Butterflies...another tradition!

Every year for the past three years I've ordered caterpillars and we've enjoyed watching them turn into beautiful butterflies. Such a neat experience for the kids and a great learning activity! We always order from Insect Lore and have been super pleased with everything. You get a cup of about 5 caterpillars complete with food for them. After a few days the caterpillars make their way to the top of the lid and form chrysalises. After a couple of days you tape the paper holding the chrysalises to the inside of the butterfly habitat. Did you know that the cocoons will shake if the feel threatened? It's their way to protect themselves in nature. Pretty cool. Anyway, a few days later they emerge as butterflies. We feed our butterflies sugar water (use the included dropper and place water on fresh flower petals), and orange slices. After about 4 days we release our butterflies.

Here they are as chrysalises

Beautiful butterfly!

The girls posing with the butterflies.

Emerson did not want to take a picture. Oh well!



Our (nonfiction) butterfly/bug books. And of course we read The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Our sequence cards had a butterfly set that the girls enjoyed putting in order.

Our props to tell the story of how a caterpillar changes. The girls loved this!

 

Putting the caterpillar in the cocoon.

 

Finley pointing to the picture of the caterpillar egg. Love this book.

Drawing her caterpillar with "lots of legs."

Rowynn's book.

Finley's book.

Love her butterfly drawing.

Their butterfly books with the butterflies.

The life cycle of a caterpillar using rice and pasta!

 

Getting ready to say goodbye :)

Watching the butterflies fly away.