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Understanding the lifecycle of a butterfly

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In the last few weeks we had swan plants and Monarch caterpillars in the prep room. It gave the children the opportunity to observe them as they changed from caterpillar to butterfly, and get a deeper understanding of it’s life cycle. 

As we observed the changes, we used picture books and little clips on the iPad to support their understanding. 

The children did observational paintings of each stage, which challenged their thinking and creativity skills.

At the end they did a little puzzle to create the butterfly, which challenged their thinking and problem solving abilities. 

We put their paintings and the collage work together and made small booklets for them to take home, and revisit the learning with their family/whānau. 

The community in the prep room came together during this time to observe the caterpillars. Children brought their parents each morning at drop off time, and it was great to watch them explain the process to their parents. 

This created many opportunities for children to extend their exploration out of the centre. A week later one of the children brought a cicada shell, which opened up yet another topic for everyone to explore and learn from.