflection of their importance for trade routes than actual geographical size.  The charts and maps had a compass rose indication bearing between trading ports.

Compass- Early mariners found the compass inconsistent; probably because they didn’t understand variation (a compass points to the magnetic north pole, not true north).  They could not explain the variations and couldn’t put much trust in the compass readings when navigation unknown sea.  Columbus’ compass was checked against the North Star or pole star.

Sun and stars- Navigators of the time could determine latitude (north/south direction) by observing the height of the sun during the day and the North Star at night.  Ships could follow the east/west movement of the sun to determine the direction the wished to travel.  However, the navigators had no way to accurately determine longitude.  Once the ship was out of sight of land they had no idea how far east/west they were.  They made estimates based on the time it took them to get there.

5. Discuss: read “They’re Off!” on page 14 of Hands on History Christopher Columbus by Mary Tucker. Have the students find the Canary Islands on a world map. Have them note how far Columbus had gone in 3 weeks and how much farther he had to go.

Compass Calculations

Go outside and explain how a compass works. Think and talk about how a compass could have helped Christopher Columbus. What direction was he going? Since a compass always points north, how did it keep Columbus headed in the right direction?

Give students various directions to follow such as: take 8 steps north, then 5 steps west, then 10 steps south and see where you end up?

Ask them which direction they need to go to get to the car? Or back to the house? Or to the trampoline? Students use the compass to figure out the directions they should go.

Measuring Columbus’ Ships

1. Discuss the size of the 3 ships:

Christopher Columbus’ fleet consisted of three vessels obtained in a tiny Spanish coastal port. The Pinta and Nina were caravels: boats that were longer for a given width to give them a streamlined configuration. The Pinta was three-masted with square-rigged sails; the Nina, though the smallest, had four masts and was lateen-rigged (triangular sails).

Santa Maria:

Class and type: Nao

Tons burthen: 108 tons (119 short tons)

Length: Est. at 17.7 m (58 ft) on deck, and about (22 m) 72 ft length over all.

Beam (width): 5.85 (19.2 ft)

Draught: 2.92 m (9.6 ft)

Complement: 40 men*

Pinta:

Class and type: Caravel

Tons burthen: 60 – 70 tons

Length: 17 m (56 ft) on deck

Beam (width): 5.36 m (17.6 ft)

Draught: 2.31 m (7.6 ft)

Complement: 26 men

Nina:

Class and type: Caravel

Tons burthen: 50 – 60 tons

Length: 15.24 m (50 ft) on deck

Beam (width): 4.85 m (15.9 ft)

Draught: 2.07 m (6.8 ft)

Complement: 24 men

 Materials:

  • 3 pieces of white construction paper
  • Marker
  • tape
  • ball of yarn
  • 9 long sticks (2ft-5ft)
  • tape measure or yard stick (something to measure with)

Procedure:

  • Cut each piece of white paper into a large triangle flag, write the name of each ship on one, and tape them to the top of the 3 largest sticks.
  • Start at a tree and measure out the length of the largest ship first (Santa Maria length over all) and put the flag stick in the ground (you can soften the ground with a cup of water). 
  • Then go the the middle of that measurement and measure the width, putting a stick in the ground at each end of the width.
  • Tie the yarn to the tree and run it along the outside of the 3 sticks in the ground to form a kind of outline of the ships deck.
  • Repeat with the Pinta and then the Nina.
  • If you have 24 in your class you can have them all stand in the Nina outline and ask them if they feel crowded? Would they like to eat, sleep, and work in that space for over 2 months?
    Measuring Columbus’ Ships

Tips:

This demonstration can be done with just the Santa Maria if you don’t have the time to do all of the ships.

Ships In A Bottle


We used a 2 liter soda bottle for this activity. We printed out the Ships In A Bottle on cardstock.  Next we cut the end of the bottle off and taped the ships in where we wanted them.  Then we put int blue shredded paper for the water.  
                                                
I taped the bottle back together with clear packing tape so you could still see the ships through the bottle.

Eating Like Sailors

For snack food, have something that the sailors might have eaten on Columbus’s voyage such as; dried fruit, cheese, honey, almonds, etc… Eat snacks on the floor using their hands to eat with (like the sailors)

Make hardtack (sea biscuits):

6 parts flour
1 part water

Knead dough until thoroughly mixed. Roll out on a floured surface until about 1/8 inch thick (or there about). Cut into squares about 3 by 3 inches.

Pierce the hard tack 12 times with the tip of a knife, making sure hole goes all the way through the dough.

Bake at 325 for at least an hour, turning over the hard tack once. Check to see that it is cooked through completely. Take out & let cool overnight to get that real hard & dry feeling. 



Columbus and Crew Viewpoints


Help your students understand the different viewpoints of Columbus and his crew.  Teacher reads Columbus and students read the crew.  Encourage them to read their parts with feelings.   For this activity we used “Columbus and Crew Rap” on page 16 of Hands on History Christopher Columbus by Mary Tucker.

Sailors Journal

Columbus recorded the date and how many miles he traveled in his logbook. The crew on his ship were hungry, scared, and ready to go home. Pretend you are a member of Columbus’s crew. Write a journal entry describing what you have seen and how you are feeling.

Christopher Columbus Unit Study

Christopher Columbus Unit Study

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Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Christopher Columbus Day 2

Today we learned how and why Columbus left Italy.  We also studied early beliefs about the earth being flat and how they thought the world map looked 500 years ago.  We had fun with making and floating our own boat crafts and writing letters to the King and Queen of Spain.

1. Review: read “A Boy Named Christopher” on page 6 and “A Sea Battle” on page 8 of Hands on History Christopher Columbus by Mary Tucker.

2. Read: pages 13-21 in Columbus by Ingri and Edgar Parin D’Aulaire.

3. Map Skills: We have read about several places so far. Can you name some of them? Find Spain, Asia, and Portugal on the map. What ocean was Christopher in when he got to Portugal? Atlantic Ocean Back then it was called the great Western Ocean.

4. Comprehension questions:

  • What country did Columbus first sail for? Portugal
  • Did the Portuguese believe the earth was flat or round? Round
  • Had anyone ever sailed far into the Atlantic Ocean yet? No
  • What country did Columbus think he would come to if he sailed across the Atlantic Ocean? Asia (Point on the globe with your finger and make line from Portugal going west to Asia saying that Columbus thought all the land would be the Atlantic Ocean)
  • The King of Portugal wouldn’t support Columbus’ journey, so what country did Columbus go and ask the King and Queen for help? Spain
  • Who did Christopher and his son have to stay with for a while? The monks at the little cloister (monastary)

5. Discuss: read “Explorers Exploring” on page 7 of Hands on History Christopher Columbus by Mary Tucker. Have students find China on map. Then have him find Africa. Ask students if they think going around Africa would have been the best way to get to the East from Portugal? Were there any other possible ways to get there?

Read “It’s a Small, Small World” on page 10 of Hands on History Christopher Columbus by Mary Tucker. Show on the globe how they thought the world was (but covering the Americas with your hand) and saying that they thought it was all ocean.

Columbus’ Letter to the King and Queen of Spain

Discuss:  What country did Columbus first sail for? (Portugal) Columbus believed he could sail across the Atlantic Ocean to Asia, but he needed ships and men to do it. He requested the help of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. Let’s pretend you are Columbus writing a letter to the king and queen requesting their help. Include what supplies you would need (food, water, ships, etc.) and three reasons why they should help you.

Egg Cup Ships

Materials:

  • 3 cardboard egg cups
  • Brown acrylic craft paint
  • Paintbrush
  • ¼ cup modeling clay or play dough
  • 6 toothpicks
  • 1 sheet white paper
  • Scissors
  • White craft glue

Directions:

  1. Paint the 3 egg cups inside and out with brown paint and set aside to dry.
  2. Cut sails from white paper. You will need 6 large sails (1.5” x 1”) and 18 small sails (.5” x .75”).
  3. Set aside three of the toothpicks for the large sails. Break or cut the other three toothpicks in half, so that you have 6 halves.
  4. Put a line of glue through the middle of one of the small sails. Place the cut or broken end of one of the toothpick halves onto the glue line.
  5. Roll it in the glue to cover both sides, then place another sail on top, sandwiching the two sails together. Flatten the sails together with your fingers and set aside to dry.
  6. Repeat step number 5 with each toothpick half and 2 small sails (each).
  7. Following the guide in step number 5, make the larger sails. For each large sail you will need a toothpick, 2 small sails and 2 large sails. Glue the small sail to the end of the full toothpick, and then glue the larger sail beneath it, leaving a small gap between the top and bottom sail. Then set those aside to dry too.        
  8. Roll a small amount of clay in your palm, enough to line the bottom of the egg cup. Place in the egg cup and flatten to cover bottom.
  9. Put one large sail and 2 small sails into the clay, one small sail on either side of the large sail.

Making a Map

Discuss: The people of Columbus’ time thought that they could sail west around the world to get to the Indies.  They didn’t know about the 2 big continents that were in there way.  Draw a map to show what was really across the ocean between Europe and China?

Materials:  I used “Making a Map” on page 11 of Hands on History Christopher Columbus by Mary Tucker.

Christopher Columbus Unit Study

Christopher Columbus Unit Study

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Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

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