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Thursday, April 11, 2024

The Life Cycle of the Butterfly

Everything You Need to Teach the Life Cycle of the Butterfly
Everything You Need to Teach the Life Cycle of the Butterfly


Spring is a great time to study butterflies.  Butterflies are pretty, and most children (and adults) love to watch them flutter around.  Warmer spring weather means getting outside to enjoy everything that makes spring so awesome - sunshine, birds, blue skies, boat rides on the lake, hiking trails, riding bikes, and watching butterflies.  Somewhere around April, we begin to see caterpillars crawling around outside.  Some children might not understand that caterpillars become butterflies.  Spring is an excellent time to teach children the butterfly's life cycle.

The Life Cycle of the Butterfly

Adult butterflies lay eggs on plant leaves in the spring, summer, and fall.  After the butterfly lays its eggs, it takes about four days for the eggs to hatch into caterpillars.  The plant leaves become food for the hatching caterpillars.   The caterpillars will crawl around and eat plant leaves for about two weeks.  Then, they are ready to spin a chrysalis, also called a pupa or a cocoon.  The chrysalis is a protective covering for the changing caterpillar.  In the wild, a caterpillar will crawl off the plant leaves to find a place to spin its chrysalis so it won't be seen by a predator, an animal that might eat the caterpillar inside while it is inside its chrysalis.  Suppose you are watching the life cycle of a butterfly in your home.  In that case, you might watch through a netted caterpillar habitat like this one.

The Life Cycle of the Butterfly Mesh Caterpillar Habitat
This mesh caterpillar habitat is available here.

Inside the netted habitat, the caterpillar climbs to the top when it is ready to spin its chrysalis. When it reaches the top, it spins a wad of silk. The caterpillar hangs upside down from the wad of silk for about 18 hours before spinning the chrysalis. The caterpillar spends about ten days inside the chrysalis. Then, a beautiful butterfly emerges.

Here is a short video explaining the changes that occur during the butterfly's life cycle.

 

You'll want to gather various materials to teach children the butterfly's life cycle successfully. 

Materials Needed to Teach the Life Cycle of the Butterfly


I highly suggest the mesh habitat above.  I've used this several times and the kids have always loved it!

As a token of my appreciation for being part of my email list, I'm offering you a FREE Butterfly Life Cycle Journal. This interactive tool will not only reinforce the facts you teach about the butterfly life cycle but also inspire your students or children to explore the world of butterflies. It's a perfect companion to the mesh habitat, should you decide to get one. Don't miss out, get your free journal by signing up for email updates here.

Get a free Butterfly Life Cycle Journal when you sign up for email updates!
Take me to my free Butterfly Life Cycle Journal


I have printable activities in my Etsy shop for only $5.00.  You can print out as many copies as you need for your classroom or homeschool, but please refrain from sharing with others in physical or digital forms.  Please note the copyright information on the copyright page in the file.  If you use an activity from my Etsy shop, please direct others outside of your classroom or homeschool back to my Etsy listings so that they can purchase their own copies.

If you want a complete week-long butterfly life cycle unit, I've got you covered.  I've done most of the work for you.   The Life Cycle of the Butterfly: A One Week Unit of Study for Kids is new in my Amazon author store.  In this unit, you will find an overall objective for the week, daily objectives, daily lesson ideas, and plans, links to sites where you can learn all about the subjects you will cover, daily activities, and links for gathering all the needed supplies.  My butterfly week-long unit and other publications are here on my Amazon Author Page.  You might want to check out my Butterfly Coloring Book while you're there.

More Suggestions for Your Study on The Life Cycle of the Butterfly


The Life Cycle of the Butterfly Activity Packet 1
The Life Cycle of the Butterfly Activity Packet 1 is available here.



Here are a few books for teaching this unit.


The Life Cycles of Butterflies - a book.
The Life Cycles of Butterflies is available here.

A Butterfly's Life Cycle, Book
A Butterfly's Life Cycle is available here.

The Life Cycle of a Butterfly, Book
The Life Cycle of a Butterfly is available here.


Here are several hands-on manipulatives and toys for teaching the life cycle of the butterfly.


Butterfly Life Cycle Toy Kit
This Butterfly Life Cycle Toy Kit is available here.

Insect Caterpillar to Butterfly Kit, 
Ladybug, Bee, Tadpole to Frog Kit 
Life Cycle Toys for Kids, 
Preschool Learning Activities for Age 3 4 5 6 7 8
Montessori Life Cycle Learning Education Toy
This learning toy kit is available here.

I love this poster visual that shows the life cycles of the butterfly, the frog, the chicken, the fish, the turtle, the apple, the pea plant, and the dragonfly.

Butterfly Life Cycle Poster
This life cycle poster is available here.

More Fun Butterfly Books for Kids


The Very Hungry Caterpillar 50th Anniversary Edition
The Very Hungry Caterpillar is available here.

Little Caterpillar
Little Caterpillar is available here.

Ten Wriggly, Wiggly Caterpillars
Ten Wriggly, Wiggly Caterpillars is available here.

How Does a Caterpillar Change
How Does a Caterpillar Change is available here.

My, Oh My - A Butterfly!
My, Oh My - A Butterfly! is available here.

Tracking Butterfly Migration

The Mystery of the Monarchs:
How Kids, Teachers, and Butterfly Fans Helped Fred and Norah Urquhart Track the Great Monarch Migration

The Mystery of the Monarchs
The Mystery of the Monarchs is available here.


Craft Supplies for Butterfly Themed Activities


Construction Paper
Construction Paper is available here.

Crayola Markers
This set of Crayola Markers is available here.

Glue Bundle - Liquid Glue and Glue Sticks
This glue bundle is available here.

Fiskars Scissors
These Fiskars Scissors are available here.

Studying the Anatomy of a Butterfly

Magnifying Glasses for Kids
These magnifying glasses are available here.


Butterfly:  External Parts Book
This Butterfly:  External Parts Book is available here.

Modeling Clay
This Air Dry Modeling Clay is available here.

Finger Paint
This finger paint is available here.

Now you should have all you need to teach your kids all about the Life Cycle of the Butterfly.  Your kids are sure to love this study and they'll want to get outside to check it all out in real life!  That's the best part!

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Go live life abundantly,

Tina