Butterfly Theme Unit?

Question

I am doing a theme on butterflies Could anyone one give me anyideas? (i.e. science, math, fine motor, music/movement, lanauage and writing center)

Answer 1

Maybe you could site and compare instances when butterflies were mentioned in popular song lyrics. For example The Doors wrote about "the scream of the butterfly' and the Moody Blues wrote about "the power of ten billion butterfly sneezes" There was once a band  called The Iron Butterfly.

Answer 2

take a coffee filter and have the kids draw on them with markers, use a pipe cleaner to bind the filter in the middle, making wings on both sides, spray with water and the colors bleed and it looks really neat.

Answer 3

Here is a really neat poster of butterflies---all have a letter of the alphabet on their bodies {natural} the photographer worked for years to get all these pix and put them together, it also has all the numbers on the poster as well:

http://thenaturestore.com/zz2366.htm

The poster should spark language as well as math.

Bowtie pasta can also substitute as butterflies and can be painted, glittered, glow in the dark glittered, glued on a flower, whatevered!!  

Maybe the kids could pick a butterfly from that poster according to their first name & then paint their bf the same color with the letter & their age on it.

They could describe what a bf kiss is or what it feels like.  There are also some fantastic catapillar pix such as the spicebush swallowtail found here on a google image search;

http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10...

It is one of my favorite pix cuz the cp looks like a monster with huge eyes. {it is to fool birds and other preditors}

You can ask the kids what kind of music they think they would hear if a butterfly's wings were an instrument or if they sang like a bird, what kind of song would they sing?

here is the google search page with tons of microscopic butterfly wing & body pix:

http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10...

I don't know what age group you are working with so it's a little harder to come up with ideas..it's easier if we knew the skill level of the kids.

Good luck, lotsa good ideas posted!

Answer 4

Try Everythingpreschoo.com or 123 child.com.

Answer 5

TONS!  This is one of the most amazing units!  Have you considered ordering butterfly larva and watching them grow into butterflies?  

Science:  Obviously - watch the butterfly go through thier life cycle.  Release at the end.

Math:  For preschool it is easy to find worksheets on butterfly math.  Talk about symetry (butterflies are symetrical - tie this in with art by painting half of a butterfly and folding it in half to make the same paint pattern on the other side).

Fine Motor - get the little butterly plastic animals (usually the dollar store or Oriental Trading Co has them).  Put them in putty and have the kids fish them out with thier fingers or set up a center with tweezers and these little plastic critters so the kids can use their pinchers!

Music and Movement - Light weight scarves.  Dance around like butterflies and watch all the color!

Lang/Writing Center - For Preschool: Practice the letter B in a sand tray, with playdough, etc.

Have a fun time - this is a great unit!

Answer 6

tons and tons of stuff to do with this theme....altough you do not say what age you are working with....

some starting places alot depending on when you are doing the unit...ck out your local school supply for how to contact the organization that sends your classroom the larva/pupa of the butterflies so you can watch the entire process...

you can also use films/slides/and or other visual media for watching this cycle or even read any number of books that take you through the process....hungry caterpillar(eric carle), and a variety of others (sorry cant remember all the titles ck your local library or the internet for more titles or authors)

you can also create the process for art...use playdough to create the larva stage(and paint when dry)....use egg cartons cut in half for the caterpillar(and color or paint and add pipe cleaners for antenna) and of course as a previous responder stated paint one half of the pattern you want for your butterfly and fold the paper in half and carefully press for a print(once dry you can assist the child in cutting out the pattern and add pipe cleaner antenna or try other things for same).....you can also make butterflies from paper scraps (this is probably a better project for older children)

you can look in your neighborhood for places butterflies would like to live...or create a butterfly garden(ck with your local nursery or greenhouse for more information)

as far as other areas of the ciriculum

cooking (for math and or science)try butterfly pancakes...or salads....

for math and science try counting the items in the story "hungry caterpillar" or even cutting those items and then making salad

for language and or writing...

try writing the letter "B" or what you would like to look like as a butterfly or what your butterfly would like to eat

for music and movement try scarf dances or listening to soft music and moving your hands and arms only or only using your legs while laying down....and start using music to assist the children in the basis of meditation or deep breathing exercises to help them calm down at the end of an activity or the end of the day..

the possiblities are endless...also you can talk to an older teacher/mentor for more ideas or try your local library for more ideas.