Family and Homeschool Activities: Butterflies

These family and homeschool activities are designed to complement the Butterflies topic on BrainPOP Jr.

Life Cycle Study

If possible, plant a butterfly garden together. You can plant flowers that attract the caterpillars, moths, and butterflies which are native to your area. Together with your child, conduct research to learn about what flowering plants attract butterflies, how to nurture those plants, and what else butterflies need to survive. Learn about what plants you can easily grow to bring in butterflies to your garden. You may want to consult your local gardening store, and also to learn about the world’s most successful butterfly conservatories and gardens, like the Kipepeo Butterfly Project in Kenya, or Butterfly World in Florida. You might even find pupas for your own garden! This is a great opportunity to teach the life cycle of both plants and animals and foster a green thumb too.

Moths

Many species of moths are nocturnal. At night, turn on a light outdoors and observe moths together. Your child may observe how the moths are attracted to light or their flight patterns. Encourage him or her to look at the moths closely–they may look similar, but there are probably different species right in front of their eyes. Your child can draw pictures and take notes and learn more about the species in a reference guidebook, and also use the book to note the differences between moths and butterflies.