While playing outside two weeks ago, we found several Monarch Butterfly wings under the butterfly bush in the garden. It was a special gift for us to be able to hold and look at
the wings up close. To get a better look we examined the wings with magnifying glasses which
the children loved!
They were fascinated by these wings.
We also talked about Monarch Butterflies and how the Monarch not only has
4 stages: egg, caterpillar, cocoon, butterfly
It also has 4 generations in one year. The 1st being the butterfly that migrates North from Mexico usually in the Spring, the second, being the Spring butterfly that lays its egg, and usually lives 2-6 weeks, and the Summer butterfly that does the same, but the fall monarch hatched from the summer egg, goes on to migrate South and lives 6-8 months.
If the kids didn't find this fact fascinating, I did!
For a week we kept going back to the wings and looking at them.
One day the older group observed and pieced together some of
the wings to draw.
We also made our own Monarch Butterflies using washable
marker on coffee filters that the children dropped water on
with eye droppers
The water made the colors bleed in a very beautiful way.
Some later drew lines and dots on the wings after looking at the wings again.
One of our beloved finger plays at school is Rolly-polly caterpillar, which we
did often as well as "butterflies are flying won't you try and catch one," where we
pretend to have nets and catch our own butterfly.
One day all the kids caught 100! Amazing!
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