Hi, friends!  It’s hard to believe that we have a little over a month left of school!  As we near the end of the year, I always like to complete a unit on butterflies.  Of course, part of this unit explains the life cycle of a butterfly.  Plus, I have a butterfly life cycle freebie for you at the end of this post!

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BUTTERFLY LIFE CYCLE BOOK

We always read a number of picture books about the butterfly life cycle, but one of my favorites is From Caterpillar to Butterfly by Deborah Heiligman.  This story begins with a classroom of students excited for their new addition… a caterpillar.  As we read through the story, we can see each stage in the life cycle.

This particular story explains the metamorphosis process in simple terms, so that our little learners are able to grasp this incredible concept.  Plus, it’s the perfect read while you are waiting for your own caterpillars to metamorphosize.

BUTTERFLY LIFE CYCLE POEM

After reading the story, we learn a poem all about the life cycle of a butterfly.  The students make up hand motions for each line of the poem.  Then, they place their poem inside their “I Can Read Poetry Binders” so that they can practice the poem at home with their parents.  Each day we complete a new activity with the poem.  These are the same activities that the students will complete at home with their parents.

On Fridays, we always complete an extension activity to go along with the poem of the week.  For this particular poem, we make a butterfly life cycle craftivity using beans and various shapes of pasta.  This is such a simple way to help solidify our life cycle vocabulary.  Plus, it serves as a great visual representation of each stage in the butterfly life cycle!

BUTTERFLY LIFE CYCLE SEQUENCE STRIPS

During the week, we create this “Butterfly Life Cycle Sequence Strip.”  First, we practice ordering the strips in our pocket chart.  Then, the students create their own sequence strip by stacking the pictures in order.  Once they have correctly sequenced the butterfly life cycle, they practice reading the strip.  The students are always so excited to flip through the life cycle stages as they read!

If you’d like to give these “sequence strips” a try, just click the picture below to download them for free!

BUTTERFLY LIFE CYCLE VIDEO

My kiddos also enjoy this adorable cartoon all about the butterfly life cycle.

DON’T FORGET IT… PIN IT!

Plus, you can head over to my “Spring” board on Pinterest for some other butterfly ideas to complete in your classroom!

If you’re looking for more springtime science fun, don’t forget to check out this post all about the water cycle or this post all about our Rain Jar Experiment.

Don’t forget to also check out these posts filled with tons of engaging rain activities for your classroom, including this Raindrop poem.