Butterfly Unit (Pre-School)
Dakota has shown a growing interest in butterflies after seeing them in a book, so I created an entire unit for her to learn about these magical creatures.
Here’s what her Montessori-inspired butterfly unit looked like:
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Literacy
The Amazing Life Cycle of Butterflies: Take your child on the beautiful metamorphosis journey of a caterpillar with this book. It’s a lovely introduction to a butterfly’s life cycle.
Butterfly House: If I’m being honest, I bought this book for myself because its overflowing with vibrant illustrations. While the book is best suited for older children, Dakota loves studying each butterfly’s unique wing patterns.
Science
Vegan Paper Butterflies: No butterflies were harmed in the making of this activity! I downloaded a free set of digital butterflies from A Home For Design and printed them on cardstock. Dakota inspected the butterflies with a magnifying glass.
Life Cycle Spinner & Matching Activity: I purchased a digital download for $1.50 from Mama’s Happy Hive. You’ll need one brass fastener for the spinner.
Butterfly Life Cycle Figures: I love the hands-on experience that this life cycle set offers. It comes with four pieces that helps children understand the awe-inspiring metamorphosis of a butterfly.
Fine Motor
Do-A-Dot Coloring Pages: I created coloring pages which you can download for free by clicking here. Dakota filled each letter using do-a-dot markers.
Art
DIY Play Dough: My go-to play dough recipe is from The Imagination Tree. If you use glycerin, please make sure it comes from a sustainable source, like this brand. Pair the play dough with a butterfly cookie cutter for some creative fun.
DIY Butterfly Stamps: I made butterfly stamps by gluing wooden butterflies onto wooden blocks.
Sensorial
Sensory Bin: I added dried red lentils, measuring cups, and spoons into an Ikea Flisat table. Alternatively, you can use a plastic storage container or any other containers that you have on hand.
Language
“Sandpaper” Letters: Montessori sandpaper letters help children learn phonetics in a three-period lesson. I chose the letters b, c, e, and s (butterfly, caterpillar, egg, stem).
I wasn’t ready to invest in sandpaper letters yet, so I made my own by using glitter glue to write letters on index cards (I used different colored glue for vowels and consonants). This adheres to the same sensory concept for learning the alphabet.
If you want to learn more, Hapa Family has a wonderful explanation video on her Youtube.
I hope your little one enjoys this butterfly unit as much as mine did!
Did you try this unit? Let me know your thoughts by commenting below or tag me on Instagram @steffywaldrum.