Outdoor Nature Hour...Crickets

We started the cricket study the day we were visiting my grandmother.  She always has lots of crickets around her well house and under the pine straw around her pine trees.

Here are the boys looking for crickets under the pine straw.  We found several large crickets.

There was a butterfly bush near the pine trees.  She had raked the pine straw around it and we heard crickets chirping.  The boys were able to follow the sounds of the cricket and find one under the bush, but it hopped away just as they were trying to catch it.

listening for crickets

 

We finished the cricket study at home the next day.  The boys enjoyed listening to and watching the cricket play his song.

Instead of drawing a cricket, which I thought might be too frustrating for little hands, I printed off a cricket and they boys colored the cricket and labeled the parts.

 Boo's cricket...5 years old

Bo's cricket...6 years old

 

LouLou's cricket ended up cut into tiny pieces with the scissors;-)