1-2-3 Come Do Some Butterfly Activities With Me 

After spring break we started our butterfly studies.  It was always one of my students' favorite themes because I ordered real butterfly eggs. 

My kiddos could see first hand how they hatched into caterpillars, ate almost all of their food, formed a chrysalis, then in 14 days morphed into 5 painted lady butterflies! 

To study the amazing life cycle of a butterfly, I designed a variety of activities to reinforce and practice this science standard.  Today's blog features 4 of our favorites. 

First up is a quick, easy and fun, "print & go" craftivity, which is a butterfly-shaped, flip-the-flap booklet.  

I’ve included full-color patterns so you can quickly & easily make a sample to share, as well as black & white so children can make their own.

Simply run off the whole butterfly template on a variety of colors of construction paper.  There are 2-on-a-page to conserve paper and make the booklet “just the right size” for children.

Run off the “wing pages” on white copy paper. Children trim, fold the wings up, gluing just the thorax “tab” to the thorax of the base butterfly.

When everyone is done, read the booklet as a whole group to review concepts of print, and solidify the butterfly's life cycle in children’s minds, so that they are able to share this bit of science with their family. 

Another favorite is the life cycle "slider" butterfly craftivity.  

The packet includes 3 realistic butterfly patterns, with more realistic graphics for the life cycle "slider", as well as 12 simpler butterfly patterns, which younger students will enjoy coloring.

The life cycle slider for those, has simpler graphics as well.

I've included full color slider options, so you can quickly and easily make an example to share, as well as 2 black line versions so your students can color their own.

When everyone is done, review the life cycle orally, then have students write the various stages on their "Here's What Happened" worksheet, which is a great way to practice ordinal numbers, transitions and sequencing. 

I just finished a jumbo packet, with a large variety of activities for learning & practicing the life cycle of a butterfly.  

Choose which one is appropriate for your kiddos, or give them a choice. They are different enough so that you can do several: one to introduce your lesson, another to reinforce it.

You could also do one in class and tuck another in their backpacks for homework.

The packet includes:
* A Life Cycle of the Butterfly Wheel, which comes in full color so you can explain the science, then use as an independent center. There’s also one in black and white, so that students can make their own.

There are several options to choose from depending on the age and ability of your students.

* For a center, there’s a Life Cycle of the Butterfly, “puzzle pie”; as well as…

* A Life Cycle of the Butterfly worksheet -poster, with 4 options, plus 2 completed teacher samples you can use to explain what you want your students to do, or leave in your center, so students can self-check their work.

Completed projects make a sweet bulletin board. I’ve included a poster for the center of your display.

* I’ve also included two life cycle “Itty Bitty” booklets, which students trace, write, color, cut & collate; plus …

* A butterfly shaped life cycle worksheet, with 3 options.

* 8 photograph-posters of real butterflies in the various stages of their life cycle, make a nice bulletin board as well. Use them to explain the butterfly’s life cycle.

* There are 3 different sets of sequencing cards for the butterfly’s life cycle.
They come in color as well as black & white.

Use them for sequencing, centers and a variety of games, which are explained in the packet. There's a . . .

* Set of ten, 2-on-a-page, life cycle posters. Use them for a bulletin board, center, or flashcards. Make an extra set, cut them in half and make puzzles, plus a

* Set of 9, pocket chart vocabulary cards; and ...

* A life cycle of the butterfly bookmark, which students can keep in their writing journal, or they can use to help explain what they learned; and finally...

* A mini certificate of praise. 

I had a request for just the butterfly life cycle wheel, so I made a separate packet, featuring two; one with more realistic graphics, which has 10 "pie slices", as well as a simpler, 6-piece wheel, similar to the one in the larger packet, with more cutesy graphics for younger kiddos.  

To reinforce the lesson, I've also included a worksheet for students to explain the various stages, which will practice ordinal numbers, transitions, and sequencing factual information. 

Click on the link to take a closer look at these: Life Cycle Of A Butterfly Story Wheels.

Finally, because my kiddos absolutely love Eric Carle's story, "The Very Hungry Caterpillar", I designed a life cycle of the butterfly caterpillar craft.

For one of the caterpillars, students trace and write the words and then color, cut and glue the realistic graphics to the appropriate "body segments".

An easier version, includes cute clip art right on the circles, skipping the "cut & glue" steps.

I've included a full-color "teacher's version" of this caterpillar, so that you can quickly and easily make a sample to share. There are 4 head options as well.

Wiggle eyes, a tiny white pom pom for the egg, plus a pipe cleaner folded into a V, then taped to the back of the caterpillar's head as antennae, all add that 3D bit of pizzazz.

Folding the wings of an extra butterfly up, then gluing just the thorax to the bottom butterfly, also adds the finishing touch "Wow! factor".  Completed projects make a wonderful spring bulletin board. 

Today's FREEBIE, also features The Very Hungry Caterpillar.  Since "parts of a book" are one of my standards, I designed a labeled poster you can use as an anchor chart. 

I turned the matching worksheet into a bit of a craftivity, as children use their fingerprints to make the caterpillar on the cover.  Click on the link to grab your free copy: The Very Hungry Caterpillar Parts Of A Book.

Well that's it for today. Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you found something useful to add a bit of excitement to your spring lessons.

It's hard for me to get into the "spring of things" when it's snowing outside right now! I guess "global warming" has not yet arrived in Michigan. 

Wishing you a supercalafragalisticexpeallidocious day. 

"Advice is like snow - the softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon, and the deeper it sinks into the mind." - Samuel Taylor Coleridge