We’ve been exploring life cycles of plants and animals in preschool.  To extend our understanding of these living things, we brought out our life cycle boxes…
Our life cycle boxes are clear plastic boxes, divided into four sections. Â They are meant to be used as jewelry boxes, but the grandmother of one of our students tipped us off about what a great use they were for storing life cycle models. Â We are so glad she did! Â These plastic boxes can often be found in the Dollar Spot at Target…
The life cycle models were set out on the table for the children to explore…
In front of the models was a piece of paper divided into four squares for the children to line the models up. Â Number one represented the beginning of the life cycle, while the number four represented the end of the life cycle…
Also on the table were accordion style books for the children to draw a picture of a life cycle. Â Because we were doing this activity with our pre-kindergarten students, we encouraged them to number each of the squares one through four, as we had on the table…
In their accordion books, the children could draw a picture of one of the life cycles represented on the table or they could draw something different. Â A few of the children found the turtle life cycle to be the most interesting, so that is what they drew…
Some of the other children chose to make up their own type of life cycle so we also ended up with spiders and people…
Throughout this activity, we encouraged the children to think of the life cycle and their drawings as a story, similar to how we journal each week. Â We told them that no matter what living thing they drew, it had to go from little to big. Â The first page in their accordion book might be an egg or a baby, but it would get bigger on each page until it was full grown…
Our life cycle models really helped the children see how each living thing grew from smaller to bigger over time. Â And drawing their own life cycle helped to demonstrate their understanding of the process. Â And for some children, it also helped them make connections to their own lives…
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Links to grow on:
From seed to flower on the sticky table by Teach Preschool
Exploring the life cycle of a pumpkin by Teach Preschool
Gardening with kids: seed to plant in a clear cup by Putti’s World