Watch Me Change! Lesson Plan

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What We Are Learning
 

Science Focus:

butterfly life cycle

 

Theme Vocabulary Words:

caterpillar, butterfly, chrysalis

 

Skills We’re Practicing:

group discussion, critical thinking, vocabulary, grossmotor skills, fine-motor skills, shapesn

  • Butterfly Park by Elly MacKay features eye-catching paper-cut illustrations. In the story, a girl moves to a new town, but she misses the butterflies from her old town. As you read, ask children what they think will attract butterflies to Butterfly Park.

Butterfly Symmetry Craft

Materials: white cardstock, paintbrushes, tempera paint, Popsicle sticks, pipe cleaners, Butterfly Wing Template skill sheet, pencil, scissors

  • Create colorful butterflies and explore symmetry!
  • In advance, cut out the wing from the template skill sheet.
  • Give each child a sheet of paper. Guide them in folding the paper in half and reopening it. Tell children to paint their paper up to the folded line, leaving the other half white. Make sure the paint is wet enough to imprint the other side of the paper when folded.
  • Once children are done, have them fold the paper and press firmly. Open the paper, and ask children what they notice. Say the sides are symmetrical—that means they are the same but flipped on each side of the middle line. Tell children that real butterflies are symmetrical too. Leave papers out to dry.
  • When the paint has dried, have children fold their paper again. Trace the shape of the wing template on each child’s folded paper. (Be sure to line the flat side of the wing up with the folded side of the paper.) Cut along the traced line, and open the paper to reveal a pair of butterfly wings!
  • To complete the butterfly, have children glue a Popsicle stick to the middle of the paper to make the body. Then have them glue pipe cleaners to the top of the Popsicle stick to make antennae. fine-motor skills/symmetry

Materials: none

  • This movement activity is a fun way to reinforce the butterfly life cycle!
  • Give children the following directions:
    • First, curl up in a ball like an egg shape.
    • Next, crawl like a caterpillar.
    • Then, put your feet in the air to hang like a chrysalis.
    • Last, stretch your arms like wings and fly like a butterfly!
  • Once children know the movements, make it a game. For instance, call out “Show me step 3!” or “What is step 1?” and have children do the movement. gross-motor/ listening skills

Thank you to Alison Rose Juarez, Elementary Dance Educator, for sharing this activity with us!