Almost everyone is attracted to butterflies, so they are a great window into the world of nature. I actually wanted to a Lepidpterist (a person who studies butterflies and moths) when I was 12 years old, until I found out that you had to kill them to study them! No thank you!
Many early childhood teachers include a cursory treatment of butterflies as a unit, but there is so much more. Here are some tips and resources for enhancing and enriching your butterfly studies:
1. Find out what kind of butterflies live in your area. For instance, on Cape Cod, Massachusetts where I live, there are over 70 species of butterflies! Contact your local nature museum, county extension, of get a butterfly field guide and look at the range maps to see if they might be in your area. You can also go out on your own before you talk with the children and look for them, too. Butterflies are often seen in wild meadows and fields, along the borders of woodlands and forests, as well as in gardens, especially butterfly gardens.
2. Borrow or buy a copy of The Family Butterfly Book, by Rick Mikula. There are literally hundreds of books about butterflies, but this one is itened to be used with children and is very comprehensive and includes detailed information on butterfly gardens, raising butterflies, and lists the most common butterflies as well.
3. Find out more about the butterflies in your area. Did you know that each species of butterfly has it's own caterpillar food plant (No, they do NOT eat grass!) and favorite nectaring plants as adults? You can attract specific butterflies from your area to your school yard by planting both types of plants. Did you know that butterflies sip nectar through a long "straw" that they keep curled up until they need it? Patient, careful observation can reveal this and more, which is why studying butterflies have all of the benefits of engaging children in nature.
You can google butterflies for web sites and images. They are there by the thousands, testiment to the human facination with butterflies.
Many early childhood teachers include a cursory treatment of butterflies as a unit, but there is so much more. Here are some tips and resources for enhancing and enriching your butterfly studies:
1. Find out what kind of butterflies live in your area. For instance, on Cape Cod, Massachusetts where I live, there are over 70 species of butterflies! Contact your local nature museum, county extension, of get a butterfly field guide and look at the range maps to see if they might be in your area. You can also go out on your own before you talk with the children and look for them, too. Butterflies are often seen in wild meadows and fields, along the borders of woodlands and forests, as well as in gardens, especially butterfly gardens.
2. Borrow or buy a copy of The Family Butterfly Book, by Rick Mikula. There are literally hundreds of books about butterflies, but this one is itened to be used with children and is very comprehensive and includes detailed information on butterfly gardens, raising butterflies, and lists the most common butterflies as well.
3. Find out more about the butterflies in your area. Did you know that each species of butterfly has it's own caterpillar food plant (No, they do NOT eat grass!) and favorite nectaring plants as adults? You can attract specific butterflies from your area to your school yard by planting both types of plants. Did you know that butterflies sip nectar through a long "straw" that they keep curled up until they need it? Patient, careful observation can reveal this and more, which is why studying butterflies have all of the benefits of engaging children in nature.
You can google butterflies for web sites and images. They are there by the thousands, testiment to the human facination with butterflies.
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