Tissue Paper Butterflies
Cut butterfly shapes from white construction paper. Set out assorted colors of 1-inch tissue paper squares, small containers of water and paintbrushes. Have the children paint the butterfly shapes with water and place the tissue paper squares randomly on the shapes. Have them count to ten, then remove the wet tissue paper to view their colorful creations.
Clothespin Butterflies
Cut various colors of tissue paper into 12-inch squares. Set out slot-type clothespins, colored pipe cleaners and assorted felt-tip markers. Have the children pinch their tissue squares together in the middle and then insert the tissue into the slots of their clothespins to make wings. Have them wind pipe cleaners around the heads of their clothespins, leaving two small ends sticking up to form antennae. Let the children use felt-tip markers to color on eyes and to draw designs on the clothespin bodies of their butterflies. Then tie the butterflies to lengths of fishing line or string and hang them from the ceiling or in a window.
Ink Blot Butterflies
Spread newspapers on a table. Set out tempera paints in individual containers with an eyedropper in each. Let the children use the eyedroppers to drop paint onto pieces of drawing paper and help them fold the papers in half. Have the children press and smooth their papers, then unfold them to reveal the designs they have made. When the paint has dried, cut the papers into butterfly shapes.
Butterfly Match-Ups
Cut three paper plates into four sections each to make six pairs of butterfly wings. Draw from one to six circles on each pair of wings. Cut 3-inch slits in opposite sides of each of six empty toilet tissue tubes. Let them take turns finding mathching pairs of wings and inserting them in the slits to make butterflies.
Variation: Make wings for matching colors, shapes, patterns, or alphabet letters.
The Life of a Butterfly
Sung to : "Skip to My Lou"
I'm a caterpillar, wiggle with me,
(Wiggle body.)
I'm a caterpillar, wiggle with me,
I'm a caterpillar, wiggle with me.
What'll I be, my darlin'?
A chrysalis, now sleep like me,
(Hold arms in a circle above head.)
A chrysalis, now sleep like me,
A chrysalis, now sleep like me.
What'll I be, my darlin'?
A butterfly, come fly with me,
(Wave arms like wings.)
A butterfly, come fly with me,
A butterfly, come fly with me.
Come fly with me, my darlin'.
Now all together, let's do all three.
A caterpillar, a chrysalis,
a butterfly--three.
(Make all three movements.)
Move your body like this with me.
(Continue waving arms.)
The life of a butterfly, darlin'.
Pretty Butterfly
Sung to : "Up on the Housetop"
First comes a butterfly
Who lays an egg.
Out comes a caterpillar
With many legs.
Oh, see the caterpillar
Spin and spin
A little chrysalis to sleep in.
Oh, oh, oh, look and see,
Oh, oh, oh, look and see.
Out of the chrysalis, my oh, my
Out comes a pretty butterfly!
Fly, Fly, Butterfly
Sung to : "Skip to My Lou"
Fly, fly, butterfly,
Fly, fly, butterfly,
Fly, fly, butterfly.
Fly up in the sky so high.
Flitter, flitter, butterfly,
Flitter, flitter, butterfly,
Flitter, flitter, butterfly.
Flitter and fly up in the sky.
Oh my, butterfly,
Oh my, butterfly,
Oh my, butterfly.
Do you always fly so high?
The Butterfly
Read the following story to the children.
One warm day, a caterpillar crawled up into a tree to take a nap on one of the cool green leaves. First she curled up on the leaf and spun a web around herself. In this cozy coverlet, called a "chrysalis", she slept and slept.
When the caterpillar woke up, she crawled out of her chrysalis. But suddenly she realized she no longer had her many legs. How would she ever get home?
The caterpillar started to cry. Then as she tried to wipe away her tears, she discovered, to her joy, that while asleep she had grown two beautiful butterfly wings. She opened her wings, waved them up and down and was soon soaring through the sky.
Ask the children to help you finish the story. Where does the butterfly go? What happens to her? How does the story end?
Sandwich Butterfllies
Make sandwiches and cut them into triangles. For each child, place a pickle wedge in the center of a plate for a butterfly body. Then place a triangular sandwich on either side of the pickle for "wings".