Fireflies: Twinkling Lights of the Meadow
Ranked #432 in Education, #10,537 overall
Fireflies in a Jar
Have you ever gone out on a summer evening to catch fireflies? The fireflies flit and fly everywhere. Soon you have five and then six. One escapes and then you catch two more. In the morning you let them go.
These wonderful experiences of childhood may be disappearing. With city lights and urban sprawl fireflies may disappear forever.
This firefly unit study contains dozens of firefly related activities, games and projects that make learning about these bright little insects come to life while teaching beginning reading and math skills across the curriculum.
Photo Credit: Fireflies in a Jar
Available on Zazzle
Important!
Firefly Reading
Fireflies turn on their lights to read
Reading about Fireflies
Photo Credit: Lighting Bug on Clkr, Creative Commons.
Photo Credit: Girl Reading, 1888 on Flickr, Creative Commons.
Lay out a green shag rug to make the reading corner look like a meadow. Put some fireflies in a basket near the bookshelf or on the edge of the rug. Put out a basket of small penlight flashlights. Display lots of firefly books. You are now ready for Silent Reading Time.
Ask your little fireflies to each pick out a book, and use their Firefly Flashlight to read. It is not only fun to use the flashlights but it also helps them to focus on the words.
Catch the Firefly Reading Bug
Firefly Bulletin Board
Make a large jar on a bulletin board with a nighttime meadow behind it. Add some fireflies in the distance.
Use firefly shaped paper to write the names of books the children have read and attach them to the jar. As each child adds a firefly ask him or her to tell about the story. Did they learn something new about fireflies? Would they recommend this book to someone else in the class? Why or why not?
Soon your firefly meadow will be filled with fireflies.
Sam the Word Writing Firefly
Fireflies Writing in the Sky
Photo Credit: Firefly Words
on Flickr, Creative Commons
Gus the Owl teaches Sam the Firefly how to write words. After reading this delightful story to your children bring out the yellow crayons and write words on paper. Write words related to fireflies. Write spelling or vocabulary words. Ask the children to choose their favorite words and write them in bold yellow crayon. Then use a black or dark blue watercolor wash to create a night sky behind the bright yellow firefly words.
Sam and the Firefly
Amazon Price: $4.57 (as of 02/17/2012)
Your children will love the classic tale of Sam and the Firefly.
Morning Message for the Firefly Unit Study
Fireflies in the Responsive Classroom
Today is Monday, June 15, 2011
Good Morning Inquisitive Entomologists,
The fireflies are gathering in the tall grasses of the meadow. This evening would be an excellent time to look for their twinkling lights just after it gets dark. Today we will be using firefly flashlights for our Read the Room Activity.
Have a wonderful day,
Mrs. Saenz
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Firefly is made up of two words, fire and fly. Can you think of another compound word?
dragonfly
This is a message that I might post for the Morning Message. We would have studied compound words during the past few days, The question at the bottom is posed to remind the children of the skill we have been learning. The whole theme of the Morning Message is related to the Firefly Unit Study Theme preparing the children for an exciting day learning about lightning bugs.
The Firefly Star: A Hispanic Folk Tale
Will the fireflies ruin Three King's Day?
The camels follow the brightest star in the sky each year on Three Kings' Day riding on Royal Camels. Children in Hispanic Countries leave boxes of grass out for the camels to eat. One year, however, the camels hire fireflies to form a star that leads them in circles.
What will happen on January 6th? Who will save El Dia de los Reyes from the pranks of the fireflies?
- The Firefly Star
- The January 6 Hispanic holiday El Dia de los Reyes, Three Kings' Day, is the special holiday when the Three Kings travel through the sky on their royal camels to bring presents to children. This story about the holiday begins with ...
The Very Lonely Firefly Puppet Theater
The Life Cycle of the Firefly
Firefly Poems and Songs
"Fireflies in Flight" to the tune of "Camptown Races"
Fireflies come out at night.
Blink, blink, blink, blink.
Showing off their little lights
In the summer sky!
Can you see them glow
Flying to and fro?
Fireflies come out at night
In the summer sky!
Fireflies come out at night.Blink, blink, blink, blink.
Showing off their little lights
In the summer sky!
Can you see them glow
Flying to and fro?
Fireflies come out at night
In the summer sky!
Photo Credit: 
Fireflies in Jar by Morrow, Anthony
Available at Allposters
- Going Buggy! @ lilteacher.com
- "Fireflies in Flight" to the tune of "Camptown Races"
Firefly Poetry
Lightning Bug Poems
To A Baby Firefly (Preschool)
Little baby firefly
when your night is through
does your mommy tuck you in
and tell you she loves you?
Does she kiss your forehead
and say in morning's light...
'Day-day little sleepyhead,
close your eyes, put out your light.'
Little baby fireflywhen your night is through
does your mommy tuck you in
and tell you she loves you?
Does she kiss your forehead
and say in morning's light...
'Day-day little sleepyhead,
close your eyes, put out your light.'
Photo Credit: Firefly
on Flickr, Creative Commons.
- To A Baby Firefly by C.J. Heck
- To A Baby Firefly by C.J. Heck
Firefly Flashlights
for Read the Room Activities
Firefly Flashlights can be used for Read the Room Pointers.Use the flashlights to spy words written on charts, posters and Word Walls. The flashlights help the children to focus on the words.
For Spelling practice, use the flashlights to point to the letters on the Alphabet for each word.
Word Wall Practice:
Firefly, firefly, oh so bright,
Shine on a word with your light.
Everyone quickly turns on their flashlight and shines it on the right word.
Firefly Words Independent Learning Center
Unscramble the Insect Words Worksheet
Fireflies are insects. They all have six legs, three body parts, and are invertebrates.
Turn this scrambled word worksheet into a learning center for your Firefly Unit Study.
1. Cut apart each of the sections into cards.
2. Laminate
them for durability.
3. Place each card separately in a Ziplock with the letter tiles needed to form the word.
4. Make this activity self correcting by writing the letters in the correct order on the back of each card.
5. Make copies of the worksheet for children to record their answers.
Turn this scrambled word worksheet into a learning center for your Firefly Unit Study.1. Cut apart each of the sections into cards.
2. Laminate
them for durability.3. Place each card separately in a Ziplock with the letter tiles needed to form the word.
4. Make this activity self correcting by writing the letters in the correct order on the back of each card.
5. Make copies of the worksheet for children to record their answers.
Photo Credit: Unscramble Insect Words
on Enchanted Learning
- Unscramble Insect Words: EnchantedLearning.com
- Unscramble Insect Words: A printout about Insects words for early readers: ant, bee, fly, moth, caterpillar, beetle, butterfly, dragonfly, grasshopper, mosquito.
Important!
Firefly Science
Firefly Science
Have you ever caught flireflies in a jar?
Photo Credit: Fireflies -Owl City- by *HEARTmeHATEme
on Deviant Art
Before you let the fireflies go in the morning take a close look at them.
1. Can you see how many legs they have?2. What do you notice about their wings?
3. Can you tell them apart?
Take a digital picture of each one, name it and tell how each one is different from all the others.
Draw a picture of one of your fireflies and color it in with colored pencils.
Firefly Life Cycle
Life Cycle of the Firefly
Fireflies are sometimes call lightning bugs lay their eggs in damp muddy places where their larva can find food. After emering as adults, flireflies move over to meadows to search for their food.
Food for Fireflies
Are fireflies carnivores, herbavores or omnivores?
When you are out in the meadow catching fireflies on a warm summer evening you might wonder what fireflies eat? Living in a meadow habitat can give us some clues. They are certainly active after dark. Does that give us a clue as to what they eat? Does a firefly's diet change as it metamorphoses?
Firefly Predators
What's eating the fireflies?
Fireflies are most active at night so it is logical to think that bats are eating large quantities of fireflies but according to a study of the Feeding behavior of Little Brown Bats conducted by Fitchburg State University, it was discovered that that was not the case. "Little brown bats primarily fed on soft bodied aquatic insects with Diptera, Trichoptera, and Neuroptera constituting 40% of the total dietary volume" while completely avoiding fireflies.
Firefly Investigation Center
Investigating Fireflies
You can create your own Firefly Investigation Center where children can pull out a magnifying glass, guidebook to insects and a baby food jar with a dead firefly inside to observe. Provide recording sheets for noting your observations. Include a few other insects for comparison. Label the jars on the covers. Consider including a few mystery jars with just numbers on the covers for the children to decide whether or not these specimens are fireflies or not.
The Firefly Drawer
Insect Learning Center Rotation Activity
Label a drawer The Firefly Drawer and use it as part of your literacy rotation activities. Included in the drawer will be:
- Babyfood jars with fireflies and other insects.
- magnifying glass
- guidebook of insects
Make a pocket on the cover of each jar where the name of the insect can be hidden.
Children investigate the insects with the magnifying glasses and then search the guidebooks and charts to find the name of the insect.
- Babyfood jars with fireflies and other insects.
- magnifying glass
- guidebook of insects
Make a pocket on the cover of each jar where the name of the insect can be hidden.
Children investigate the insects with the magnifying glasses and then search the guidebooks and charts to find the name of the insect.
Fireflies in the News!
Are fireflies disappearing?
Fireflies were once abundant in the summer meadows twinkling their lights as evening Now, however, the numbers of fireflies are declining. What is causing the decline in the firefly population? Is it global warming? Is it pollution? Are lightning bugs becoming an endangered species?
- Restoring firefly habitat
- KUALA SELANGOR: Six hundred tree saplings, planted in a bid to restore the habitat of fireflies, earned Selangor and AEON Co (M) Bhd a spot in the Malaysian Book of Records. ?I'm so thankful to the state for acquiring this plot of land once they heard ...
- Fireflies in the Garden
- by Lex Walker Fireflies in the Garden boasts one of the most impressive pedigrees a film could ask for nowadays, and yet the sum of the parts will leave many scratching their heads; both because the film isn't nearly as great as a cast of Willem Dafoe, ...
- Ellesmere Port choir Fireflies to join musical celebration at Chester Amphitheatre
- LADIES choir Fireflies will lend their voices to a one-off musical spectacular taking place in Chester Amphitheatre next month. The Ellesmere Port-based ensemble will join singers, dancers, children and giants to perform an original anthem, ...
Important!
Firefly Math
Count the Fireflies
Photo Credit: Collecting Fireflies Available on Zazzle
For each child you will need a plastic jar and 10 fireflies.
Mathmat: Start with all the fireflies on a dark blue paper above the jar.
1. Ask: How many fireflies are in the jar? (0)
2. Write the number 0 and then the + symbol.
3. Catch a firefly and add it to the jar.
4.Now how many fireflies are in the jar? (1)
5. Finish the number sentence. 0+1=1
Repeat until you have written all the number sentences to 10+0=10.
Make Fireflies: Lay out a bag of dried lima beans. Spray paint them neon green on one side. Use a permanent marker to draw the wings and eyes.
When dry, draw six legs on each and then paint the tail of the fireflies with glow in the dark paint.
Cheap hairspray works well as a fixative.
Skip Counting with Fireflies
Firefly Math
Fireflies or Lightning Bugs fly around on warm summer evenings. You can practice skip counting as a math activity as you catch them in a jar. Skip count the number of legs in your Firefly Jar by 6's or skip count their wings or electras by 2's. Math is fun when it involves such an exciting creature as a Firefly.
For more fun, hands-on skip counting activities visit...
For more fun, hands-on skip counting activities visit...
Important!
Firefly Art
Paint a Night of Fireflies
Hunting Fireflies at Nightfall, 1796-97
Eishi, Hosoda
Buy This Allposters.com
Use glow in the dark paint and Q-tips to make fireflies on a dark blue paper. You might also like to add grass, trees, and bushes with watered down black paint.
In one classroom that I taught in we had a bathroom with no windows. We hung pictures of fireflies on the inside of the door where sunlight could shine on them when no one was in the bathroom but if you went inside and closed the door with the lights off you could see and count them.
Firefly Thumbprint Art
Ed Emberley uses colorful step-by-step drawings show how to turn your thumbprints into all kinds of animals. I find that this is a skill that helps young children illustrate their stories when they are hesitant about drawing.
Thumbprint Fireflies
Firefly Art Projects
How many other ways could you use the firefly theme in your art projects? Have you made a diorama of a summer meadow? Where would the fireflies be? You might make one firefly diorama depicting where the fireflies are in the daytime and another where you would find fireflies at night.
Thumbprint Fireflies
Have the kids make their very own Fireflies using just white paint, metal pipe cleaners and their thumbprints. This is an easy and fun summer craft, suitable for toddlers on up!0 points
Important!
Firefly Social Studies
Fireflies in the News!
Photo Credit: photobucket
Already fireflies have disappeared from many of their native habitats, from the suburbs and neighborhoods around many major metropolitan areas. Some have countered that mosquito spraying and light pollution have been factors contributing to the demise of fireflies.
- Lights out? Experts fear fireflies are dwindling - Yahoo! News
- BAN LOMTUAN, Thailand - Preecha Jiabyu used to take tourists on a rowboat to see the banks of the Mae Klong River aglow with thousands of fireflies.
These days, all he sees are the fluorescent lights of hotels, restaurants and highway overpasses. He says he'd have to row a good two miles to see trees lit up with the magical creatures of his younger days.
The fate of the insects drew more than 100 entomologists and biologists to Thailand's northern city of Chiang Mai last week for an international symposium on the "Diversity and Conservation of Fireflies." - Inside story: How illuminating | The Economist
- FROM fungi to fireflies, fascination with light-producing organisms dates back to ancient times. Aristotle remarked on the phenomenon, known as bioluminescence, in the fourth century BC, observing that unlike the light from a candle, the light from fireflies and glow-worms was not accompanied by heat.
Firefly Magazine
The Rising Firefly magazine deals with topics such as health, philosophy, spirituality and culture. They encourage all people to grow and learn from each other and they promote cultural diversity.
Important!
Firefly Music
Glow Worm Song
Glow Worm Song
A glow worm is a firefly in the larva state.
- HANK THOMPSON - GLOW-WORM LYRICS
Glow-Worm lyrics performed by Hank Thompson
Shine little glow-worm, glimmer, glimmer
Shine little glow-worm, glimmer, glimmer
Lead us lest too far we wander
Love's sweet voice is calling yonder
Shine little glow-worm, glimmer, glimmer
Hey, there don't get dimmer, dimmer
Light the path below, above
And lead us on to love!...
Important!
Fireflies on the Move
Firefly Flashlight Game
- Flashlight Game: Firefly - and More Great Family Fun Game Ideas
- This summer night's game is illuminating kids' play.
In this nocturnal game of chase, a flashing light is the clue to catching an elusive quarry.
WHAT YOU NEED:
3 or more players
A Firefly Flashlight
HOW TO PLAY:
1. Once it's dark, give a chosen player (the firefly) a flashlight and have her head away from the group with the light off, silently counting to 60 as she goes.
2. When the firefly reaches 60, she must flash the light once.
3. The rest of the players then count to 100 before setting out in pursuit of the firefly, who tries to avoid capture by hiding and changing directions.
4. But here's the catch: she must continuously count to 60, flashing the light each time she reaches the end of her count.
5. The first person to tag the firefly takes her place for the next round.
VARIATIONS:
Have the firefly alternate flashing the light with chirping. To find her, the other players will have to listen as well as watch.
The Lightning Bug Poll
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Look who's Twittering about Fireflies:
Insect Lenses
Firefly Literacy Bag
Literacy Bags are filled with books and activities for children to take home and share with their parents. The include a fiction, a non-fiction book, a stuffed animal and a few activities as well as a journal to record the ways in which the child enjoyed the activities and stories.
Important!
Firefly Lapbook
Firefly Lapbook
Life Cycle of the Flirefly
As you learn about fireflies, be sure to create nuggets of information tucked into delightfully shaped fans, pockets and folds. Lapbooks can become family treasures to be read over and over. Here are a couple of ideas for creating your own firefly lapbook.
- Firefly Lapbook
- This free Firefly lapbook includes the firefly circle activity as seen on the right. Turn the wheel as the firefly develops from an egg to larva, form a pupua and then emerges as a firefly.
- The Grouchy Ladybug Lapbook
- The Grouchy Ladybug Lapbook created by Linda Rose
Stone Stoup Homeschooling Online Unit Study Directory
Fireflies: Twinkling Lights of the Meadow is in the Stone Stoup Homeschooling Online Unit Study Directory
Thank you to the Four Wheelers for having included the Fireflies: Twinkling Lights of the Meadow in their directory. This directory has now been passed on to Stone Soup Homeschooling.
- Unit Studies: Stone Soup Homeschool Network - Stone Soup Homeschool Network
- Stone Soup Homeschool Network We are very excited to be entrusted with this rather comprehensive Unit Study Database. It was started many years ago, and maintained for the last decade by the Wheelers
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When was the last time you saw fireflies or lightning bugs? Who were you with and what did you do?
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CDClocks
Dec 13, 2011 @ 11:15 pm | delete
- As a southerner, I can't imagine NOT seeing lightening bugs in the yard, the woods, the fields... Shoot. They're even in the suburbs. ;-)
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WriterJanis
Nov 12, 2011 @ 2:43 am | delete
- I've never seen a firefly, but would like to.
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Cinnamonbite
Oct 5, 2011 @ 9:56 am | delete
- I miss fireflies. We hardly have them in Florida.
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poutine
Aug 31, 2011 @ 10:40 am | delete
- Another excellent lens Evelyn.
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1000-online-games
Aug 29, 2011 @ 7:59 pm | delete
- Nice job. I was searching for information as we have these every night here in Maine. Good info
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Heather426
Aug 13, 2011 @ 3:00 pm | delete
- Love fireflies, love the lens. I haven't seen a firefly in a very long time as I don't think we have them here in California, but we used to catch them in Texas all the time.
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stargazer00
Aug 11, 2011 @ 10:36 pm | delete
- This Iowa girl misses lightning bugs now that she lives on the west coast.
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Light-in-me
Aug 11, 2011 @ 9:49 pm | delete
- We called them lightening bugs when I was a child also. I used to love catching them or just sitiing there watching them.
Nice job, great info here.
Robin :)
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efriedman
Jul 17, 2011 @ 4:28 pm | delete
- In east Texas there were lots of fireflies (we called them lightening bugs) but they are on the decline I hear. Out west (California) we don't have fireflies. I miss them. I loved the pretty, small green ones I saw in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
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Donnette
Jul 12, 2011 @ 7:06 am | delete
- Hello E - this as usual is absolutely gorgeous! :) I am going to include this lens on my new lens http://www.squidoo.com/all-about-bugs all-about-bugs
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phoenix-arizona-friends
Jul 1, 2011 @ 2:18 pm | delete
- Cool lens.
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Harshitha
Jul 1, 2011 @ 3:25 am | delete
- I saw a firefly last week. It was all dark, and I could see see a glow in our garden. I tried to go near the bug and it just went off! Never saw it again.
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Runnn
Jun 28, 2011 @ 7:50 am | delete
- It was amazing to see fireflies. Like in a fairy-tale land.
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darciefrench
Jun 22, 2011 @ 10:45 pm | delete
- You know... I have never seen a firefly in real life! Is that odd? Love this lens, your teaching lenses are priceless. Such a fun way to learn. Many thanks for all the hard work you put into your pages. Just lovely.
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efriedman
May 29, 2011 @ 1:01 pm | delete
- Evelyn, another fun lens on a great topic. I love fireflies and no doubt so do the children who will be taught with this material.
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Ruthi
May 12, 2011 @ 12:50 pm | delete
- Love this lens and it brought back fond memories of lightning bugs all summer long! Have you seen that commercial on TV where the gal and her grandson walk up the hill in the twilight and release the fireflies into the night and they all fly up and mingle with the twinkling stars? I can't recall the product...
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akumar46
May 12, 2011 @ 12:20 pm | delete
- They look very beautiful at night.
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TeamSTM
Apr 25, 2011 @ 8:15 am | delete
- I used to love catching Fireflies as a Kid, thanks for sharing this Lens!! :)
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Wedding_Mom
Apr 22, 2011 @ 6:20 am | delete
- What a wonderful way to appreciate God's work of art! This lens is just awesome. I haven't seen fireflies in almost a decade but you've help me remember how beautiful they are. this is an amazing job!
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sushilkin Apr 21, 2011 @ 11:04 am | delete
- Such a nice lens. Thanks for Sharing !!
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About the Author
Fireflies in the Kingdom of Squid
Fireflies on Wizzley?
Congratulations! This lens is included in the Best Review - Top 3 Insect Unit Studies
Come write about your experiences learning and teaching about fireflies and lightning bus on Wizzley, a fun and easy place to express your opinion:
by Evelyn_Saenz
Evelyn_Saenz
My passion is teaching and finding ways to teach children in fun, hands-on, creative ways. The unit studies I make on Squidoo reflect my view that learning... more »
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