Spring is here, and that means that butterflies will be coming soon! The amazing process of metamorphosis from caterpillar to butterfly is completely fascinating (and not just for kids!) Here’s a round up of some great resources to teach your kids all about butterflies.
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Last spring, our family had the opportunity to raise little larvae through their caterpillar growth until we released them as full-grown Painted Lady butterflies. It was a really interesting experience. Even I learned so much about butterflies that I’d never known before. (Did you know that they pop their caterpillar heads when they make their chrysalis? THAT was a weird and freaky moment!) Seeing the process in action is absolutely the best way to learn about the butterfly life cycle. If you are interested in raising your own butterflies, you will need to either find your own eggs, or buy a kit.
Where to Buy Caterpillar Kits (in Canada):
- Butterflies & Roses (Monarchs or Painted Ladies)
- CHER (Painted Ladies)
- Flutterbuys (Painted Ladies)
- Butterfly Wings ‘N’ Wishes (Painted Ladies)
- Education Station (Painted Ladies)
- Boreal Science (Painted Ladies
Find your own eggs:
- Techniques for Obtaining Immatures by Raising Butterflies [Wealth of information on this website]
- Rearing Monarchs by MonarchWatch
Raising Butterflies Observation
- Butterfly observation journal by Rachelle Rosenblit
- Butterfly Life Cycle Observation Booklet from TGIF
- Butterfly Observation Journal by Learn With Leah
Lesson Plans
- Butterfly Curricula on the Butterfly Website – 5 lessons (primary grades)
- Science Lesson Plans for Butterfly Life Cycle – 4 lessons at Glorious-Butterfly
- Teacher’s Guide: Butterflies
Life Cycle
- Life Cycle of a Monarch Butterfly Video (uses captions)
- Life Cycle of a Butterfly with Pasta Printable Craft (+ cutting, colouring, and printing activities) by MamaMiss
- Butterfly Life Cycle Flashcards bu Jojoebi Designs
- Butterfly Lifecycle Book by Dishing It Out
- Lifecycle of a Butterfly Worksheets by Golden Rule Design
Activities and Crafts
- From Caterpillar to Butterfly (A Preschool Butterfly Day) by Jojoebi Designs
- Butterfly Suncatcher by Minieco
- Caterpillar Crafts by Danielle’s Place
- Coffee Filter Butterfly on HoneyAndLime.co
- Butterfly Snacks
- Butterfly Crafts and Activities on Squish Preschool Ideas
Lapbooks
- Butterfly Lapbook on Homeschool Share
- Butterfly Lapbook on Simple Living
- Butterfly Lapbook on Homeschool Helper
Caterpillars
- Caterpillar Identification on Discover Life
Butterflies
- Butterflies of Canada References from Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility
- Monarch Butterflies by Hinterland’s Who’s Who
- Monarch Butterflies by Canadian Geographic
- Butterflies of Ontario
- North American Butterfly Association (NABA)
- Butterfly Identification Guide by Discover Life
- Butterflies of Nova Scotia
- Butterflies of America (photos)
- Free Butterfly Observation Journal for Kids by Nature Inspired Learning
Butterfly Gardens
- Butterfly Gardening by Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory
- Creating a Butterfly Garden by Blue Willow Garden & Landscape Design.
- Design a Paper Butterfly Garden by Scholastic
Butterfly Conservatories in Canada
- Butterfly Conservatory in Niagara, ON
- Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory in Cambridge, ON [They have homeschool programs]
- Devonian Botanical Garden near Edmonton, AB
- Victoria Butterfly Garden in Victoria, BC
- Science North Butterfly Gallery in Sudbury, ON
Books
Websites for Kids
- Kids Butterfly Website
- San Diego Zoo: Butterfly Facts
- Monarch Butterfly Facts on National Geographic for Kids
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Thank you for these resources! We’re hoping to find some eggs or a caterpillar to watch this year.
Incredible! Thank you for gathering all of this! What a fabulous unit study!
Wow Thanks for all the resources. I’m pinning you. 🙂 We are doing the Butterfly project with Journey North. Not sure if I saw that one. I clicked several of your links. Anyway if its not there, what happens is in the fall you send a butterfly to mexico with various required information. You can track the trip and then in the spring you receive a paper butterfly back. it is open to homeschoolers. We had a great time with it so far. Just thought I’d share it with you. 🙂
This is an awesome list of resources LisaMarie! Thank you so much for sharing on the #homeschoollikup!