BUTTERFLIES
Butterfly Hunt- Submitted by Patrisha
Help the children to make butterfly nets using cardboard and citrus fruit
bags. Make butterflies from rectangle of tissue paper twisted in the center.
Throw them into the air and have children try to catch them with their net!
The kids love to do this!!
Butterfly Poem- Submitted by Patrisha
A child is like a butterfly in the wind...
Sun Catcher Butterflies- Submitted by Patrisha
Cut out a butterfly shape from black paper. This shape should be symetrical. Fold the shape in half then open it again. Then help the child use a hole puncher to make holes in one wing. They make make as many as they wish. Then help the child fold the shape in half and punch the holes in the other half by using the first half as a guide. To complete this project have the child glue scrapes of tissue paper to the back of the butterfly. When dry, hang in a window:)
Clothespin Butterflies- Submitted by Patrisha
(Another Big Toddler Hit) Obtain the old fashion style one piece clothespins (wooden) Allow the children to paint the clothespins with bright colors. When dry, ask the child to pick a piece of tissue paper for the wings. Fold the paper in half, and then scruntch the tissue into the opening in the clothespin. Then have the child pick out a pipe cleaner, and tie the pipe cleaner around the knob of the clothespin for antenne.
Feet Butterflies- Submitted by Patrisha
Have children take off shoes and socks, paint the bottom of their feet with non-toxic tempera paint. Have the child step onto a piece of paper with their feet and heels together. When dry, add antenna with markers or crayons or yarn.
Tissue Paper Butterflies- Submitted by Patrisha
Cut butterfly shapes from white construction paper. Set out assorted colors of 1-inch tissue paper squares, small containers of water and paintbrushes. Have the children paint the butterfly shapes with water and place the tissue paper squares randomly on the shapes. Have them count to ten, then remove the wet tissue paper to view their colorful creations.
Clothespin Butterflies- Submitted by Patrisha
Cut various colors of tissue paper into 12-inch squares. Set out slot-type clothespins, colored pipe cleaners and assorted felt-tip markers. Have the children pinch their tissue squares together in the middle and then insert the tissue into the slots of their clothespins to make wings. Have them wind pipe cleaners around the heads of their clothespins, leaving two small ends sticking up to form antennae. Let the children use felt-tip markers to color on eyes and to draw designs on the clothespin bodies of their butterflies. Then tie the butterflies to lengths of fishing line or string and hang them from the ceiling or in a window.
Coffee Filter Butterflies- Submitted by Patrisha
Wooden Clothes Pins,
Round Coffee Filters,
Black Acrylic Paint,
Watercolor Paints,
Black Pipe Cleaner
Paint your clothespins black first. Fold the pipe cleaners into V shapes the size you want your antenna to be, cut and glue to the clothes pins at the flat end. (Take the coffee filters and spray them with water till they lay flat but aren't drenched (it should only take a few short sprays,use warm water). Now, dab the watercolors ondon't orry. the wet coffee filters, it will run and smear but thats ok . Yo u can also use markers for this. When you are happy with your design on one, repeat this process with another coffee filter. Put the wet filters in a safe place to dry.
When they are dry gather up the coffee filter in the middle, trying to keep the outside edges flat, and clip it into the clothespin. Spread the wings out and you are done.
Put a strip of magnet on the backside of clothespin and stick them on the fridge, they are strong enough to hold some paper up.
Ink Blot Butterflies- Submitted by Patrisha
Spread newspapers on a table. Set out tempera paints in individual containers with an eyedropper in each. Let the children use the eyedroppers to drop paint onto pieces of drawing paper and help them fold the papers in half. Have the children press and smooth their papers, then unfold them to reveal the designs they have made. When the paint has dried, cut the papers into butterfly shapes.
Butterfly Match-Ups- Submitted by Patrisha
Cut three paper plates into four sections each to make six pairs of butterfly wings. Draw from one to six circles on each pair of wings. Cut 3-inch slits in opposite sides of each of six empty toilet tissue tubes. Let them take turns finding mathching pairs of wings and inserting them in the slits to make butterflies.
Variation: Make wings for matching colors, shapes, patterns, or alphabet letters.
The Life of a Butterfly- Submitted by Patrisha
I'm a caterpillar, wiggle with me,
A chrysalis, now sleep like me,
A butterfly, come fly with me,
Move your body like this with me.
Pretty Butterfly- Submitted by Patrisha
First comes a butterfly
Fly, Fly, Butterfly- Submitted by Patrisha
Fly, fly, butterfly,
CATERPILLARS
Crazy Caterpillar- Submitted by Patrisha
Cut the top of the egg carton off and discard. Cut the egg carton in half lengthwise so that there are two, six-sectioned halves. Paint the egg carton half green and allow dry. Punch holes in the top of the front section of the egg carton half and insert pipe cleaners for antennae.
Punch holes along the bottom of the egg carton halve and insert pipe cleaners in the holes for legs.
Glue wiggly eyes to the face of the caterpillar and paint a red smile on him!
Caterpillars- Submitted by Patrisha
Supply the children with many different circles to glue onto a peice of paper to make a caterpillar. Have the children draw on the legs and facial features or use yarn for the legs.
Feet Butterflies- Submitted by Patrisha
Have children take off shoes and socks, paint the bottom of their feet with non-toxic tempera paint. Have the child step onto a piece of paper with their feet and heels together. When dry, add antenna with markers or crayons or yarn.
Caterpillars 2- Submitted by Patrisha
Supply the children with many pom poms to glue on a piece of paper to make a caterpillar. Add legs and antennaen with markers or yarn.
Egg Carton Caterpillars- Submitted by Patrisha
Cut off the tops of cardboard egg cartons and save them for other uses. Then cut the bottom sections of the egg cartons in half lengthwise. Turn the sections over and have the children paint them green, brown or orange (or whatever color they desire) to make caterpillar bodies. Help them poke pipe cleaners into the tops of their caterpillar heads to make antennae. Then have the children draw eyes and mouths on their caterpillars with felt-tip markers.
Pattern Caterpillars- Submitted by Patrisha
Cut a large number of 1-inch circles from black and orange construction paper. Have the children create caterpillars by gluing the circles together, alternating colors to form patterns. Let them add circle stickers for eyes and construction paper antennae, if desired.
Caterpillar Life Cycle- Submitted by Patrisha
Discuss the life cycle of a caterpillar with the children. Explain that caterpillars go trough four distinct life stages--the egg, the larva (caterpillar), the pupa (chrysalis or cocoon), and the adult (butterfly or moth). Make sequence cards with pictures of the four stages on them. Let the children take turns putting them in order.
Hungry Caterpillars- Submitted by Patrisha
Read the poem below. Then ask the children what they would eat if they were hungry caterpillars.
What do caterpillars do?
They just eat what by and by
Caterpillar Crawl- Submitted by Patrisha
Have the children form a "caterpillar" by lining up in a row on their knees. Ask each child to hold onto the back or the legs of the person in front of him or her. Then have the children crawl together in a line by taking steps first with their right knees, then with their left knees.
Sleeping Caterpillars- Submitted by Patrisha
Bring in a sleeping bag to use as a chrysalis and place it on the floor. Let one child at a time pretend to be a caterpillar and crawl inside the sleeping bag. Then have everyone sing the first verse of the song below. When the child crawls out of the sleeping bag, have everyone sing the second verse.
Sung to : "Goodnight Ladies"
Goodnight, caterpillar,
Merrily you fly away,
Crawling All Around- Submitted by Patrisha
Caterpillar, catterpillar,
The Fuzzy Caterpillar- Submitted by Patrisha
The fuzzy caterpillar
Melon Ball Caterpillars- Submitted by Patrisha
To make each caterpillar, fasten three melon balls together with toothpicks. In one of the end melon balls, partially insert two whole cloves for antennae. Serve each melon ball caterpillar on a lettuce leaf.
Note: Have the children remove the cloves and the toothpicks before eating their melon ball caterpillars.
BUGS IN GENERAL
Busy Bugs Headbands- Submitted by Patrisha
Have the children cut out two strips of paper that when connected will fit around their head. Connect the strips with glue or tape, (staples will catch the child's hair). Supply the children with two pipe cleaners… and
have them shape them however they want to and tape them on the inside of the headband. On mine I wrote "Busy Bee Suzy" and "Beautiful Butterfly Max" or whatever they wanted to be:)
Ladybug Rocks- Submitted by Patrisha
Obtain many round rocks. Show the children what ladybugs look like. Have the children paint the rocks with red paint. Then carefully add a line
down the middle, and spots with black paint. If the rocks are smaller…
you can glue a magnet on the bottom, and use it on a refridgerator .
Pipe Cleaner Spiders- Submitted by Patrisha
Provide the children with pipe cleaners to make spiders. Have the children twist the pipe cleaners together to form a body and legs.
Discuss how many legs a spider has.
Spider Paper Plates- Submitted by Patrisha
Use a smaller and larger paper plate to make these spiders. Staple the smaller plate onto the larger plate, as if the smaller plate will be the
spider's head. Have the child paint both sides black. Then add black streamers for legs and white construction paper for eyes. Hang them from the ceiling.
Paper Plate Ladybugs- Submitted by Patrisha
Have each child paint a paper plate red. After the paint dries have the child add black spots of paint on the back of the lady bug. After that
dries, have the child cut out wings for the ladybug and attach the wings with brads.
Make a Bug- Submitted by Patrisha
Have the children maek a bug with marsmallows, toothpicks and
pipe cleaners. Use the toothpicks for legs and to connect the body parts, use the pipe cleaners for antennae or a tail.
Spider Web Art- Submitted by Patrisha
Place a peice of black paper in a box, supply the children with a few marble covered in white paint. Place the marbles in the box and have the child shake the box to make a spider web. Please be carefull when using marbles with small children, as they are a choking hazzard.
Playdoh Bugs- Submitted by Patrisha
Have your childeren make bugs out of playdoh.
Ladybugs- Submitted by Patrisha Provide each child with a red circle. Have them draw as many black dots as they would like on one side. Have the child count the dots on the paper and write the number on the other side.
Bee Strips- Submitted by Patrisha Cut out bee shapes. Have the children cut out black and yellow strips
to add to their bee. Then have them glue the stripes on their bee.
Fingerprint Bugs- Submitted by Patrisha (A Big Hit with my Toddlers:)
Supply each child with a piece of white paper and different colored non-toxic stamp pads. Show the child how to make fingerprints on the paper, using only one finger at a time. When finished, add legs and antenne with a black pen, or for older children, have them add the legs and antenne.
Sceince Math and Games
Bug Hunt- Submitted by Patrisha
Go for a bug hunt outside. Provide a box to collect them, and magnifing glasses to allow the children a better view.
Butterfly Wing Match- Submitted by Patrisha
Draw five butterflies and color them. Clip art works well. Have them laminated, then cut them in half, and have the children put them back
together like a puzzle.
Bee Stripes- Submitted by Patrisha
Make a number of bees with different number of stripes. Have the
children count the number of black or yellow stripes on the bee.
Bee a Bee- Submitted by Patrisha
Have the children pretend to be a bee or bug and buzz around the room.
Ladybug Chart- Submitted by Patrisha
Chart the number of dots each ladybug had that the children made. Who had the most, least....?
Bug Farm- Submitted by Patrisha
Collect bugs in a jar, and let the children examine them with a magnifying glass. Return the bugs to their homes so they do not die.
Sand Table Fun- Submitted by Patrisha
Add plastic bugs to your sand or water table.
Fruit Snack Fun- Submitted by Patrisha
I believe that Farley's makes fruit snack bugs. The children love to eat them:)
Bug Sorting and Matching- Submitted by Patrisha
Provide the children with plastic bugs to sort and match.
Bumble Bee, Bumble Bee Rhyme- Submitted by Patrisha
Bumble Bee, Bumble Bee
Bumble Bee, Bumble Bee
Bumble Bee, Bumble Bee
Spider Webbing- Submitted by Patrisha
Provide children with a chair and some yarn or string. Ask them to create a spiders web by wrapping the string aroung the legs of the chair.
Spider Legs- Submitted by Patrisha
Draw eight different spiders on index cards. The spiders should be drawn with 1 to 8 legs. Ask your child to arrange the spiders according to how
many legs the spiders have.
Spider Walk- Submitted by Patrisha
Have the children do a spider walk, by placing their hands and feet on the floor and lifting their bottom off the floor.
Spider Walk Race- Submitted by Patrisha
Have the children race each other while walking like a spider.
Click on the "Back" Button to go back to
Some can fly higher than others
but each one flies the best that it can.
Why compare one against the other?
Each one is different.
Each one is special.
Each one is beautiful, to love and enjoy.
Sung to : "Skip to My Lou"
(Wiggle body.)
I'm a caterpillar, wiggle with me,
I'm a caterpillar, wiggle with me.
What'll I be, my darlin'?
A chrysalis, now sleep like me,
(Hold arms in a circle above head.)
A chrysalis, now sleep like me.
What'll I be, my darlin'?
A butterfly, come fly with me,
(Wave arms like wings.)
A butterfly, come fly with me.
Come fly with me, my darlin'.
Now all together, let's do all three.
A caterpillar, a chrysalis,
a butterfly--three.
(Make all three movements.)
(Continue waving arms.)
The life of a butterfly, darlin'.
Sung to : "Up on the Housetop"
Who lays an egg.
Out comes a caterpillar
With many legs.
Oh, see the caterpillar
Spin and spin
A little chrysalis to sleep in.
Oh, oh, oh, look and see,
Oh, oh, oh, look and see.
Out of the chrysalis, my oh, my
Out comes a pretty butterfly!
Sung to : "Skip to My Lou"
Fly, fly, butterfly,
Fly, fly, butterfly.
Fly up in the sky so high.
Flitter, flitter, butterfly,
Flitter, flitter, butterfly,
Flitter, flitter, butterfly.
Flitter and fly up in the sky.
Oh my, butterfly,
Oh my, butterfly,
Oh my, butterfly.
Do you always fly so high?
Egg carton,
Green, yellow and red BioColor paint,
Black pipe cleaners,
Paper hole puncher,
Markers,
Wiggly eyes
Nothing but chew and chew.
What do caterpillars know?
Nothing much but how to grow.
Will make them be a butterfly.
But this is more than I can do
However much I chew and chew!
Goodnight, caterpillar.
Goodnight, caterpillar,
You'll be a butterfly.
Fly away, fly away.
Merrily you fly away,
Pretty butterfly.
Sung to : "Frere Jacques"
Crawl, crawl, crawl;
Crawl, crawl, crawl.
Crawling on the ground,
Crawling all around.
Crawl, crawl, crawl;
Crawl, crawl, crawl.
Sung to : "Eensy, Weensy Spider"
Curled up on a leaf,
Spun her little chrysalis
And then fell fast asleep.
While she was sleeping,
She dreamed that she could fly,
And later when she woke up
She was a butterfly!
by the barn,
Bumble bee get Johnny,
Under the Arm
by the boulder,
Bumble bee get Johnny,
On the Shoulder
by the tree,
Bumble bee get Johnny,
Under the Knee
Or try a relay race.
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