DEVELOPMENTAL DOMAIN CONCEPT MAP

PHYSICAL: Fine Motor CREATIVE / AESTHETIC PHYSICAL: Gross Motor

- Life Cycle Necklace - Life cycle necklace - Frog Jump Activity
- I’m a Little Bean Song (Actions)
- Frog Using Lollies - Bean Seed Mosaic
- Life Cycle Book - Paper Plate Frog
- Cut and Paste Activity

Concept: Life cycles Term: 2 Weeks: 1-5

COGNITIVE / LANGUAGE
PERSONAL / SOCIAL / - Static electricity butterfly SPIRITUAL / MORAL
EMOTIONAL - Caterpillar of butterfly with balloons
- Reading books: The Very Hungry
Caterpillar and Tiny Seed by Eric
- Water play
- Observation of the life cycle of a frog Carle
- Play dough - The Magic School Bus Episode on
- Planting Bean Seeds to Welcome
- Pasta Sensory Play Ants
Spring - I’m a Little Bean Song (Singing)
- Kinetic Sand
- Life Cycle Book - Observing the Lifecycle of a
- Bean Seed Exploration Butterfly
-
 Centre: Play Dough Mats (Creative): Explicit / Intentional Teaching: Centre: Pasta Sensory Play (Personal, Social,
Play dough will be provided at this centre to allow students to Life cycle of a butterfly Emotional)
create different parts of the butterfly’s life cycle. Play dough Mat session/Introduction: A tub will be filled with a range of different shaped &
mats are provided to assist students with this. Natural The session will commence by the educator reading coloured pasta. These will represent the different stages
materials (e.g. leaves, sticks, flowers) are incorporated into “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle. eg. the butterfly, caterpillar, egg and cocoon in the life
this centre as well. Key questions will be asked after the book has been cycle. This centre encourages children to freely explore
read and identify what each pasta shape represents in relation to
e.g. Where do you think butterflies come from?
the life cycle. Natural materials will also be incorporated
What came out of the little egg?
What did the caterpillar become at the end?
to help children connect the life cycle to their natural
world.
Conclusion:
Centre: Life Cycle Necklace (Fine Motor & To conclude this session students will discuss the
Centre: Static Electricity Butterfly (Cognitive):
Cognitive) necklaces they made, the discoveries from the Tissue paper in the shape pf a butterfly will be stuck onto
String, straws, cut out leaves, labels and pasta will be set out investigation table, drawings they drew. cardboard. A blown-up balloon will then be used to rub on
at this centre in small tubs to allow students to thread the Students will be asked the following focus questions: the child’s head and then hover it over the tissue paper wings.
leaves onto necklace and label each leaf in order to represent  How does a caterpillar become a butterfly? The static electricity will cause the tissue paper wings to rise
each stage within the lifecycle of a butterfly. Educators will  What happens after a caterpillar goes into a
off the cardboard.
be present at this station to provide assistance.
cocoon?

Centre: Observing the Life Cycle of a Butterfly Objective/s: Centre: Caterpillar to Butterfly Experiment
The educator will purchase a caterpillar that will allow  Describes the changes in a caterpillar’s life A balloon, plastic bottle, vinegar and baking soda will be
students to investigate the life cycle. Pen and paper, cycle from a caterpillar to a butterfly. used to represent the change from a caterpillar to a butterfly.
magnifying glasses and natural materials will be provided to One side of the balloon will have a drawn butterfly and the
allow students to communicate and visualise the constant  Manipulate objects used to represent the other side a caterpillar. The life cycle of will be verbally
changes occurring. lifecycle of a butterfly and verbally explained to the students by the educator as the experiment is
describe what they are representing. being carried out. The balloon will expand due to the
chemical reaction of the baking soda and vinegar, as this
happens the educator will twist the balloon around revealing
the butterfly pained on the balloon.

Assessment & Recording: (What are we assessing? How are we assessing? How are we recording?)
The traffic light system will be used as an informal assessment strategy. This traffic light system will assess student’s ability to:
 Describes the changes in a caterpillar’s life cycle from a caterpillar to a butterfly.
 Manipulate objects used to represent the lifecycle of a butterfly and verbally describe what they are representing.

This traffic light system will be recorded on MOP Buckets in reference to each student. Either a green, yellow or red dot will be placed next to each student’s
name depending on their capabilities. Notes regarding student’s overall engagement in the task will also be recorded.

Highlight one or two outcomes specifically connected to your objective/s.

Centre: Planting Bean Seeds to Welcome Spring Explicit / Intentional Teaching: Centre: Bean Seed Journal
(Cognitive & Fine Motor) Life Cycle of a Bean The Bean Plant Journal will be a book is used to learn about
Soak some dry beans for 6-8 hours at room temperature. Mat session/Introduction: Read Jasper’s Beanstalk by the stages of growth. Students will draw what they see as
Once they have softened, allow one to each child to split them Nick Butterworth. Discuss with children good times for the bean progresses through its life cycle. Allow students to
open. Invite students to remove the seed case, split in half watering plants. Introduce Terminology: Soil, Stem, colour and draw what they see over the weeks. Students will
and search for the parts of the plant on the inside. Include Roots, Water, Bean, Seed. be asked focus questions in relation to what they are
Students will be explore the centres as teacher’s and
magnifying glasses and jumbo tweezers for children to drawing, what they can see, what do they think will happen
EA’s supervise on stations that require more assistance.
explore the different parts of the seeds. next.

Conclusion:
Centre: Bean Seed Explorations (Sensory)
To conclude the lesson, invite the students to come and
Centre: Felt Boards
Put out some dried beans for students to explore. Students can sing the “I’m a little bean song” acting out the actions The Felt boards are smooth and layered to enable to students
use these sorting, counting, measuring. Ensure there are for each line. (Gross Motor) to distinguish more easily the seeds and plant life cycles.
different cups, tubs and hands on sorting utensils for students Students will be given the life cycle of a bean on felt boards
to engage in sensory play. and will be encouraged to arrange them into how they think
the life cycle of a bean occurs.

After this, get invite the students to discuss which

activity they enjoyed the most and what explain
what is one thing they think bean’s need to grow.
Centre: Bean Seed Mosaic (Creative) Objective/s: Centre: The Seed Sprouting Jar
Students will be given templates to create their own The children will stuff the clear container with cotton balls.
Bean seed mosaics. This encourages creativity are and is  Identify the stages within a lifecycle of a The students will place dried beans around the edges of the
great strengthening those fine motor muscles. bean through sorting, drawing and cup. Finally, add just enough water to moisten the cotton
discussing. balls. Children will enjoy watering their seeds with a
 Explore the parts of a bean using fine motor misting bottle (Fine Motor). Invite the students to observe
skills to split, and manipulate the physical the beans every day and explain their observations and
beans.
changes they can see.
 Create bean seed mosaics using different
types, sizes and coloured beans.

Assessment & Recording: (What are we assessing? How are we assessing? How are we recording?)
The traffic light system will be used as an informal assessment strategy. This traffic light system will assess student’s ability to:
Identify the stages within a lifecycle of a bean through sorting, drawing and discussing.
Explore the parts of a bean using fine motor skills to split, and manipulate the physical beans.
Create bean seed mosaics using different types, sizes and coloured beans.

This traffic light system will be recorded on MOP Buckets in reference to each student. Either a green, yellow or red dot will be placed next to each student’s name depending on
their capabilities. Notes regarding student’s overall engagement in the task will also be recorded.

Highlight one or two outcomes specifically connected to your objective/s.

Centre: Frog Lifecycle using lollies (Fine Explicit / Intentional Teaching: Centre: Frog life cycle sensory bin (Water play
Motor) Lifecycle of a Frog: & Sensory Play)
Students will use a pained paper plate that has been Mat session/Introduction: Students will commence the session by watching The life cycle of a frog for kids bin uses water beads
divided into four sections and create their frogs out of the following clip outlining the lifecycle of a frog. (which resemble frog eggs) and frog life cycle figures.
lollies to place onto their lifecycle of a frog template. https://www.youtube.com/watch? Fill a tub with water, water beads, plastic frogs, lily
An educator will label each section according to v=MJOSoJNeu54&ab_channel=Cocomelon-NurseryRhymes pads and create tad pole objects to add in. The frogs
students description. Eg. Egg, Tadpole, Froglet, Frog. Discuss with children what they saw in the video. and tadpoles can swim around in the water beads,
Students will be given the creative freedom to create Introduce the terminology – frogs, tadpoles, eggs. providing a satisfying sensory experience for the
their frogs out of the lollies provided. children.

Conclusion:
Centre: Paper Plate Frog To conclude the session students will all line up and jump from each lily pad
Centre: Jump Frog Activity (Gross Motor
Students will paint the inside of a paper plate red individually stating what stage is on their lily pad. Students will work together Skills)
paint, adding a line around the outside of green. to put these in the correct order before commencing the concluding activity. Children will jump from each lily pad that has a
The green is your frogs' lips. They will then paint representation of each stage within the lifecycle of a
the outside green to represent the frogs body. frog. Children will need to state what is happening on
Once dried student will fold the paper plate in the lily pad they jump on. Eg. Tadpole, Eggs, Froglet,
half and use the cut outs to decorate their frog, Frog.
identifying the legs, eyes, tongue etc.
 Centre: Frog Life Cycle Pom Pom Craft Objective/s: Centre: Frog Life Cycle Play dough activity
(Fine Motor)  Identify the stages within the lifecycle of a frog through; craft, (Fine Motor & Creative)
Students will illustrate the frog life cycle using sensory play and creativity. The children are to create their own versions of the
pom poms and pipe cleaners by making pom stages or try to copy the picture displayed on the page.
 Identify the stages within a lifecycle of a frog through jumping This activity will be open-ended so the decision is up
pom frogs, tadpoles and eggs. The main body of
the frog is made of three big pom poms glued onto lily pads using gross motor skills and explaining verbally to the students. Students will manipulate the
together. Three smaller pom poms make a snout to educators and peers what stage they have landed on. playdough to create their own representations of the
and eye balls. For making a tadpole, open a pom different stages within the lifecycle of a frog.
pom with the edge of scissors, apply glue inside
and insert a felt triangle.

Assessment & Recording: (What are we assessing? How are we assessing? How are we recording?)
The traffic light system will be used as an informal assessment strategy. This traffic light system will assess student’s ability to:
 Identify the stages within the lifecycle of a frog through; craft, sensory play and creativity.
 Identify the stages within a lifecycle of a frog through jumping onto lily pads using gross motor skills and explaining verbally to educators and peers
what stage they have landed on.

This traffic light system will be recorded on MOP Buckets in reference to each student. Either a green, yellow or red dot will be placed next to each student’s
name depending on their capabilities. Notes regarding student’s overall engagement in the task will also be recorded.

Highlight one or two outcomes specifically connected to your objective/s.

Centre: Play Dough (Fine Motor) Explicit / Intentional Centre: Life Cycle Book:
Students will represent the 4 Stages within the life Teaching: Educator will pre-cut out the squares that state the different stages
cycle of an ant using Playdough on a paper plate. through images and words. An educator will about each stage of the
Mat session/Introduction:
Egg, larvae, pupae, and ant. life cycle and with the kids as they coloured the page. Students will
Life Cycle of an Ant:
Commence the lesson by watching a snippet of then help staple the books together.
the Magic School Bus Episode: Bus Gets Ants in
its Pants.
https://amzn.to/33oxYXx
This episode of The Magic School Bus follows
the class into an ant hill where they learn about
the social insects, their different rolls and life
cycle.
Provide students with this simple explanation
about each of the stages to help with your
discussion.
Egg: Ant eggs are oval-shaped. Eggs that are
fertilized produce female ants and those that
aren’t fertilized produce male ants.
Larva: These are worm-like and have no eyes or
legs.
Pupa: The larva forms a cocoon around itself and
during this time the pupa transforms into an ant.
Ant: An ant emerges from the cocoon, this
process can take up to 10 weeks.
Conclusion:
Centre: Ant Lifecycle Craft: (Fine Motor) Conclude the lesson by asking students about the
Centre: Ant Science Experiment
Students will use materials provided to craft the different stages within the lifecycle of an ant. For the ant science experiment, mix together sugar, water, and
different stages within the life cycle of an ant. Ask students to hold up their ant lifecycle crafts food colouring to make a sugar mixture to feed the ants. Then put
To make the ant the children will paint the 3- when asking which stage is which. Eg. Can you drops of the sugar mixture on the floor near the ants. When an ant
section egg carton with brown paint. Once it has hold up the eggs. Etc. did makes it over to the sugar water the kids can look at it through
dried, they can poke pipe cleaners into the head for there magnifying glasses.
antennas and into the body for legs. Students will
have the creative freedom to create the other stages
using the materials supplied.
Centre: Cut and Paste Activity Objective/s: Centre: Ant and Kinetic Sand Bin (Sensory Play)
Students will cut out their own stages of an ant and Students will use Kinetic Sand to create tunnels, hills, mountains etc
glue onto the worksheet provided. Educator will  Identify the different stages within for their plastic ants. This allows for creativity as well as Sensory
assist in ensuring the stages are placed in the the lifecycle of an ant through; Play.
correct order. Students will have the creative
creativity, fine motor skills, sorting.
freedom to use either edicol dye or wind ups to
paint their activity page.  Verbally explain the different stages
while using visual prompts to
display each stage.

Assessment & Recording: (What are we assessing? How are we assessing? How are we recording?)
The traffic light system will be used as an informal assessment strategy. This traffic light system will assess student’s ability to:
 Identify the different stages within the lifecycle of an ant through; creativity, fine motor skills, sorting.
 Verbally explain the different stages while using visual prompts to display each stage.

This traffic light system will be recorded on MOP Buckets in reference to each student. Either a green, yellow or red dot will be placed next to each student’s
name depending on their capabilities. Notes regarding student’s overall engagement in the task will also be recorded.
Highlight one or two outcomes specifically connected to your objective/s.

References:
Campbell, C., & Jobling, W., Howitt, C. (2021). Science in Early Childhood (4th ed.). Melbourne, Victoria: Cambridge University Press.

Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations [DEEWR]. (2009). Belonging, being and becoming: The early years learning framework for
Australia. Canberra, ACT: Commonwealth of Australia

Monopoli, J. (2008). Adventures in Inquiry: Learning About Life Cycles.

Rachel. (2014, Octrober 17). Static electricity butterfly experiment. I heart crafty things. https://iheartcraftythings.com/static-electricity-butterfly-
experiment.html