Grasshoppers and Crickets Study

We’ve been listening to the audio book of On the Banks of Plum Creek. All throughout the book it talks about grasshoppers invading the prairie, destroying all of the wheat crops, and then the eggs hatching later.

We are also doing an Arthropods unit from The Good and The Beautiful this term and the kids had to choose two insects to study for a unit project. They chose grasshoppers and crickets!

So here are the things that I put together to help my kids learn about these amazing little insects.

Books to Read

We find all of our books at the library. I’ve provided Amazon links (ref) to each one we'll be using for your convenience, as well as the library call number.

Becoming a Grasshopper by Grace Hansen - J595.726 Hansen

Grasshoppers by Ann Heinrichs - J595.726 Heinrichs

Leaping Grasshoppers by Meish Goldish - J595.726 Goldish

Zoom in on Grasshoppers by Melissa Stewart - J595.726 Stewart

Chirping Crickets by Melvin Berger - J595.726 Berger

Crickets by Valerie Bodden - J595.726 Bodden

Crickets by Nikki Bruno Clapper - J595.726 Clapper

Coloring Pages

I give the kids a coloring page to work on while I’m reading books aloud. I’ve found that it helps them focus on what they’re hearing.

Color the Lifecycle of a Grasshopper

Lots of Grasshopper coloring pages to choose from at Super Coloring

Online Information & Facts

If you’d rather use online reading instead of books, or along with your physical books, here are some great sites that we’ll be referring to throughout our study.

Cybersleuth Kids - Grasshopper facts and information for kids

Grasshopper Facts for Kids - Grasshopper diet and habitat

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Videos

My kids are very visual learners so we watch a lot of videos.

A variety of Cricket videos at Watch, Know, Learn, and a few grasshopper videos as well.

The Grasshopper and the Ant (YouTube)

Worksheets, Lapbooks & Other Printables

Sometimes we will use worksheets, printable puzzles, lapbooks, etc. to review what we have learned. I’ve found quite a few resources for this study, though we won’t be using all that are listed here. I will play it by ear as we go through the study and use only what I think the kids need.

A fill-in-the-blank worksheet on grasshoppers and crickets

Insect Report packet from Super Teacher Worksheets

Grasshopper Anatomy and a B&W version

Art, Crafts & Other Fun Stuff

My kiddos love to draw and be crafty so I like to incorporate something along those lines into everything that we study. It just makes our learning more fun for them and they retain more!

How to Draw a Cricket for Kids

Origami Cricket (I don’t think this looks a thing like a cricket, but it jumps so the kids might get a kick out of it.)

Cricket craft - make a cricket from a toilet paper roll

Grasshopper craft using an egg carton

Grasshopper craft using pipe cleaners

Several different cricket and grasshopper crafts from Artists Helping Children

Printable grasshopper craft

PreK and K Resources

Though Nerdlet is heading into the 1^st grade next year I still try to use a few fun and easy resources to help keep him interested. He’s so easily distracted that I have to keep him entertained in order to keep him seated! These type resources usually do the trick.

C is for Cricket handwriting sheet

First School G is for Grasshopper - lots of learning ideas and printables here