A Bright and Breezy Butterfly Bonanza: Raising Butterflies in a Preschool Classroom

Beauteous bugs were bountiful in our classroom over the past few weeks as we raised brilliant Painted Lady butterflies from caterpillars through the process of metamorphosis. The children were buzzing with innocent interest as they watched the caterpillars transform into richly-toned beauties. Each and every step of this scientific process elicited excitement, logical thinking, and questioning about the life cycle of this much admired bug.

Today, was a sad, yet energetic day as these burgeoning butterflies were set alight during a sunny and steaming hot spring day. The children were fascinated to behold the wonder of seeing butterflies enter their new world (the outside) through the simple act of taking flight upon their whiskey, amber-colored and pitch black wings.

As the sunlight shown during this summer-like day, one of our foundling butterflies sat helplessly on my co-teacher's hand as the children waited with bated breath to see it emerge into its backyard oasis.

Unfortunately, the whisper soft beauty did not alight even after repeated attempts to entice it to fly through food and gentle prodding. Even after several hours, the butterfly lazed in our garden in the late afternoon heat.

As sad as it may seem, this is the cruel reality of nature. I hope to see that tomorrow that gentle insect had the courage and the willpower to fly into its azure sanctuary.

To learn more and view a picture of this bewitching bug visit the BioKids Website: http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Vanessa_cardui/

Spring to It: Check Out This Springtime Jam and Other Creative Learning Activities

Spring has sprung and singing and reading is so much fun! Your little ones with twist and shout to the rollicking springtime jam (found in an old Mailbox Magazine)  that will ring in the bounties of springtime glory.

Now It's Spring (Tune: "Up on the Housetop")

Winter is gone and now it's spring
Flowers bloom and robins sing
The sunshine is warm
It's nice and bring
The butterflies are such a pretty sight
Spring, spring, spring
Now it's here
Spring, spring, spring
Lots of cheer
Winter is gone and now it's spring
Let's shout hooray
We're glad it's spring.

Extension of song:

• Use stick puppets to re-enact the song 
• Create a flannelboard or magnetic board, have children make up other signs of spring, or have the children retell the story by blooming like flowers (crouching on the ground, holding arms above their head in a tulip shape and jumping up) or flapping wings like robins/chirping when these verses are sung. 

Book to Read 

Older preschoolers and kindergartners will love the curious young fox in Fletcher and the Springtime Blossoms.

If you would like to use this book with younger preschoolers (who are generally more wiggly and have shorter attention spans) read half of the book during morning circle and the second half during storytime or other large group activity.



For more spring-themed books see my other blog devoted to children's and adult books:

http://pumpupthevolumes.blogspot.com/

Craft to Make 

Hand print Flowers: Paint your children's hands and make have them press down on white paper. Use green construction paper to to make green leaves and stem to glue under flower hand print. Snip vertical lines in horizontal strips to create fringed grass effect using green construction paper.

Subject areas: Fine motor skills, learning new and springtime colors (math), using a unique art medium paint (creative arts) learning about the outward appearance and anatomy of flowers (science: botany).