I have a fun hands-on life cycle butterfly activity. Also, look at my page Free Insect Unit Study for more ideas.
Life cycles are often one of the first science lessons that younger children get to learn about.
Instead of putting a preprinted worksheet in front of your child to teach them, why not give them an art project that turns into science with this life cycle butterfly activity?
We are taking some basic craft supplies that most of us have in our art supplies and turn them into a lesson on the 4 stages of a butterfly’s life.
Let your child be a part of it from the creation of each piece to laying out the cycle so they get the most out of the lesson.
As your child builds each stage in the life cycle, talk to them about the changes taking place.
10 Fascinating Butterfly Facts
First, look at these butterfly facts.
- There are almost 20,000 different butterfly species.
- A group of butterflies is known as a flutter.
- Butterflies taste their food with their feet.
- The most common butterfly in the US is the Cabbage White. It is a simple small mostly white butterfly with 1 or 2 black dots on each wing (1 for males, 2 for females).
- One of the largest butterflies is the Giant Swallowtail Butterfly, reaching a wingspan of 4 to 7 inches.
- While you might think butterflies have 2 wings, they have 4, 2 forewings and 2 hindwings.
- The North American Monarch travels an average of 2,500 miles to migrate to warmer weather.
- Butterflies have their skeletons on the outside of their bodies, called the exoskeleton. The exoskeleton protects the insect and keeps water inside their bodies, so they don’t dry out.
- The only continent where butterflies have not been found is Antarctica.
- Butterflies can fly as fast as 12 mph while their cousin, the moth, can reach speeds of up to 25 mph.
Books About Butterflies
Next, look at some of these beautiful books and resources for studying butterflies.
10 Butterfly Resources and Book
Fun books and resources to learn about butterflies.
What is a butterfly s life? Its full of twists and turns as butterfly glide on air currents. Its full of dips and dives as they show off for their mates. There are more than 17,000 kinds of butterflies in the world. Some of them will only live for a few days. Others will migrate thousands of miles to winter in a warmer climate. Still others will hibernate through the cold months. For all butterflies, life begins with metamorphosis. In one of nature s most amazing feats, caterpillars become creatures of beauty and grace.
One of the first naturalists to observe live insects directly, Maria Sibylla Merian was also one of the first to document the metamorphosis of the butterfly.
Richly illustrated throughout with full-color original paintings by Merian herself, The Grew Who Drew Butterflies will enthrall young scientists.
This is a wonderful, realistic set of the life cycle of a Monarch butterfly, which contains the 4 stages, eggs, caterpillars (larva) with a leaf, a chrysalis (pupa), and a butterfly. It is a good learning toy for homeschoolers teaching.
Some farms grow vegetables or grains, and some raise cows, sheep, chickens, or pigs. But have you ever heard of a butterfly farm? How do you raise a butterfly?On a farm in Costa Rica, workers care for these delicate, winged creatures as they change from eggs to caterpillars to pupae. Like any other crop, the butterflies will eventually leave the farm. But where will they go? And just how do you ship a butterfly?
Pop-up, reusable 11.5-inch tall mesh habitat perfect for butterfly viewing; includes feeding dropper and complete instructions
Witness one of nature's most spectacular transformations up close
Caterpillars ship separately via included Voucher (additional $8.95 for processing); packaging may vary
Introduce young readers to the fascinating process of how caterpillars become butterflies.Follow the transformation from a tiny white egg laid on a leaf to a brilliantly colored butterfly in this kid-friendly introduction to metamorphosis. With detailed, bright watercolors, Gail Gibbons illustrates the life cycle of the monarch butterfly, stage by stage, as it grows, changes, and takes flight.
A beautifully illustrated, informative book for children introducing them to bugs that creep, crawl, bite, fly, and more
From moths and beetles to worms and spiders, the world is crawling with fascinating bugs. The Big Book of Bugs is the first fact-filled book for children to explore the vast array of creepy-crawlies that share our Earth.
From the creators of the award-winning An Egg Is Quiet, A Seed Is Sleepy, and A Rock Is Lively comes this gorgeous and informative introduction to the world of butterflies.Part of the incredible six-book Nature Books series from the award-winning duo of Dianna Hutts Aston and Sylvia Long, A Butterfly Is Patient celebrates a dazzling variety of butterflies in all their beauty and wonder.Turn each page to explore the amazing world of these beautiful winged insects through watercolor illustrations that bring to life garden landscapes filled with flowers, vines, leaves, and sunshine. A BUTTERFLY BOOK TO TREASURE: From the tiny Western Pygmy blue butterfly to the grand Queen Alexandra’s birdwing, from the iridescent blue swallowtail to the brilliant orange monarch, curious kids will find a wealth of information and inspiration in this fascinating picture book.
Butterflies are all around us. It's hard to believe these majestic insects with impressive wingspans and beautifully colored and patterned wings were once creepy crawly caterpillars. How in the world does this transformation happen? This Level 1 Reader gives kids an up-close look at exactly how a caterpillar becomes a butterfly. With bonus information including different types of butterflies and poisonous caterpillars, this reader is one of a kind.
Crinkleroot introduces the amazing world of butterflies and moths as he tours the natural world, exposing the facts and behaviors of this fascinating insect group known as Lepidoptera.
Also, look at hands-on fun butterfly activites.
Butterfly Activity Hands-on Ideas
If you are looking for another butterfly activity or two, here are some great ideas that the whole family might enjoy.
- Butterfly Identification Cards
- 12 Free Printable Butterfly Symmetry Puzzles
- Nature Butterfly Sticky Wall
- Butterfly Balloon Stem Challenge
- Butterfly Life Cycle Game
- Easy Butterfly Sensory Bin
- Flying Butterfly Experiment
- A butterfly life cycle set can be used to illustrate it. They make a great addition to sensory bins or trays, and also for dramatic play as you read.
- I found this really fun and kinda gross Dissect It kit that comes with a jelly chrysalis and a tool to dissect and remove the butterfly from the center.
- 8 Facts About Moths and a Fun Nature Elephant Hawk Moth Craft
Finally, look at how to make this easy life cycle of a butterfly activity.
Life Cycle of a Butterfly Activity
You will need:
- 2 coffee filters
- 3 clothespins
- Colorful pom poms
- 4 paper plates
- Pipe cleaner
- Paint or markers
- glue
Use markers to color or paint 3 clothespins to create the body. Set aside to dry.
Spritz 2 coffee filters until soaked then use watercolors to paint one green for the chrysalis.
Then paint the other colors for butterfly wings. To make it symmetrical you can fold one in half and just paint one side allowing it to soak through.
Hang outside to dry with an extra clothespin.
For the eggs, you will just need to set aside a couple of pompoms.
To create a caterpillar, draw on its eyes and glue pom poms along the length of its body.
Cut a small piece of pipe cleaner and bend it into an antenna, secure it in the pincher part of the clothespin.
Take the plain clothespin caterpillar and wrap it up in the green-painted coffee filter and twist the top to create the cremaster (or stem) portion.
Take the final painted clothespin and draw on the eyes, glue pom poms on for the body.
This time we are going to accordion fold the colorfully painted coffee filter and slip it inside the opened clip of the clothespin.
Spread out the wings and add another small piece of pipe cleaner to the clip to make the butterfly antennae.
Write each of the stages on your paper plates-egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, and butterfly.
Have your child put them in order on the floor and then match each of the pieces they made to the correct spot.
Explain how the cycle continues to repeat itself over and over.
