LEARN ABOUT BUTTERFLIES DAY

I bet you didn't know that March 14 was LEARN ABOUT BUTTERFLIES DAY. Find out more at: http://allthingsbutterflies.com


No matter how old you get, the life cycle of a butterfly will always be nature's magic! There are so many learning opportunities from caterpillars and butterflies: comparing and contrasting fiction and non-fiction books, saying finger plays, writing books about the life cycle, art projects, dramatizations... Let's get started with a song.

Butterflies
(Tune: Up on the Housetop)
First comes the butterfly (Hook thumbs and flutter fingers.)
Who lays an egg.
Out comes a caterpillar (Wiggle index finger.)
With many legs.
Then the caterpillar
Spins and spins (Roll hands around.)
A little chrysalis
To sleep in. (Place head on hands.)
Oh, oh, oh! (Fingers around eyes.)
Look and see.
Oh, oh, oh!
Look and see.
Out of the chrysalis, (Hook thumbs and flutter fingers.)
My, oh, my!
Out comes a (Move butterfly fingers all around.)
Beautiful butterfly!

Here's a video my webmaster made with photographs of the life cycle:
http://bit.ly/drjeanCaterpillar

Here's a video with illustrations:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=In_akp9Fxbc


Drama
Let children act out the life cycle of a butterfly. First, they lay on the floor in a ball. Next, they crawl around like caterpillars. Can they spin around and make a chrysalis? Finally, they can spread their wings and FLY!

Baggie Butterfly
Make a butterfly by tearing up little pieces of colored tissue paper and putting them in a zip lunch bag. Gather up in the middle and twist on a pipe cleaner to make the body and antennae. Attach a string for flying.

Smoosh Painting
Cut butterfly shapes out of newsprint. Fold in half. Let children drop paint with a spoon or eye dropper on one half. Fold and rub. Open to view your butterfly.



Life Cycle Flip Book
Make a flip book for the children to illustrate the life cycle of the butterfly.

Tell the lifecycle of the butterfly with a stick, a bean, and pasta. First, take children on a nature walk and ask them to find a stick that is as long as their arm from their wrist to their elbow. Glue the bean to the left of the stick for the egg. Next comes a spiral pasta for the caterpillar. Then a shell pasta for the chrysalis. Finally, a bow shaped pasta for the butterfly.

CARTOON TIME

What child doesn’t like cartoons? And what child wouldn’t be thrilled to have the opportunity to create their own cartoon? 

Save your funny papers from the Sunday newspaper and take them to share with your class. (All of them will not be appropriate, so select the ones you think your children will enjoy.) Explain how cartoonists use “bubbles” to let you know what the characters are saying. Tell the children that they will get to draw their own cartoons and they can use bubbles to let their characters talk.

We provided a link to download cartoon frames with 2, 3, and 4 sections. Click image above or text link below. Start off by giving them copies of the cartoon frame with 2 sections. Tell them to think of a story that has a beginning and an end and draw it.

Next, let them think of a story with a beginning, middle, and end.

Finally, challenge them to create a story with 4 sections.

*Use cartoon frames to recall the sequence of a story.

*Use cartoon frames for the life cycle of a butterfly, the water cycle, plant growth, and so forth.

*Let them draw a picture of you and make a bubble with something you frequently say coming out of your mouth. You might be surprised!!!!

                                       

Here's a link so you can download the blank cartoon frames:

Click to go to page on drjean.org with download link

Cartoons That Move
Would you like to learn how to make cartoons that move? It’s easy peasy, but you’ll surely impress your students (and parents) when you teach them how to do this.

Hint! I would demonstrate this with kindergarteners, but the primary grade children could do this with some guidance.

Materials: white copy paper, stapler, black pen or pencil

Directions:

1. Fold the paper into fourths and cut on the creased lines.

2. Take two sheets and staple them at the top.

3. Lift the top layer and draw a simple shape on the bottom. Keep your drawing on the bottom half of the page.

                

4. Now, place the top sheet over the bottom and trace over the lines. Vary one or two features, such as arms, ears, mouth, etc.

5. Take a pencil and roll the top sheet up around the pencil.

6. Quickly move the pencil up and down to bring life to your cartoon. Waalaa!

*Connect this activity to literature, science themes, or social studies.

OH, OH, OH LOOK AND SEE!

The Butterfly 

(Tune: “Up on the Housetop”)
First comes the butterfly who lays an egg. (Clasp thumbs and wiggle fingers.)
Out comes a caterpillar with many legs. (Wiggle index finger.)
Oh, see the caterpillar spin and spin, (Roll hands.)
A little chrysalis to sleep in. (Insert right index finger in left fist.)
Oh, oh, oh, look and see. (Hands over eyes.)
Oh, oh, oh, look and see.
Out of the chrysalis, my, oh, my,
Out comes a beautiful butterfly. (Clasp thumbs and make butterfly.)

Drama
Let children dramatize this song. Curl up like an egg, wiggle like a caterpillar, twirl around to be a chrysalis and flap arms and fly like a butterfly.


Puppet
Make a butterfly puppet from an old sock. Glue pom poms to the toe of the sock for the eyes and mouth.
Turn the sock inside out and glue a butterfly made out of felt.
Begin the song with your hand in the sock. When the caterpillar spins a chrysalis pull the top of the sock down over the toe. Turn the sock inside out to reveal the butterfly at the end.

Life Cycle
Tell the lifecycle of the butterfly with a stick, a bean, and pasta. First, take children on a nature walk and ask them to find a stick that is as long as their arm from their wrist to their elbow. Glue the bean to the left of the stick for the egg. Next comes a spiral pasta for the caterpillar. Then a shell pasta for the chrysalis. Finally, a bow shaped pasta for the butterfly.

Informative Writing
Let children write factual stories about the life cycle of a butterfly.
*How about a step book or flip book for this activity? 

Life Cycle Snack

VENNS AND TIME LINES

Did you know that John Venn conceived the Venn diagram around 1880 to teach elementary set theory? The Venn remains a useful tool to compare and contrast in our classrooms today.

Children can compare and contrast themselves with a friend. How are they different and how are they alike?

Children can demonstrate primary and secondary colors with Venns.

How about comparing books or characters with a Venn?

Animals (frogs and toads), plants (palm tree and cactus), or foods (apples and oranges) can be explored with Venns.

Letters (curves, lines, lines and curves) can even be sorted with a Venn diagram.

Time Lines
Time Lines are a visual way for children to recall the sequence in a story.

Time lines can be used to illustrate the life cycle of plants and animals.

Children can record the day’s events with a time line or use a time line to organize tasks that they must accomplish at school.

Time lines can also be used for history lessons or as an autobiography.
(What was I like when I was a baby…what am I like now…what will I be when I am grown.)

Hint for Pre-K teachers! Model using these graphic organizers with your students. It will increase their print awareness and be useful (prior knowledge) when used in future grades.

LEARN ABOUT BUTTERFLIES DAY

I bet you didn't know that March 14 was LEARN ABOUT BUTTERFLIES DAY. Find out more at:

http://allthingsbutterflies.com

No matter how old you get, the life cycle of a butterfly will always be nature's magic! There are so many learning opportunities from caterpillars and butterflies: comparing and contrasting fiction and non-fiction books, saying finger plays, writing books about the life cycle, art projects, dramatizations... Let's get started with a song.

Butterflies
(Tune: Up on the Housetop)
First comes the butterfly (Hook thumbs and flutter fingers.)
Who lays an egg.
Out comes a caterpillar (Wiggle index finger.)
With many legs.
Then the caterpillar
Spins and spins (Roll hands around.)
A little chrysalis
To sleep in. (Place head on hands.)
Oh, oh, oh! (Fingers around eyes.)
Look and see.
Oh, oh, oh!
Look and see.
Out of the chrysalis, (Hook thumbs and flutter fingers.)
My, oh, my!
Out comes a (Move butterfly fingers all around.)
Beautiful butterfly!

Here's a video my webmaster made with photographs of the life cycle:
http://bit.ly/drjeanCaterpillar

Here's a video with illustrations:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=In_akp9Fxbc

Drama
Let children act out the life cycle of a butterfly. First, they lay on the floor in a ball. Next, they crawl around like caterpillars. Can they spin around and make a chrysalis? Finally, they can spread their wings and FLY!

Baggie Butterfly
Make a butterfly by tearing up little pieces of colored tissue paper and putting them in a zip lunch bag. Gather up in the middle and twist on a pipe cleaner to make the body and antennae. Attach a string for flying.

Smoosh Painting
Cut butterfly shapes out of newsprint. Fold in half. Let children drop paint with a spoon or eye dropper on one half. Fold and rub. Open to view your butterfly.

Life Cycle Flip Book

Make a flip book for the children to illustrate the life cycle of the butterfly.

Tell the lifecycle of the butterfly with a stick, a bean, and pasta. First, take children on a nature walk and ask them to find a stick that is as long as their arm from their wrist to their elbow. Glue the bean to the left of the stick for the egg. Next comes a spiral pasta for the caterpillar. Then a shell pasta for the chrysalis. Finally, a bow shaped pasta for the butterfly.



Butterfly Bites
Children will enjoy assembling and eating this butterfly. You will need celery cut in 4" pieces, cream cheese, and pretzel twists. First, spread cream cheese in the hollow part of the celery. Insert two pretzels on either side for wings.

LIFE CYCLE OF THE BUTTERFLY

Tell the lifecycle of the butterfly with a stick, a bean, and pasta. First, take children on a nature walk and ask them to find a stick that is as long as their arm from their wrist to their elbow. Glue the bean to the left of the stick for the egg. Next comes a spiral pasta for the caterpillar. Then a shell pasta for the chrysalis. Finally, a bow shaped pasta for the butterfly. 

Informative Writing
Let children write factual stories about the life cycle of a butterfly.

*How about a step book or flip book for this activity?

Creative Dramatics

Let children act out the life cycle of a butterfly.

Research

Check out fiction and non-fiction books about butterflies from the library.

Symmetry
What does symmetry mean? Butterfly wings are a good example of symmetry. Cut paper into butterfly shapes and challenge children to make them symmetrical.
*Check out some books on butterflies from the library. Can children decorate their pattern to look like one in the book?


Butterfly Bites
Children will enjoy assembling and eating this butterfly. You will need celery cut in 4" pieces, cream cheese, and pretzel twists. First, spread cream cheese in the hollow part of the celery. Insert two pretzels on either side for wings.