The Bug Project

I made this little bug book for Ms. Crazy Preschooler a few weeks ago. Whenever she sees an interesting bug she draws a picture of it and we practice sounding the bug’s name out and writing it on the lines under the picture box. If it is a small bug word, like “bee” or “fly” or “spider” she writes the word herself with help. If it is a long word like “mosquito” I write it down to avoid comprehensive frustration. I was so excited last Saturday because she was out playing in the garage and came racing into the house to tell me about the caterpillar she had found. “I even stepped on it so it wouldn’t go anywhere so you could see too, Mama!”

We went out to the garage. I was feeling a big squeamish that she might have squashed a nice little caterpillar, but it turned out to be an ugly brown centipede. Ms. Crazy Preschooler asked if we could record it in the bug book RIGHT AWAY, and I said, “Sure!” I was excited that this writing project had become an authentic writing experience, just like early childhood writing should be. So we went inside, and she drew a fantastic centipede, I think.