Butterfly Activities

I did two really fun activities with my kinder kiddos that I forgot to post. Better late than never is my motto. If not, I would probably start to wonder why I seem to keep always running behind.
 
Butterfly Life Cycle:
 
1. Fold a small piece of construction paper in half like a hot dog. Cut four even space slits in the top half of the paper. Cut until you reach the folds. This will make a flip flap book.

2. Label each flap with one of the stages of the butterfly life cycle: egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, butterfly.

3. Either pre-cut the pieces for your child if they are little or allow your child to cut out the pieces independently if you feel they are ready.

You will need the following:

• three green leaves
• one small teeny-tiny yellow circle for the egg
• one 1 inch piece of pipe cleaner bent to look like a caterpillar
• a piece of brown or green crumbled paper to make the chrysalis
• one green stem
• one colored flower cut from construction paper
• two squares of tissue paper.

4. Use the posted pictures as a guide for where everything goes and how it should look. To make the butterfly, lay the two pieces of tissue paper one on top of the other one. Then, twist the tissue paper gently in the middle. TA-DA! You have a simply, beautiful butterfly.

Being a kindergarten teacher I always like to add a reading/writing component to my crafts. Older kids can begin to sound out the words for each sentence and record them under the appropriate flap.

For example: The butterfly lays an egg. a caterpillar hatches out of the egg. A beginning writer would probably record this: VBLUG AKHTVVG. That is perfect for a beginning writer. I have the children point to the words and read them back to me. I record the sentence correctly under the child's writing and have them practice reading correct writing while pointing to the words.

For a younger child, I would write the sentences and read them to the child while pointing to each word as it is read. I might have the child point to the words if appropriate. When ready your child will automatically, begin to take the lead and point and read the words to you.

Symmetrical Butterfly Painting:

1. Make a tracer or cut out a caterpillar shape on the fold of a sheet of white construction paper. If you are making a tracer, show your child how to place a "holding hand" on the tracer and use a pencil to go around the outline. Remember to place the caterpillar on the fold. This will allow the caterpillar to open up into a butterfly once it is cut.

2. If your child traced the caterpillar outline, have him/her cut it out. Remind them... Thumbs Up to Cut. Your thumb must face up and your hand should point away from your body. you hold the paper close to you and turn it as you cut. The scissors will not turn that much.

3. After the caterpillar is cut out, have your child decorate one side with crayons or markers to look like a caterpillar. I glued google eyes on ours just to make it more fun.

4. Open up the caterpillar into a butterfly. Allow your child to drizzle paint onto one side of the butterfly.

5. Have your child gently fold the non-painted side over and press into the paint from the wet side.

6. You will want to gently open the butterfly back up and allow it to dry. Once the butterfly is dry talk about how a caterpillar turns into a butterfly and about the symmetry created from pressing the two sides together.

Here is a list of some of my favorite butterfly books. This is not a completed list by any means.

If I could only buy one for pre-school, it would be Charlie the Caterpillar. For younger kids, it would be The Crunching Munching Caterpillar (Tiger Tales).****************************************************************
Favorite Butterfly Books:
Charlie the Caterpillar
Clara Caterpillar
Are You a Butterfly? (Backyard Books)
The Crunching Munching Caterpillar (Tiger Tales)
Waiting for Wings
Butterfly House
Why Do Butterflies go By on Silent Wings.

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