Littles Learning Link Up: April 23, 2019: Craft Highlight- Paper Plate Butterfly Life Cycle

Each month you will find:

• A seasonal round-up (usually toward the beginning of the month)
• Posts where I share what I have been up to with my early elementary children and the preschoolers I work with at our homeschool co-op (including occasional highlight posts where I share how we used ideas that have been linked up here on Littles Learning Link Up).

Each week, I will host a link up, where you can share either what you have been up to recently, or old posts that may go with the theme.  Feel free to link up more than one post.

Each week I will continue to feature a couple of posts from those that have been linked up. 

I hope you will continue to share your wonderful posts, and I hope you will find something new to try with your child(ren).

It would be great for everyone to stop by and visit the other linked-up posts as well. Check them out, leave some comments, pin those that interest you. Let's make this a real party and socialize with each other.

We have finished our metamorphosis/life cycle lessons in our class at co-op. Two weeks ago I shared the Pattern Caterpillar Crafts we made, and last week I shared the Symmetrical Butterfly Crafts. Then I decided we needed a craft that incorporated the actual life cycle. At the beginning of the month I shared my Butterfly Metamorphosis/Life Cycle Fun Round Up. There were so many great ideas that other bloggers allowed me to share in that compilation post, 30 to be exact. I decided I wanted to use one of them for our next-to-last Pre-K class at co-op.

I loved the idea of a Paper Plate Life Cycle, where you can see all the stages all at once, going around in a circle. There were a couple of different ideas for this craft shared on my round up, and I'm sure there are others out there. I decided to go with the one from over at Buggy and Buggy because it didn't require pompoms. I love using pompoms, don't get me wrong, but I had used them two weeks in a row for the caterpillars and the butterflies, so I wanted something different. As usual, I did make a couple of changes.

You will need

Paper plates (1 per child)
Yellow paint
Life cycle template from Buggy and Buddy
Green construction paper
Stick on gems
Black marker
Brown and black pipe cleaners
More pipe cleaners in assorted colors
Tissue paper (Green for the chrysalis plus various colors)
White glue
Scissors

In preparation I printed out the life cycle templates and cut them out. Older children could do the cutting on their own. I then cut the pipe cleaners to the required lengths: 2 inches for both the black and brown, I left the other pipe cleaners whole for now. Then I cut the tissue paper: 2 x 3 inches for the green, and 2 x 2 1/2 inches (with rounded corners) for the other colors. I also cut green paper into leaf shapes.

I do not have any pictures of the children working on this craft. It was actually "Teen Teach Day" at co-op while the parents had a relaxing morning of fellowship. 

I laid everything out for the two teens who were teaching the Pre-K class that morning. 

From what the girls told me, plus from the glimpse of the few finished crafts I saw, the children did a great job with this craft. I love that it was simple enough for me to leave with the teens along with some instructions, and each of the stage's parts sorted into plastic baggies. 

These were the instructions I gave them:

Tell them they are going to be making a Butterfly Life Cycle Craft. Remind them that the butterfly lays eggs on a leaf, and in a while out pops a caterpillar. The caterpillar eats and eats, and grows and grows, until it forms a chrysalis. It goes through a change, called metamorphosis (have them repeat the word "metamorphosis" after you). After a while a butterfly emerges. Tell them they are going to make each stage. 

First they are going to paint a paper plate. Place a paper plate in front of each child, and make sure to write their name on the back. Hand out the paintbrushes and put some yellow paint on the paper plate. Remind them to spread it out all over the paper plate. Have them make sure to get the edges covered. Give them a little more paint as needed. Set them aside to dry.

While the paint was drying they read some books and went to snack and gym. 

Once the paper plates are dry, have them glue the life cycle circle to the middle of the paper plate with a glue stick.

Each bag is labeled for the different steps.

Step 1 (Eggs):

Have them draw a line down the middle of the leaf, then draw little lines. Demonstrate with the extra leaf. Have them turn the leaf over and apply glue with the glue stick. Attach the leaf in the egg wedge. Have them add 3 "eggs" using the gemstones. 

Step 2:

Ask each child which two colors of pipe cleaners they want. You will just have to cut the pipe cleaners in half. When they all have their pipe cleaners, demonstrate how to twist them together. You may need to help some of them. When they are all twisted, hand each child a pencil and show them how to wrap the twisted pipe cleaners around and around the pencil. Again, they may need help. Then apply a line of white glue in the caterpillar wedge and have them attach their caterpillar.

Step 3 (Chrysalis):

Give them each a brown pipe cleaner twig and a piece of green tissue paper. Apple a line of white glue in the chrysalis wedge and have them attach the "twig." Then have them twist the ends of the green tissue paper together to form the chrysalis. It may help to have them wrap it around their finger diagonally, twist one end, then take it off of the finger and twist the other end. Put a small dot of glue next to the end of the twig and have them attach the chrysalis.

Step 4 (Butterfly):

 Ask them what two colors of tissue paper they want for their butterfly. Give them each two. Then set a black pipe cleaner in front of them on the table, going up and down (vertically). Make sure the two pieces of tissue paper are on top of one another. Have the children grasp them in the center and pinch them. Have them tet them on top of the pipe cleaner, then wrap the pipe cleaner around the tissue paper. Help them twist it and form antennae. Then attach it to the last wedge with a line of white glue to attach to pipe cleaner and wings to.

If they had time at the end they were to read another book or two. I will be sharing all the books read during this unit in my Learning About Life Cycles: Caterpillar/Butterfly Lessons post.

I was able to get one picture of a child with a finished project (I asked her mom if she could send me a picture).

Paper Plate Butterfly Life Cycle

Let's take a look at that review schedule real quick:

Last week I shared my review of CrossWired Science. 

This week I will be sharing my review of Techie Homeschool Mom. 

In May I will share my review for the first two books in the Hamelin Stoop series from 12 Gates Publishing, Pathway to Liberty, Elementary Math Games from The Critical Thinking Co., the book God is Better Than Trucks from Christian Focus, another picture book titled Nothing from Worthy Kids, a couple of online subscriptions from EdAlive, plus Supercharged Science.

Phew, yes we are still busy with review products.

Here are a couple of things I would like to share with you:

Butterfly Metamorphosis/Life Cycle Fun Round Up

Learning About Life Cycles: Tadpole/Frog Lessons

April Showers Brought May Flowers Round Up

Now onto:

Littles Learning Link Up Features

On my last Littles Learning Link Up post, there were 9 wonderful posts linked up. I will be sharing a randomly selected post and the top clicked on posts.

Please, don't forget to stop by other posts that are linked up. See what catches your eye, stop by, pin the post to a relevant board, and perhaps leave a comment to let the author of the blog know you have been by for a visit. I know I appreciate others commenting and letting me know they have read my posts, so I am sure others do too.

This week's randomly selected post is:

Hilbert's Mazes shared Hand Drawn Owl Maze Part Two - Free Printable PDF.

And here are this week's most clicked-on posts:

Nicole from Mama of Many Blessings shared Friday Art: Stained Glass Butterflies

Brandy from The Barefoot Mom shared 20 Creative Ways to Practice Spelling Words.

Join the Party!

I would love to have you join in this week! What sort of activities do you do with your young children? Do you have some favorite activities you would like to share? I invite you to link up below. I will be pinning posts on one of my relevant boards, and I would love to feature some of the activities each week from what is linked up.

Please know I may share a picture from your post and link back to it, along with sharing how we used your idea in our school time. By linking up you are giving me permission to use a picture from your post. I will ALWAYS give credit and link back. Additionally, if you choose to try out any of the ideas with your child, please make sure you give credit where credit is due.

Linky will be open through Monday night, to give me time to check out all the posts and get the Features organized. Please take the time to visit some of the other wonderful posts linked up.

No button currently, and there won't be one until I can figure it out seeing as Photobucket has changed things. Feel free to still share the picture in place of the button. Just link it to my Littles Learning Link Up permalink please.

I am sharing over at

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