Help children visualize the four stages of the life cycle of a butterfly! This activity, and all the activities from the book Partnering With Parents, are designed to promote family involvement through group meetings with parents and children. After getting acquainted in an informal setting, families can overcome initial social anxiety and become actively involved in activities. Get the book for tons of strategies for creating a supportive and friendly environment in which families can participate in their children's learning activities.
- Paper plates
- Navy beans
- Precut leaves made from green construction paper
- Small green, yellow, and red pompoms
- Cotton balls
- Coffee filters
- Crayons (variety of colors)
- Spring clothespins
- Collection of small tree twigs (3” long)
- Poster board with the directions written on it (see next page)
- Samples of finished product
- Brown washable markers
What To Do:
(Demonstrate a finished product and assist families as needed.)
- Use a black crayon to mark four equal sections on the paper plate. Number each section from 1-4.
- Glue paper leaf to section 1 of the plate.
- Glue navy bean (egg) on paper leaf.
- Glue three pompoms to section 2 of the plate and mark legs with crayons, as illustrated.
- Glue twig to section 3 of the paper plate.
- Use brown washable marker to partially color the cotton ball.
- Wrap and glue a cotton ball on a stick to make a chrysalis.
- Color the coffee filter with different colors using crayons.
- Gather the colored coffee filter and clip with clothespin.
- Talk about the life cycle of the caterpillar.