Saturday, June 13, 2009

Tying up Life Cycle Saturday ... Finally!

I've been trying to "tie up" Life Cycle Saturday for over a month now! So, here are the last two reviews I had planned! Pumpkins and butterflies!

Swinburne, Stephen.
A Butterfly Grows.
2009.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.


This is a very simple text that would be ideal for young children, pre-school through 1st grade! It's nice because the youngest children will gain a basic understanding of the butterfly life cycle through the simple language being read to them. For older children (1st graders), the book is geared toward beginning readers - the language is simple and quite predictable when using the photos as context clues!

I will definitely keep this one with my other butterfly books for use in a classroom!

Lesson Plans/Worksheets:
Other Butterfly and Butterfly Life Cycle Books:
AND!!!!... For Some Great Summertime Fun!
(I was fortunate enough to land a long term sub position in a 3rd grade classroom and we used the Certificate for Live Butterfly Garden during the Butterfly Unit... Out of about 30 we received, I'd say we hatched 25! The students loved it!)

Nelson, Robin.
Life Cycles: Pumpkins.
2009.
Lerner Publishing.

It's not too late to start a small pumpkin patch of your own for this fall! Why not turn it into a summer of learning about the pumpkin life cycle? Although this book is a bit pricey at the time (currently available in library binding), it's definitely worth the investment (or maybe your local library has a copy available to be checked out)!

As one of a whole slew of plant life cycle books, this is no less disappointing than Apple Trees, Dandelions, Strawberries, Sunflowers or Tomatoes! It is very simple, yet accurately describes the life cycle of pumpkins: roots -> sprout -> seedling -> leaves -> vines -> buds -> flowers -> pumpkins starting to grow -> flowers falling off -> pumpkins turning to orange and the seeds located inside -> seeds being eaten by animals/people or being planted as a new crop of pumpkins!

Lesson Plans/Worksheets:
Other Pumpkin and Pumpkin Life Cycle Books:
Fun Summertime Activities:
Other GREAT life cycle books for teaching children:
If you're interested in finding out more information about any of the books reviewed or if you'd like to purchase the books, click the cover image for a link to Amazon.com.

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