symmetrical bugs

This is a cute, one-day lesson I found over at davinciswings.blogspot.com.  I had pinned this lesson months ago and decided since Spring has sprung and the bugs will be out...what better time to do symmetrical bugs?  Also, the 2nd and 3rd graders are working on lines of symmetry.  So, we discussed examples of things around the room and in nature that are symmetrical.  I drew several shapes on the board and the students agreed on which ones were symmetrical and which ones were not.  And, lastly, I showed them examples from Da Vinci's Wings so they could see some student work.  

 (I have no idea why this is in italics, but just go with it...my 'I' button is not working at the moment...)

Here are some examples from 2nd grade: 

Paper Ornaments/Spheres

This is a lesson that I did with my 5th and 6th graders today.  They were SOOOOO excited to begin the project because I had two spheres already made and they look very cool.  But as we were working, they realized just how complicated these are to make.  It takes some patience, but with a little bit of good direction, your students will be making these in no time.  We made the large spheres but if you wanted to conserve paper and call them 'ornaments', then I suggest making the medium or small ones.  All three templates are located on the blog I listed below.  Here are a few tips when working with students:
1.  Use words like 'floor' 'walls' and 'ceiling' and reference constructing a house.  This helps them to understand that the walls need to attach not only to the floor, but also to each other.
2.  When cutting out the shapes and the cutting lines, have the students hold the template on the paper to get a precise cut otherwise the pieces won't attach correctly.
3.  I had them start with 6 pieces and construct the 'floor' and the 5 'walls' first so they got the main idea of the construction.  Then, when they got the hang of it, I gave them the last 6 pieces of paper.
4.  This will take more than one class period to finish.
5.  Good Luck!!

http://howaboutorange.blogspot.com/2011/11/how-to-make-3d-paper-ball-ornaments.html