Panning for Gold

Materials

1. small rocks (found at landscaping stores)
2. gold spray paint
3. aluminum pie pan

Instructions

1. Away from the children, spray paint some of the rocks gold.
2. Talk about mining for gold. Explain how people used to look for gold in creeks by sifting rocks in pans.
3. Encourage the children to sift through rocks in aluminum pie pans to try to find "gold."

Instructions

* Have any of the teachers or parents taken photographs of dragonflies? If so,
have them bring these to class.
What to Do
1. Read one or more of the dragonfly books and discuss the books with the
children. Have any of them seen a dragonfly?
2. Talk about where we see these insects near ponds and other bodies of water.
They are insects and have six legs but they can't walk. Discuss this with the
children.
3. Talk about the differences between a dragonfly and a butterfly.
4. Talk about how dragonflies help us by eating mosquitoes. What should we do
when we see a dragonfly? (Don't try to touch. Just observe.)
5. Show the pictures of various insects to the children. Have them pick out the
pictures of dragonflies.
6. Encourage the children to draw pictures of dragonflies.
Assessment
Consider the following:
* Can the children identify dragonflies?
* Can the children tell which pictures are other insects? (They don't need to
identify the other insects.) What else can they tell you about dragonflies?