Hi
Could someone please help I have an 18 month old who just loves ladybirds, we have to go out in the garden as soon as she arrives to check them and then throughout the day we have to go and look at them ( I have a few that have made my garden fence their home) I need some inspiration as where to take this... If she was older I have plenty of ideas, its the fact that she is only 18 months and a lot of the activties are not suitable, I feel that I am missing a perfect learning experience ... maybe I am thinking too much

(I am a childminder)


Tink69

Tink69 - how lovely!

Are you very creative?! Bet you are - we childminders are very resourceful!

How about making her own book of ladybirds? You could take a photo every morning to see how many there are and what they are doing?

or making Ladybird matching cards, matching the number of spots?

I've made placemats from laminated pictures of their favourite characters for my minded children. They have their name at the top, pictures of the cutlery in the appropriate places (so they can "lay" their own place) and on the reverse their name in pale font and numbers 1-10 which they can write over in felt tip and wipe off afterwards. All helps to keep them entertained while waiting for lunch You could make a ladybird mat!

I'll keep thinking! perhaps more will spring to mind!

Nona

Could you buy some to hatch out? I believe there are website that offer this.

Also there's a lovely ladybird wheely toy a friend has, although I think they are pricey!!

What a lovely interest, I know how she feels, I adore them too.

Could you collect some and find an old fish tank to keep them in for a day or 2.

I grew ladybirds last year and i think its absolutely fascinating how the larvae look so different from the adult and the newly emerged ladybird is creamy not red.

Thanks I knew you would come up with some fab ideas

Tink69

You can keep them for longer and you don't need a fish tank...I kept some YEARS ago with older children. You need a container such as a jam jar that can hold water. Then you made a cardboard "lid" for the jar and put a hole in it to put the nettle stem through so the nettle keeps fresh but the ladybird doesn't drown if it falls off the nettle. Then you need something like an empty 5 litre water bottle (we used a sweet jar from a sweet shop, remember them?) If you use a water bottle you'll need to cut the neck off. Basically, you turn this upside down over the nettle in the jar, put in a few air holes-it stops the ladybird flying away. Then just provide a magnifying glass. Remember to change the nettles regularly and also the water in the jam jar.

You can also get a ladybird soft toy (IKEA have a couple in their "baby section") and have fun with rhymes like Ladybird Ladybird. Your toddler might also like "The Bad Tempered Ladybird" by Eric Carle...bound to be available at Smiths or from Amazon probably a lot cheaper or at your local library. If you have easy access to your library and can take the child to see if you can find any ladybird books that would be even better. You could also do some lovely dance and movement with a ladybird theme, crawling from leaf to leaf, curling up under something to shelter from a rain storm, flying round the room/garden etc. If you don't already have one, why not make a "home for ladybirds" by tieing some bamboo canes together to provide shelter then you should have ladybirds all through the summer!

Nona do you have a template for this as now my little one has progressed to sitting up the "big" table I would like to do this, have been trying to find a basic template with cutlery on but can't find one or maybe someone can point me in the right direction.

Thanks

Tink69

Can you not draw round cutlery and a plate and cup on some card and then laminate?

Go hunting for some large flat stones and paint them to look like ladybirds, or make flat oval shapes out of clay.
Also there is the "Bad tempered Ladybird" book by Eric Carle- the same guy who wrote "The very hungry caterpillar".
Make a "mini" garden in a tray to put them in while she watches them.
Make a giant feely ladybird, gather materials of different textures and stick them onto an oval shape to resemble a lady bird.

Ikea sell a mirror which is a sofa toy type ( it looks like a toy ladybird with mirror on its belly) I think it cost £3. My daughter loves this and she is 17 months old. You could download pics of ladybirds for her to colour in and then maybe when she has coloured them in hide them round the house and then go ladybird picture hunting xx