A few years ago, I found out that the Kindergarten students learn about magnifying glasses and I thought it would be a great way to get them to practice drawing BIG!
I tried a few different things, I found some party favor magnifying glasses that we used to look at different objects. We tried all drawing the same thing as we saw it through a glass that I was demonstrating with on the ELMO. Then one year a teacher brought in a bunch of plastic bugs for them to practice with their glasses on.
Ever since we have drawn bugs for this project and it has been a lot of fun. Before we start we talk about what a magnifying glass is and what it does. Then we read a book about different types of bugs. This year I played the book “Bugs Bugs Bugs” on Tumblebooks. I like that one because at the end it has a chart that lays out different characteristics of each type of bug mentioned.
We use one large template to get their circles started but after that everything else they draw completely on their own. The students can draw a bug they have seen or make one up as long as it fills up their magnifying glass. This year we colored them with watercolor crayons and then brushed them with water after. The kiddos love that little extra bit of “magic” created when you add the water!
