Butterfly Resources
Your one-stop-shop for all things butterfly!
I am so stinking excited about my updated butterfly unit and thought you’d appreciate a post with links to all the documentaries, books, and tools mentioned in it (as well as several new ones as I come across them).
If you haven’t already, check out my new butterfly unit. Available now with all the goodies you need to do the activities Here at the shop or pick up a digital version on Teachers pay teachers By clicking the butterfly link here or the button below.
If you arrived at this site after purchasing the unit, Thank you! Please have a look around for any tools you may find helpful.
AND just to show some love for visiting my blog enjoy the butterfly nature journaling pages free. Just click the button below for a free pdf with two versions of the butterfly nature journal pages.
22 butterfly and moth flip cards have the adult insect on one side and what they look like as a caterpillar on the other. Along with their host plant where they grow and metamorphose.
They are great as a portable field guide when you put a ring in the corner as all of the butterflies and moths are found in North America. We used ours to identify a caterpillar in the garden that turned into a tiger swallowtail!
They can also be used for memory and sorting games or inspiration when creating a butterfly garden. The deck also includes cards for the 4 stages in their life cycle, anatomy prints, and how to tell the difference between butterflies and moths.
Raise caterpillars at home
The first thing you’ll need when doing a butterfly study is some caterpillars to raise. I have ordered from insect lore before and had a great experience. I also love that you can fold down the butterfly enclosure when you are not using it and just reorder caterpillars next time. The care is very easy and so exciting for the kids.
Tools for Nature Study Observations
The next thing you’ll need for a butterfly study is a nature journal and some tools for catching butterflies. I just use our butterfly enclosure when it’s not in use to hold butterflies we catch and always release before we head home. If you bought my butterfly unit the nature journaling pages are included in the set. If not grab a nature journal and butterfly net below and head outside.
This Nature Journal has many features for different styles of journaling. It is a great jump start for those adding this joyful habit to their home or classroom!
The pages and activities were inspired by Charlotte Mason and other leaders in the nature journaling movement to help you get started with this beautiful habit. Check out my podcasts at https://hatchingcuriosity.com/naturestudy to learn more about the benefits of nature study and for some ideas on how to enhance your experience in different seasons.
At the front of the journal, we have a Penology wheel where you draw once a month (in the triangle under that month) something you feel represents that time of the year as a way to observe seasons changing over time. It then has enough nature journal pages to go once a week for 32 weeks and 4 weeks of pages from the upcoming Observable Sky Journal to record phases of the moon, temperature, and other weather phenomena. There are 4 Star Mapping pages where you line up the horizon line with your horizon and sketch Constellations and how they move across the sky so you can get out once a month to observe changes or several times over the course of the summer. Choose a tree in your backyard or favorite park to return to again and again as you watch it bud, bloom, and fall over 4 adopt- a- tree pages. I've added a few new fun additions with the mapping page (complete with a grid to help with the math), a page to help you practice seeing things from all angles, and 4 pages called "Think like a scientist" to practice the scientific method. The next 8 pages are for recording observations over time like a plant growing or a caterpillar turning into a butterfly. You can write the hours/days/ or weeks at the top and record observations below. Next, we have a calendar of firsts where you record the first time you see something in a year so you can return to it the following year and have some ideas on what to look for in that month. Finally, there is favorite lists where you write their common name, scientific name and check the months that you encounter them to get an idea of the ebb and flow of seasons.
The pages included in this journal are:
32 Nature Journaling Pages
4 Observable Sky Pages
4 Star Mapping Pages
2 Over/Under pages
4 Adopt a Tree Pages
1 Map your Backyard Page
1 Observe all Angles Pages
4 Think Like a Scientist Pages
8 Observations over Time Pages
12 Calendar Firsts Pages
2 Favorite Lists
For a full year's worth of nature journaling.
Still don’t quite know where to start? I have a deck of 52 weeks worth of Nature Journaling Activity Cards to get you started.
If you'd like to order in bulk just send me a message!
For more ideas and inspiration on Nature Study including a free (you don't even need to subscribe) 3 part intro to nature study course head over to https://hatchingcuriosity.com/naturestudy
Books! A treasure trove of buttefly books.
See descriptions below.
I don’t care how old you are a book like this is a butterfly classic and so perfect for the preschool/kindergarten crowd. It just so happens to be my 3 year olds obsession right now too. Make sure when you are reading it though to correct the word “Cocoon” to “Chrysalis” since moths have cocoons and butterflies have Chrysalises.
This book is breath taking! Honestly just incredible art. It has a calm cadence that really brings out the beauty of nature while also teaching important butterfly principles.
An accessible trail guide for little ones identifies common butterflies, moths and other insects. It is think and light but has wonderful illustrations and tons of information.
For the budding entimologist this book is perfect. It has every butterfly you can think of as well has a full text book of information on studying butterflies.
Documentaries
Wings of Life
Free on Disney + or you can rent it on Amazon Prime for $3.99 as of 4/24/20. Link above.
By far the best documentary on this list. You really can’t beat disney nature. This one focuses on Pollination so you’ll see butterflies, bees, hummingbirds, and bats as well as the evolutionary history of plants. It’s much broader than butterflies but still gives a really beautiful view into their world.
Flight of the Butterflies
You can rent it on Amazon prime for $3.99 as of 4/24/20. Link above.
This documentary follows the research of a man who has studied Monarch butterflies for 40 years and ends with a spectacular display in Mexico. It is really facinating for older children and adults. With beautiful story telling.
Story of the Butterfly
Free on Amazon Prime as of 4/24/20. Link above.
This documentary gives really neat upclose and microscopic views of the anatomy and life cycle of a butterfly. It is a little older (you can tell from the graphics and film quality) but It held the attention of my youngest children the best. Very much like the science documentaries we remember from our elementary school years. Complete with the english accent from the narrator.