Honey Pot is 4 years old.
Little M&M is 26 months old.
Books
We borrowed numerous books from the library on caterpillars and butterflies. They varied from simple board books (for Little M&M) to more complex (for Honey Pot).
Butterfly Matching
The Dollar Tree had a large page of butterfly stickers. Honey Pot used many of them while making cards for her pen pals, but we had some left over. I used a few to create this matching worksheet, and slipped it into a page protector so she could use a dry erase crayon.
Butterfly Trails - Prewriting Practice
I used more butterfly stickers to create some tracing lines for Honey Pot on the other side.
Learning about the Life Cycle
There are so many flashcards and worksheets out there just explaining the life cycle, but I wanted something a little more hands-on. I came across this wheel from Lakeshore Learning and thought it was just perfect. I printed out the template, and Honey Pot wrote her name on the front.
Then we colored in the pictures.
And I assembled the wheel, using a brad from my scrapbooking stash.
We talked about the life cycle of a butterfly as she turned the wheel. She really seemed to grasp the concept of the cycle (as she did so well with the water cycle during our rain unit).
Pattern Block Puzzles
I printed off two puzzles from PreKinders for Honey Pot.
Magnetic Pom Pom Caterpillars - Counting Practice
Peaceful Parenting had a nice idea using pom poms to help toddlers learn to count. I created a template in PSE and slipped it into a page protector onto which Little M&M could place magnetic pom poms.
Right-click for your own printable:
Butterfly Color Matching
Although I feel confident that Little M&M knows his colors, it is still important to review them and this activity provided fine motor practice for him as well. I printed this coloring page off the internet and colored just the middles. Then I taped it to the wall with a piece of contact paper, sticky side up, taped over it.
I set out a plate of sequins in the coordinating colors, and he got to work!
This is a big commitment for a little guy, so we kept it out and returned to it throughout the week until it was complete.
Build-a-Butterfly
I came across this build-a-butterfly idea from Little Family Fun, and then extended it a little bit. First I cut various shapes out of foam, for the kids to build butterflies and decorate the wings with shapes.
Then I set them out near the glass doors, with a cup of water and two paintbrushes. Instead of just building butterflies on the table or floor, the kids were able to paint with water and stick them up on the window. They had a BLAST with this activity!
Sometimes they just liked painting with water.
And sometimes they painted the window, then created beautiful butterflies!
Just look at how cute they look!
Butterfly Symmetry Painting
I found this fun idea from Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas. I printed a butterfly template onto cardstock, covered one side with parchment, and asked the kids to paint the side that was showing.
Then we removed the parchment, folded the paper over...
And revealed our symmetry! This was Honey Pot's first time hearing the word, and so we discussed what it meant and I think she has grasped the idea well.
Once they were dry, I cut the butterflies out and hung them up. Coincidentally, I hung them right near the caterpillars the kids painted with balloons last summer!
Symmetry Chalk Drawings
We continued our lesson on symmetry with some chalk drawings. I drew half a butterfly on the driveway, and Honey Pot tried to finish them. For Little M&M, it became a nice lesson on recognizing shapes too.
Butterfly Pretend Play
Pretend play is always a favorite around here. I found these headbands at the Dollar Tree weeks ago and had to pick them up in anticipation of butterfly week. The kids had such fun!
Butterfly Garden - Field Trip
What butterfly unit would be complete without a trip to the local butterfly exhibit? It's so incredible being in a room full of butterflies. And it was an amazing experience for the kids.
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