Transcription

1 Butterflies

2 Lesson Plan - Butterflies Whole group introduction Why do we need butterflies? Butterflies are the second largest group of pollinators next to honey bees. What is the difference between a butterfly and a moth? Most butterflies fly during the day (diurnal). Moths fly at night (nocturnal). Butterflies have small bulbs on the end of their smooth antennae. Moths have fuzzy antennae. Moth metamorphosis takes place within a cocoon, butterfly metamorphosis take place within a chrysalis. What is the life-cycle of a butterfly? Egg, caterpillar, pupa (chrysalis), butterfly. Where do butterflies live? In every continent except Antarctica, with the majority in tropical zones. What do butterflies eat? Sweet nectar from fruits and flowers. Chart of Butterfly Facts Approximately 24,000 species in the world. 561 in the U.S. and Canada. Butterflies can taste with their feet. They don't have lungs, but breathe through holes, called spiracles, in their abdomen. Butterflies can see the colors red, yellow and green. Top speeds of 12 miles per hour have been recorded. Moths up to 25 mph. Their wing color is caused by millions of overlapping scales. They taste with their antennae. Butterflies don't have a mouth. They drink nectar through a straw that they can roll up and down, called a proboscis. To enhance student learning be sure to start each day with a new book about butterflies. Books to Read Where Butterflies Grow by Joanne Ryder (educational) Are you a Butterfly? by Judy Allen (explains life-cycle) Fancy Nancy: Bonjour, Butterfly by June O'Connor (encourages imagination)

3 Activity: Butterfly wings Materials: Poster board Colored tissue paper (use several different colors) Glue Procedure: 1. Cut poster board into quarters. 2. Cut tissue paper into small pieces. 3. Draw a butterfly outline on each quarter and give each child one. 4. Let the children glue the colored tissue paper onto the drawn butterfly s wings. Show how overlapping the tissue paper creates new colors. Questioning: What did the children notice? What colors did different combinations make?

4 Butterfly Wings Template

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6 Activity: Make a butterfly ring Materials: Construction paper Pipe cleaners cut in half Crayons Procedure: Fold construction paper in half and draw half a butterfly with its abdomen along the seam. Allow children to cut out, unfold and color the butterfly. Punch small holes on either side of the abdomen middle. Insert pipe cleaner through both holes to form a ring on the child's finger. Explain that butterflies spread pollen from flower to flower and that pollen is what allows more flowers to grow. Some of those flowers turn into the vegetables that we eat. Ask the class what vegetables they eat on a regular basis. Then allow children to wander around the room pretending to pollinate things with their butterfly rings.

7 Butterfly Ring Template

8 Snack: Edible caterpillars? Materials for sweet snack: Paper plates Twinkies Gum drops Licorice laces Procedure: 1. Have children draw and color flowers on the paper plates 2. Place a Twinkie in the middle of the flowers to serve as the caterpillar body 3. Use gum drops as feet and eyes 4. Use licorice laces for antennae and proboscis 5. Vote for the most creative and then eat Materials for a healthier snack: Paper plates Thinly sliced strawberries, kiwi and other colorful fruit Blueberries Procedure: 1. Draw a butterfly onto the paper plate and pass them out 2. Allow children to decorate the wings with fruit 3. Eat

9 Game: How are butterflies born? Materials: Toilet paper on roll Divide class into groups. Choose one child from each group to be the caterpillar. Allow the other children in their group to wrap toilet paper around them, being careful not to cover their neck or head. Then have the caterpillar break free from the toilet paper chrysalis and spread their wings. Extra: give each child a turn to be the caterpillar. See who can break free from the toilet paper chrysalis the fastest.

10 Extension Activity Butterfly Garden If you have an area available to create a butterfly garden this would be a great addition to your lesson plan and will create many months of learning. (You will have to research what plants work best for where you live.) The children can observe butterflies using their proboscis and drinking nectar from the flowers you plant. Math link: Visit your butterfly garden at different times throughout the day for 2 week. Count and record how many butterflies you see each time. Create a chart that will show the time of day that you observed the butterflies and how many butterflies you saw. Discuss the chart with the children. Does there seem to be a time of day when there are more butterflies at the garden? If yes, Why do you think this happens? Final closure Discuss that butterflies are not only beautiful, but how important they are to the environment and which plants grow in your area that help butterflies. Plan a trip to a butterfly garden or, better yet, start one at your school.

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