Birds chirping, raindrops falling, temperature rising….springtime is in the air. This is also the perfect time to prepare to grow your own butterflies!
Here is the perfect butterfly unit study to get you going!!
Every spring my kids get pretty excited to watch the life-cycle of butterflies unfold before their eyes.
If you and your family have not tried this yet, you really need to check it out! Growing butterflies makes for the perfect, simple Unit Study! You get to watch the butterfly life cycle unfold before your own eyes.
GROWING BUTTERFLIES
We purchased this incredible Butterfly Garden by Insect Lore a few years back. The instructions are so simple and you can put the net garden right in your home while you watch nature do its magic.
Then, to get started, grab my simple Unit Study plan FREE printable. This is the outline that I have used to create this Butterfly Unit Study.
My kids enjoyed waking each morning to check on the caterpillars as they were growing larger. Then, as each one would wrap itself into its own cocoon, they would patiently wait and watch for the beautiful wings to emerge.
The whole process would take several weeks and it really keeps the kids engaged while they are observing and anticipating.
Once the beautiful butterflies are moving their wings and flying around the net garden, it gets close to setting them free.
This is a bittersweet time of being able to touch the butterflies and let them perch on little fingers. Then they watch them fly up to the sky.
That’s how we grow our own butterflies!
Through the rest of the summer, my kids will think every butterfly they see is one we grew!!
Once you have the full garden set, you will only need to purchase a live cup of caterpillars to get the growing party started.
BUTTERFLY LIFE CYCLE
We also have the life cycle Metamorphosis toy that shows the 4 stages of their development. The kids love to use it with a life cycle mat I created.
Head to this post to grab a copy!
This is great to use with a hands-on craft while your kids are documenting the changes in their nature journal.
BUTTERFLY BOOKS
To go along with your butterfly unit study grab a few books that have bright pictures and fun facts for your kids.
ONLINE BUTTERFLY RESOURCES
With the days of technology that we live in, there are now so many terrific resources at our fingertips. Here are just a few ideas to check out.
Websites
The websites below have pictures, coloring pages, fun facts, and learning activities. Check a few out today!!
- The Butterfly Site – simple resources for kids about butterflies
- Nat Geo Kids/Butterfly – We love Nat Geo for all things nature
- The Children’s Butterfly Site – more fun photos and resources for kids
- The Butterfly Website – ALL things butterfly!!
YOUTUBE
YouTube has some phenomenal clips that you can watch with your kids about butterflies! Take a look at some of these:
- How a Caterpillar Becomes a Butterfly – Scishow Kids
- Facts About Butterflies – Homeschool Pop
- Metamorphosis: Caterpillar to Butterfly for Children – FreeSchool
- Lifecycle of a Butterfly – It’s AumSom Time
- Butterfly: A life – INCREDIBLE time lapse of a butterfly life cycle by Nat GEO
NETFLIX
You can watch some fun documentaries on Netflix now that are all things nature related.
- Magic School Bus and the Bog Beast
- Flight of the Butterflies – Migration documentary
Want to go beyond butterflies in your insect exploration? Then check out these other suggestions!!
We have also done Praying Mantis’ and that was beyond fascinating!!! I was amazed by how many of these little guys emerge from the eggs!!!! You can order this set from Insect Lore.
Not sure how to put your own Unit Study together? Check out this post with a FREE printable that will help you out!
Have you grown your own butterflies before? How about any of the other fun and exciting kits? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!!
Happy growing,
CHECK OUT OTHER THE UNIT STUDIES
Wiggly Worms Unit Study
Weather Unit Study
Ocean Shore Unit Study
Butterfly Unit Study
Bird & Nests Unit Study
Snow Science Unit Study
Clouds Unit Study
Changing Leaves Unit Study
