Have you ordered your caterpillars yet? The Caterpillar season is in full swing with some services already releasing their butterflies back into the wild. If you haven't already ordered your caterpillars you still have plenty of time!
March to September is butterfly season and with warmer weather upon us it is a lovely time to get started on this wonderful project! Any time outside this period is too cold for the caterpillars to survive.
If you have previously purchased a Butterfly Garden then all you require this year is to order a Voucher for Refill Cup of Caterpillars. Once you place the order for your new group of caterpillars you should receive them between 7-10 days of the dispatch date given. You can then begin the process all over again.
If you have not done the caterpillar to butterfly process previously then you will need to order a Butterfly Garden or a Giant Butterfly Garden. The Butterfly Garden includes a mesh habitat, feeding pipette and a voucher for 3-5 live caterpillars. The Giant Butterfly Garden includes a larger mesh habitat, feeding pipette, life cycle figurines and a voucher to redeem 7-10 live caterpillars.
Have You Ordered Your Caterpillars Yet - Anything else I need?
The Butterfly Garden includes all that you need to experience the process from beginning to end. Other things you may need are items to set the learning environment before you begin. You can start by introducing the class to caterpillars and butterflies through books, stories, games, props, songs, dances and anything else you feel is appropriate to the theme.
At the Early Years Shop we have some lovely props that you could use to add to your classroom including some realistic butterflies - Big Bunch O' Butterflies. This pack includes 18 butterflies from Painted Ladies, Monarchs, Swallowtails and Blue Morphos. We also have some very cool 3D Butterfly Stickers that could be used to add to artwork created by the children. They could also be used as a 'Well done' sticker to give to all children when they have completed the whole process!
If you would like to encourage nature to your outdoor area you could try the The Butterfly Feeder. Butterflies may come naturally into your garden or once your butterflies are released they might stay close by to feed! You can also use 'how to' videos such as the one linked below to get the children started!
