Overview: This activity is a follow-up to the story The Very Lonely Firefly. It is a fun way to display fireflies in your classroom. This mural is so sweet it will surely "light up" the hearts of you and your kids!
Recommended Grade Level: Preschool, Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, First
Materials:
- Firefly Printable
- Crayons, markers, or paints (+brushes and smocks)
- glue sticks
- scissors (1 per child)
- hand-held hole punch (1)
- X-Acto knife (1)
- white Christmas lights (1 set)
- 1 tri-fold cardboard display board
- masking tape
- an outlet
- popsicle sticks (1 per child), optional--see below
How to Implement:
Print out the firefly printable. Have each student color or paint, let dry, and cut out. Using the hole punch, punch a hole in each firefly (at the center of the "tail"-where it would glow). Have students glue their fireflies onto the cardboard. Let dry. Use the X-Acto knife to cut holes in the cardboard (not too big, you want each bulb to fit snug in its hole) where the hole is. Once all of the fireflies have been added, add the Christmas lights. The light cord will remain behind the cardboard. Individual light bulbs should be gently pushed through each of the holes. Apply tape to the backside of the cardboard to attach the cord and hold the bulb in place. Stand the cardboard up on a bookshelf, small table, or on the floor in your reading center. You are now ready for the big moment! Make sure you have pre-checked the lights to ensure that they all work. Gather the children, turn off the classroom lights, plug in your Christmas lights, and voila! A beautiful display of fireflies! At that point, children may enjoy listening to the story The Very Lonely Firefly again or to some nighttime in the forest music.
If short on time, print out the firefly printable and distribute it to each child. Allow time for them to color or paint, let dry, and cut out fireflies. Provide a popsicle stick to be glued to the back of the firefly. Students can then fly their fireflies while retelling the story.
