Adult-led activities
Butterflies make an excellent subject for an early years topic at this time of year. The theme can offer learning opportunities across the Foundation Stage curriculum, especially in creative development and knowledge and understanding of the world. The project is all the more exciting, and can literally be brought to life, when early years settings hatch their own butterflies.
Key learning intention
To look closely at change
Adult:child ratio 1:4
Resources
*Nursery World poster *poster showing life cycle of the butterfly and, ideally, a set of models of the various stages of the lifecycle of a butterfly *fiction and non-fiction books about butterflies for children to look at on their own and with their teacher *The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle (Hamish Hamilton, 4.99) *story sack to accompany the story *butterfly hatching kit, containing caterpillars, hatching house, food and clear instructions for use (See the back of the Nursery World poster for details of books, hatching kits and other resources).
Activity content
* Look at the Nursery World poster and talk about butterflies, their different colours and patterns. For the keen lepidopterist (person who collects or studies butterflies and moths), the butterflies on the poster are, clockwise from top left: queen butterfly, small tortoiseshell butterfly, chalkhill blue butterfly (Britain), zebra longwing butterfly (south-east US), monarch butterfly and morpho butterfly (Belize, Central America). Ask the children if they know what the butterfly looked like before it turned into such a beautiful creature?
* Read The Very Hungry Caterpillar to the children.
* Let the children retell the story using the props and encourage them to predict what will happen next.
* Invite the children to help you set up the hatching 'house'. Talk to them about what is included in the hatching kit and allow them time to ask questions. Encourage them to predict what will happen next.
* The caterpillars take three to five weeks to hatch, so try to use the experience as a means of developing children's understanding of time.
* Have available resources such as books, posters and replicas of the life cycle, to which the children can refer during the hatching process.
* When the butterflies hatch, and before releasing them, give the children plenty of time to observe them closely and to express their wonder and fascination with the creatures. Try to inspire in the children a sense of excitement about nature.
Extending learning
Key vocabulary
Butterflies, legs, antenna, egg, caterpillar, chrysalis (or pupa). Use the correct terminology, so children do not have to relearn at a later date.
Questions to ask
What do you think will happen next? What is this called? How many eyes do you think a butterfly has? Where are they? (Children will be fascinated by the butterflies' eyes, which could lead to them making up wonderful stories.) How many legs do you think a caterpillar has?
Follow-up activities
* Encourage parents to retell The Very Hungry Caterpillar to their children at home, ideally with some story props.
* Share other stories about butterflies.
* Visit a butterfly house, such as the one at Syon Park, west London. For others around the country, visit www.zoos.50megs.com. Most zoos have areas dedicated to insects and butterflies.
* Encourage the children to monitor the butterflies after their release, and any other butterflies that visit the nursery garden over the summer months.
* Share the poem The caterpillar on the back of the Nursery World poster.
* Talk about other insects and animals that lay eggs and their life cycles.
Child-initiated learning
Encourage children to develop their own interests and ideas across the curriculum by adding topic resources to the basic materials you have provided
Creative area
Additional resources
*Cardboard and paper in white and other colours *paint *brushes *clay and dough *pieces of material such as gauze or muslin *scraps of material, preferably silky or like velvet, and of one colour *sequins *glue *felt-tip pens and coloured pencils *scissors *materials to tie-dye Possible learning experiences
* Making drawings, paintings and/or models of butterflies or caterpillars.
* Making large sets of butterfly wings to use in role play.
* Reinforcing the children's learning about living things.
* Exploring shape.
* Developing an understanding of pattern and symmetry.
* Expressing ideas and preferences.
The practitioner role
* Refer children to the Nursery World poster and other pictures of butterflies for inspiration.
* Encourage the children to observe the patterns and symmetry of butterflies' wings, and to make symmetrical butterfly paintings. How could they make their patterns symmetrical?
* Draw children's attention to any shapes that appear in butterflies'
colours and patterns.
* Tie-dye some material with the children and add the pattern and colours when finished.
Outdoors
* Provide magnifying glasses that children can use outdoors when exploring butterflies, other minibeasts and the plants they live on.
* Provide a digital camera, or paper and paints, with which the children can record the creatures they see.
* Provide kites for the children to fly, or they may like to try to make their own. Explain how thousands of years ago, the Chinese were inspired by the beauty and grace of butterflies to make kites.
* Provide large role-play wings and headbands with antennae for imaginative play in the outdoor area. (Alternatively, the children may want to make their own.)
* If you have the space, develop your own butterfly garden (see page 17). If you have little outdoor space available, go to a local garden centre to buy some plants and make available old baking tins, soil, small spades and watering cans with which the children can make mini gardens. They can add plastic minibeasts to their garden if they wish to. Talk about plants that attract butterflies.
Ann Abd El Kader is head teacher of St Anne's Nursery School in Ladbroke Grove, west London
