Lifecycle – Caterpillar to Butterfly

Four Stages in the Lifecycle of Caterpillar to Butterfly:

1. The female lays her egg on a leaf or plant.
2. Newly hatched caterpillars are VERY hungry. They spend most of their time eating just like the caterpillar in The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. The only difference is real caterpillars eat the leaf their mommy laid their egg on, not cupcakes, lollipops, and various kinds of fruit! Caterpillars expand their size by more than 1000 times their original size.
3. The caterpillars form a hard skin around themselves. This is called a cocoon or a chrysalis. Inside the cocoon or chrysalis they are all “snug as a bug in a rug” as the book, The Caterpillar by Judy Kentor Schmauss says. After about 2 weeks they transform into a butterfly.
4. After the transformation into a butterfly is complete, it works it’s way out of the cocoon or chrysalis, and shows itself to the world!

Activities for Lifecycle of Caterpillar to Butterfly:

• Read The Very Hungry Caterpillar and The Caterpillar
  
• Have your child find the letter B for butterfly and/or C for caterpillar in each of these books (you could read the books and focus on one letter one week, and another letter the next week)
• Practice writing the letters B and C
• Cut out pictures from magazines of things that start with the letters B or C and paste them onto a piece of colored construction paper that you have written a large bubble version of that letter on.
• Make a lifecycle mobile. Using these  FREE Printable Caterpillar to Butterfly Life Cycle Mobile Cut-Outs have your child color and cut out the images. I had my daughter write the words caterpillar, cocoon, and butterfly on the backs of them as well. Then using yarn and tape secure them to a paper plate or coat hanger.
• Cut and paste the lifecycle of a butterfly using this FREE Caterpillar to Butterfly Lifecycle Printable
• Watch The Butterfly King– Educational Docudrama for Children.

This was a favorite with my daughter. She watched it every day for the entire week we had it out of the library.

The Butterfly King covers the story of two monarch larvae and their struggle for survival in the milkweed patch. Most of us are unaware of the daily dramas that occur right in our own backyards! This is done in an engaging way for young children to enjoy. Even my 8 year old was riveted by it.

 Find More Bug/Insect Related Units: