Real life connection is possible this Spring with Insect Lore butterfly gardens! Watch preschool children gain first hand experience of the butterfly life cycle by discovering them in real time! This experience of watching caterpillars grow and change into butterflies helps young children make a connection with nature!
The Insect Lore Butterfly Garden includes all that you and the children require to raise your very own caterpillars that will emerge into beautiful Painted Lady butterflies. Included in the kit is a butterfly habitat with clear mesh (pop up), feeding pipette and full instructions. Also included is a voucher to redeem your first group of caterpillars (online). With this voucher you will receive between 3-5 caterpillars.
If you wish to go for a bigger version - you may like The Giant Butterfly Garden. This kit includes a 45 cm butterfly habitat clear mesh (pop up), feeding pipette, painted Lady butterfly life cycle stages figurines and full instructions. It also includes the voucher to redeem your caterpillars online for a larger amount of between 6-10 caterpillars. Once you place the order for your caterpillars they will arrive approximately one week from the stated dispatch date.
Real Life Connection - Learning about the Butterfly Life Cycle
Caterpillars are only available to order from March through to September every year. It is too cold for them outside of this time period. As you wait for the caterpillars to arrive the children can begin to learn about the life cycle of the butterfly. This can be done using pictures, books, stories, songs, rhymes, videos and life cycle figurines. When your caterpillars arrive the children will recognise them from what they have already learned. Over a period of approximately 2-3 weeks the children will watch their caterpillars eat and grow.
They will notice them getting bigger and bigger until they go into cocoon where they will stay for a number of days before emerging into beautiful Painted Lady butterflies! Once the butterflies emerge the children can feed them with the sugar water provided. In addition, you can feed them with some freshly cut fruit such as oranges. After a few days you can bring them outside and release them from the net where they will find their own way in nature! The whole process takes approximately 4 weeks.
If you have previously purchased a Butterfly Garden but wish to do the process again this year, you can simply buy the Voucher for Refill Cup of Caterpillars. You can then go online to the Insect Lore website to redeem your voucher. To get you started see below animated video to show you how the life cycle process works with the Butterfly Garden!
