The Ultimate List of Caterpillar and Butterfly Unit Study Ideas
This ultimate list of caterpillar and butterfly unit study ideas is the perfect companion for your lesson planning session. Simply browse through the ideas and select the ones suitable for the age group you will be teaching.
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Artists and Art History
Dive into the fascinating world of art, artist biographies, and art history. Among the variety of ideas shared below, there are both free and paid-for options. Unit Studies need not cost a lot of money. These options are simply shared for your planning convenience. Select one, two, or a few that will help bring to life your study of caterpillars and butterflies.
Artist Study: Maria Sibylla Merian
Maria Sibylla Merian, a German entomologist, naturalist and scientific illustrator, created nature paintings that captivate adults and children alike. Learn more about her and her art from one or more of the following books:
Artist Study: Albert Bierstadt
Albert Bierstadt painted beautiful butterflies, as seen in this collection (website). His enormous landscape paintings of the American west are also stunning! Learn more about Albert Bierstadt in this short online biography (website).
Artist Study: Thomas Gainsborough
Thomas Gainsborough is the artist of The Painter’s Daughters Chasing A Butterfly. Learn more about this 1700’s English artist and his famous artwork with this delightful picture study (website).
Arts and Crafts
Spend some time creating a butterfly art or craft project. These projects can be excellent at helping to develop small motor skills in young children. Several of these ideas are ideal for older children:
More Arts and Crafts Inspiration
- Check out this simple craft idea: Butterfly Cardboard Craft Tutorial (YouTube video)
- Lots of arts and crafts ideas to choose from: 30 Easy Butterfly Activities for Kids (website)
- Try a new fun art form: Watercolor Butterfly Tutorial (video)
- How To Draw A Monarch Butterfly (video)
- How To Draw A Butterfly and Cocoon (video)
- Nature Journal: Use any notebook to draw or paint the life cycle of a butterfly
- Learn the names and species of a variety of butterflies and draw or paint them
Artwork
Be inspired by butterfly-themed art. Do an art study, or simply try to imitate the art using a variety of art forms, such as acrylic, watercolor, or oil pastel. This list of fine art will get you off to a good start:
- Butterflies by Odilon Redon
- Yellow Butterfly by Albert Bierstadt
- Girl With A butterfly Net by Jeanne Bole
- The Painter’s Daughter Chasing Butterflies by Thomas Gainsborough
Book List
Choose from a selection of caterpillar and butterfly books that educate and entertain:
Food
Butterfly food inspiration is a fun addition to a unit study tea party or picnic:
More Food Inspiration
- Butterfly Party Food (website)
- Best Butterfly Themed Foods (website)
- Top 12 Adorable Butterfly Food Ideas For Kids (website)
Games
Children often learn best by playing games. This fun selection of games and activities will both entertain and delight:
Math
Butterfly math resources are abundant:
More Math Inspiration
- Butterfly Math Task Cards (Etsy)
- Learn about the Butterfly Theorem (website)
- Loving Living Math by Journey West
- The Butterfly Method for Adding, Subtracting, and Comparing Fractions (YouTube)
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Movies and Documentaries
Consider watching a butterfly-related film:
- IMAX Flight of the Butterflies Documentary (IMAX movies are always mesmerizing)
- The Incredible Journey of the Butterflies (PBS)
- A Very Hungry Caterpillar Animated Film (YouTube)
- Beauty on the Wing: Life Story of the Monarch Butterfly (PBS)
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Music
Engage in musical song and dance activities:
- Classic Music for Spring (YouTube)
- Learn about the Hopi Butterfly Dance HERE (website)
- Learn The Butterfly Dance Song for Children (YouTube)
- Stunning Butterflies & The Best Relaxing Music (YouTube)
- Little butterfly in the kitchen: Borboletinha from Brazil (YouTube)
- I know a little butterfly: A poem and summer hand play (YouTube)
- Waken sleeping butterfly: A Spring hand play of new life (YouTube)
Nature
Creative nature-based resources:
More Nature Inspiration
- Learn about Butterfly Families (website)
- Learn about Butterfly Metamorphosis (website)
- No Sweat Nature Study Live Classes for Kids (website)
- Learn How To Pin And Spread A Butterfly (YouTube)
- Monarch Butterfly Metamorphosis Time Lapse (YouTube)
- Butterflies of the World – Full Guide (website)
Poetry
A bit of butterfly poetry brings learning to life:
- Butterfly Poem for Kids (TPT website)
- To A Butterfly by William Wordsworth (website)
Butterflies Flutter By Nature Study
Guide for fun resources, projects, and experiments
What’s included:
- Habitats
- Life Cycles
- Metamorphosis
- Migration
- Body Parts
- Predators
- Defense Mechanisms
- Endangered Habitats
Puzzles
Children of all ages enjoy puzzles:
Quotes
Use selected quotes for memorization practice or copywork:
- What is a butterfly? At best
He’s but a caterpiller drest.
~Benjamin Franklin, 1739 - “Butterflies are self-propelled flowers.” Robert A. Heinlein
- And Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly.
- “As with the butterfly, adversity is necessary to build character in people.” Joseph B. Wirthlin
- “Butterflies are God’s confetti, thrown upon the Earth in celebration of His love.” K. D’Angelo
- Butterfly Quotes by K. D’Angelo
- “What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly.” Richard Bach, Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah, 1977
- “Would that I might always have the heart of chasing butterflies!” Japanese hokku translated to English, in Lafcadio Hearn, Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things, 1904
- “Happiness is like a butterfly, the more you chase it, the more it will elude, but if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit softly on your shoulder.” Henry David Thoreau.
Science
A list of creative science-based butterfly activities:
Writing
Writing about butterflies can make writing fun:
More Writing Inspiration
- Butterflies Writing Paper (website)
- Butterfly Handwriting Activities (website)
- Spring Butterfly Writing Activity (website)
- Four Stages of a Butterfly Writing Prompt (website)
- Learn about the Butterfly Approach to writing (website)
- How to write Butterfly in Stylish Calligraphy (YouTube)
- Notebooking: Write a poem or short story about a caterpillar and butterfly
- Create a butterfly note card and write a message inside for a friend or family member
Stories
Butterflies offer many life lessons that are best taught through stories:
Additional Resources
A few additional caterpillar and butterfly resources to consider:
Have you heard of the Mystery Stations Activity? It’s a favorite activity for children of all ages! (website)
Conclusion
Unit Studies are a fun and effective way to learn about a particular subject. Have fun planning your caterpillar and butterfly unit study. Be sure to check out more unit study and educational inspiration resources here.
