butterfly crafts

1-2-3 Come Do Some More Butterfly & Caterpillar Activities With Me 

Is April flying by for you too? Here are a few more super-fun butterfly & caterpillar activities that practice a variety of standards.

Since the apple & pumpkin-shaped number puzzles were such a huge hit in fall, I decided to make some butterfly-shaped ones for a springtime center.

butterfly activities, butterfly crafts, butterfly puzzles, skip counting activities, color activities, the very hungry caterpillar activities, caterpillar crafts, describing caterpillars and butterfliesThe puzzles help reinforce sequencing numbers, counting from 1-10, 11-20, as well as counting backwards from 10-1, plus skip counting by 2s, 3s, 5s, and 10s.

For something new, I've also included a set of alphabet letter puzzles as well. (Aa-Jj, Kk-Tt, Qq-Zz) 

Choose which puzzles are appropriate for your students. Print on a variety of colors of construction paper or card stock. Trim and keep in their own Ziplock Baggie in your math & alphabet centers.  These are also fun for your students to make one of their own. 

Have them trace & write the numbers/letters then trim. They can pick a partner and play "Speed Sequence" with them, to see who will be the first to complete their butterfly. 

butterfly activities, butterfly crafts, butterfly puzzles, skip counting activities, color activities, the very hungry caterpillar activities, caterpillar crafts, describing caterpillars and butterfliesBesides these "shape" puzzles, another packet includes 50 regular number puzzles for The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Some are vertical, others horizontal.  They come in color plus black and white and are a super-fun way to review Eric Carle's story, as well as practice the life cycle of a butterfly.

butterfly activities, butterfly crafts, butterfly puzzles, skip counting activities, color activities, the very hungry caterpillar activities, caterpillar crafts, describing caterpillars and butterfliesAnother math center activity featuring The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a 10 frames game, which reinforces numbers 1-10, number words, groups/sets, and addition.

Children pick a partner and take turns rolling one dice to fill in 10 frames 1-6; then use two dice, and add them together, to fill in 10 frames 7-10.

Before starting the game, children number the body segments. To reinforce number words, have them write the number above the 10 frame and the number word underneath.

If a child rolls an 11 or 12 they get to draw facial features on their caterpillar's head. The first one who completes their caterpillar is the winner.

butterfly activities, butterfly crafts, butterfly puzzles, skip counting activities, color activities, the very hungry caterpillar activities, caterpillar crafts, describing caterpillars and butterfliesEach month I do a glyph with my students, so I designed a butterfly one for April. 

Glyphs are a quick, easy and fun way to get to know your students better, at the same time practice listening and following directions. 

Because each glyph is different, they make a terrific bulletin board display.  No matter what grade I taught, my kiddos absolutely LOVED making glyphs.

In April I'm also trying to get my students to improve their writing by using adjectives, which help make sentences "come alive" because they are more descriptive. 

butterfly activities, butterfly crafts, butterfly puzzles, skip counting activities, color activities, the very hungry caterpillar activities, caterpillar crafts, describing caterpillars and butterfliesCaterpillars and butterflies are a perfect vehicle for that, thus the reason behind the "print & go" Butterfly Caterpillar Adjective Worksheets, great for Daily 5 word work, or your writing block.  

I’ve included 28 photographs of real caterpillars, along with an assortment of 32 butterfly photos. There are 4 on a page. Choose your favorites, print, laminate & trim, then have students take a look and pass them around.

real photographs of a butterfly and caterpillarAfterwards, discuss what an adjective is, and brainstorm a list of words that describe caterpillars and butterflies. Students then write as many words as they want on each of the worksheets.

Remind students to color the pictures, then include those words on their worksheet as well.   I've also included a "trace, cut & glue" option for younger students.

photographs of real caterpillarsFor more word work practice, after students complete their worksheets, have them write some sentences on the 8 choices of “stationery” provided, using the adjectives that they thought of. 

butterfly activities, butterfly crafts, butterfly puzzles, skip counting activities, color activities, the very hungry caterpillar activities, caterpillar crafts, rainbow activities, describing caterpillars and butterfliesFinally, to practice colors and color words, I designed a 3D Caterpillar Paper Chain Craft.

I’ve included word strips for all of the colors pictured, plus optional spellings for gray & grey

butterfly activities, butterfly crafts, butterfly puzzles, skip counting activities, color activities, the very hungry caterpillar activities, caterpillar crafts, rainbow activities, describing caterpillars and butterfliesCompleted projects look fabulous suspended from the ceiling, or used as a border along a hallway wall. 

Since a lot of teachers study rainbows in March, I decided to add a snake head pattern as well, making this a fun activity for St. Patrick's Day too.

butterfly activities, butterfly crafts, butterfly puzzles, skip counting activities, color activities, the very hungry caterpillar activities, caterpillar crafts, describing caterpillars and butterfliesToday's FREEBIE is entitled "Butterfly UT Word Play" and features 3 different worksheets with a butterfly theme, perfect for Daily 5 word work activities.

Students fill in the UT to make words; + trace, write and alphabetize words that rhyme with butter as well as fly. 

It's an "oldie but goodie" that I designed years ago before all of the design programs I use now.

3 different worksheets with a butterfly theme.
Students fill in the UT to make words; + trace, write and alphabetize words that rhyme with butter as well as fly.

Includes a mini certificate of praise.

- See more at: http://teachwithme.com/downloads/item/3042-978#sthash.yIR0lIO4.dpuf

butterfly activities, butterfly crafts, butterfly puzzles, skip counting activities, color activities, the very hungry caterpillar activities, caterpillar crafts, rainbow activities, describing caterpillars and butterfliesWell that's it for today. Thanks for stopping by.

I've got so many "idea piles" on my desk for Mother's Day, I best get to sifting and sorting to see what fun things I can come up with for May. 

Wishing you a productive and fun-filled day.

"The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough." -Rabindranath Tagore

1-2-3 Come Chew On Some Common Core With the Very Hungry Caterpillar and Me

the very hungry caterpillar activities, the very hungry caterpillar crafts, graphic organizer for the very hungry caterpillar, the very hungry caterpillar bulletin board ideas, common core the very hungry caterpillar, alphabet activities, shape activities, 3D shape activities, 3D shape crafts, 2D shape activities, hexagon activities, pattern block activities, pattern block shape activities, skip counting activities, skip counting by 2's, skip counting by 3's, skip counting by 5's, skip counting by 10's, color word activities, color activities, color crafts, alphabet crafts, the life cycle of a butterfly activities, life cycle of a butterfly crafts Since so many people read The Very Hungry Caterpillar, I wanted to use Eric Carle's cute little critter as a spring board to studying a variety of Common Core Standards.

I created the caterpillar template and made a list of all sorts of ways I could use it, then set about to design the details.   You can choose which one you want your students to do, or give them a choice. 

Teachers could also make up their own set and laminate to use as anchor charts

Make several sets but don't glue the body-segment circles together, to use for independent, sequencing centers or to play games with.  

You could also use them to  independently or whole group assess the various standards.

the very hungry caterpillar activities, the very hungry caterpillar crafts, graphic organizer for the very hungry caterpillar, the very hungry caterpillar bulletin board ideas, common core the very hungry caterpillar, alphabet activities, shape activities, 3D shape activities, 3D shape crafts, 2D shape activities, hexagon activities, pattern block activities, pattern block shape activities, skip counting activities, skip counting by 2's, skip counting by 3's, skip counting by 5's, skip counting by 10's, color word activities, color activities, color crafts, alphabet crafts, the life cycle of a butterfly activities, life cycle of a butterfly craftsIn The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eats the Alphabet, students trace and write upper and lowercase letters. 

I've also included a set where a bit of the butterfly's life cycle is also included with the letters. 

very hungry caterpillar activities, caterpillar crafts, spring bulletin board ideas, butterfly activities, butterfly crafts, 2D shape activities, 3D shape activities, alphabet crafts, skip counting activities, coin crafts, coin activities, telling time to the hour activities, spring word work, For example, for the letter  Zz, I added:  Zzzzzz sleeping in a chrysalis, and then included a butterfly pattern with the letters all over her wings to be cut and glued on the last section. 

Completed projects make a sweet spring bulletin board.  I've included a poster for the center of you display.

very hungry caterpillar activities, caterpillar crafts, spring bulletin board ideas, butterfly activities, butterfly crafts, 2D shape activities, 3D shape activities, alphabet crafts, skip counting activities, coin crafts, coin activities, telling time to the hour activities, spring word work, The packet also includes an alpha-pillar craftivity teachers can make, which features upper or lowercase letters, which actually look like the background pattern of Eric Carle's book! 

These make a wonderful  border, or puzzle center as well. 

very hungry caterpillar activities, caterpillar crafts, spring bulletin board ideas, butterfly activities, butterfly crafts, 2D shape activities, 3D shape activities, alphabet crafts, skip counting activities, coin crafts, coin activities, telling time to the hour activities, spring word work, very hungry caterpillar activities, caterpillar crafts, spring bulletin board ideas, butterfly activities, butterfly crafts, 2D shape activities, 3D shape activities, alphabet crafts, skip counting activities, coin crafts, coin activities, telling time to the hour activities, spring word work, There's also a set of uppercase, as well as lowercase (12-on-a-page) letter cards, with matching picture cards of things that begin with that letter, plus a set of word cards for those objects, which provides a variety of center activities and games. 

I also made a set of 2-on-a-page alphabet anchor charts, which feature the beginning letter object on the caterpillar's tail end. 

This packet makes a nice spring review, as I find that just because I've taught and practiced something with my kiddos at the beginning of the year, doesn't mean everyone retains everything later on.

very hungry caterpillar activities, caterpillar crafts, spring bulletin board ideas, butterfly activities, butterfly crafts, 2D shape activities, 3D shape activities, alphabet crafts, skip counting activities, coin crafts, coin activities, telling time to the hour activities, spring word work, The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eats a Rainbow, is a quick review of color words, plus days of the week, which follows the format of Carle's story line. 

There's a blank version, where older students think of something edible that color, then write it down and draw a picture of it, as well as a simpler version, where the black line graphics are on the page for children to color. 

I've also included a teacher's copy with full color graphics, so you can quickly make a sample to share. 

very hungry caterpillar activities, caterpillar crafts, spring bulletin board ideas, butterfly activities, butterfly crafts, 2D shape activities, 3D shape activities, alphabet crafts, skip counting activities, coin crafts, coin activities, telling time to the hour activities, spring word work, The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eats Some Numbers, is similar to the alphabet packet.

This caterpillar counts from zero to ten, where students trace and write the numbers as well as the number words

very hungry caterpillar activities, caterpillar crafts, spring bulletin board ideas, butterfly activities, butterfly crafts, 2D shape activities, 3D shape activities, alphabet crafts, skip counting activities, coin crafts, coin activities, telling time to the hour activities, spring word work, There are also caterpillar "body" circles for skip counting by 2s 3s, 5s, and 10s.

If you are practicing counting backwards from 10 to 0, simply have children put the caterpillar in reverse order. 

very hungry caterpillar activities, caterpillar crafts, spring bulletin board ideas, butterfly activities, butterfly crafts, 2D shape activities, 3D shape activities, alphabet crafts, skip counting activities, coin crafts, coin activities, telling time to the hour activities, spring word work, I've also included a "You Can Count On The Very Hungry Caterpillar" craft for teachers to make, just like the alphabet one mentioned above.

very hungry caterpillar activities, caterpillar crafts, spring bulletin board ideas, butterfly activities, butterfly crafts, 2D shape activities, 3D shape activities, alphabet crafts, skip counting activities, coin crafts, coin activities, telling time to the hour activities, spring word work, As with the alphabet packet, there are posters, anchor charts, games and a worksheet.

In all of the packets there are 4 patterns for the caterpillar's head, plus a variety of options for butterflies.

very hungry caterpillar activities, caterpillar crafts, spring bulletin board ideas, butterfly activities, butterfly crafts, 2D shape activities, 3D shape activities, alphabet crafts, skip counting activities, coin crafts, coin activities, telling time to the hour activities, spring word work, Since I have many requests for shape craftivities, particulary 3D shapes, I thought I'd make The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eats 2D & 3D Shapes, which reviews: the circle, oval, triangle, square, rectangle, rhombus, trapezoid, star, heart & crescent, plus 3D shapes: cone, sphere, cylinder & cube.

very hungry caterpillar activities, caterpillar crafts, spring bulletin board ideas, butterfly activities, butterfly crafts, 2D shape activities, 3D shape activities, alphabet crafts, skip counting activities, coin crafts, coin activities, telling time to the hour activities, spring word work, There are various options to choose from. Simply choose which "body segments" are appropriate for your students.

Older students can write the attributes of each shape on the back. One of the options also practices the days of the week.

very hungry caterpillar activities, caterpillar crafts, spring bulletin board ideas, butterfly activities, butterfly crafts, 2D shape activities, 3D shape activities, alphabet crafts, skip counting activities, coin crafts, coin activities, telling time to the hour activities, spring word work, On the last day the caterpillar rests in his chrysalis, then awakens as a beautiful 3 dimensional butterfly with the various shapes on its wings.   

very hungry caterpillar activities, coin activities, telling time to the hour and half hour, telling time activities, caterpillar crafts, spring bulletin board ideas, butterfly activities, butterfly crafts, 2D shape activities, 3D shape activities, alphabet crafts, skip counting activities, coin crafts, coin activities, telling time to the hour activities, spring word work, Since telling time is also a standard, I made a "clock-apillar" which reinforces time to the hour and half hour

Use as a whole-group craftivity, game, center or assessment tool.

very hungry caterpillar activities, coin activities, telling time to the hour and half hour, telling time activities, caterpillar crafts, spring bulletin board ideas, butterfly activities, butterfly crafts, 2D shape activities, 3D shape activities, alphabet crafts, skip counting activities, coin crafts, coin activities, telling time to the hour activities, spring word work, Like wise, we are also studying coins at this time, so I made a "coin-apillar" too.

These caterpillars feature a penny, nickel, dime, quarter, half dollar and dollar coins.

very hungry caterpillar activities, coin activities, telling time to the hour and half hour, telling time activities, caterpillar crafts, spring bulletin board ideas, butterfly activities, butterfly crafts, 2D shape activities, 3D shape activities, alphabet crafts, skip counting activities, coin crafts, coin activities, telling time to the hour activities, spring word work, The packet also includes "What's the Value?" caterpillar-coin worksheets.  

Finally, if you want to practice reading with a very hungry caterpillar, your kiddos will enjoy making the versatile "Word-apillar".

I use this craftivity as a super-fun way to build vocabulary and practice whatever “word work” I want to reinforce: Dolch & Fry sight words, word-family words, seasonal words, whatever...

I’ve included a list of 31 “word work” ideas, along with ideas for games you can play after you choose your words.  

Whew! That's a lot of Very Hungry Caterpillar options!  I hope they help your kiddo-caterpillars blossom into smart little butterlies! 

keepsake craft for mothers day, shoe print butterfliesToday's FREEBIE also features a butterfly.

It's one of my personal favorite spring craftivities, which makes a wonderful keepsake for mom, as the wings of the butterfly are a child's shoe print.

Do this with your butterfly activities, then tuck it away for Mother's Day.

Click on the link for the "Fluttering By With A Mother's Day "Hi" craft.

The very hungry caterpillar activities, the very hungry caterpillar crafts, money activities, coin activities, emergent readers, graphic organizers, story elements for the very hungry caterpillar, caterpillar activities, caterpillar craftsThanks for visiting. I normally don't post on weekends, but I finished so many things up over spring break that I wanted to share. 

Wishing you a relaxing and fun-tastic weekend.  

"Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself." -John Dewey

1-2-3 Come Do Some Word Art Activities With Me!

Tag! You're it; now you make a word picture! I am over the moon excited over Tagxedo! It’s a website that turns words, famous speeches, poems, quotes, etc. into a VISUALLY stunning word cloud picture! 

The possibility of ideas is endless.  Here are a few that I dreamed up for up-coming spring activities:

dolch word activities, dolch word anchor chart, dolch word lists, cvc word activities, cvc word list, cvc anchor chart, adjective activities, mothers day cards, mothers day activities, word pictures, great websites for early elementary, great writing websites, may writing prompts, mother's day ideas, kindergarten certificates, kindergarten graduation certificates, kindergarten graduation ideas, kindergarten graduation ideas, computer centers for early elementary, mothers day crafts, mothers day projects, mothers day word pictures, making word pictures, butterfly anchor chart, butterfly vocabulary, science vocabulary activities, The site is simple to use, so that even K students can be shown how to type in a list of words and create a special piece of art that can also become a card.

Brainstorm a list of words with students; write them on the board; students choose the ones appropriate for them and type them in.

These are three that I made for Mother’s Day. You can use mine, or have students describe their mom and make their own.  Click on the link to view/download the Mother’s Day word pictures.

Different fonts, colors and shapes are available to choose from, so each child will come up with a unique keepsake for their mommy.

dolch word activities, dolch word anchor chart, dolch word lists, cvc word activities, cvc word list, cvc anchor chart, adjective activities, mothers day cards, mothers day activities, word pictures, great websites for early elementary, great writing websites, may writing prompts, mother's day ideas, kindergarten certificates, kindergarten graduation certificates, kindergarten graduation ideas, kindergarten graduation ideas, computer centers for early elementary, mothers day crafts, mothers day projects, mothers day word pictures, making word pictures, butterfly anchor chart, butterfly vocabulary, science vocabulary activities, Another activity that you could do,  is to have students make up a list of adjectives that describe them. Students make a word picture about themselves entitled “ME”.

I chose the handprint shape for mine, but they could choose whatever shape that represents them, such as a shape from their favorite sport, a ballerina, their age, their initial etc.

Teacher's could also make a "High Fives!" word art picture for each one of their students as a card for preschool or kindergarten graduation, or as a certificate for going into the next grade. 

I've also made, "Look Who's Leaping Into ______ Grade!" filled with fun words associated with the school year. There's also a matching bookmark or slap bracket to go along with the certificates.

dolch word activities, dolch word anchor chart, dolch word lists, cvc word activities, cvc word list, cvc anchor chart, adjective activities, mothers day cards, mothers day activities, word pictures, great websites for early elementary, great writing websites, may writing prompts, mother's day ideas, kindergarten certificates, kindergarten graduation certificates, kindergarten graduation ideas, kindergarten graduation ideas, computer centers for early elementary, mothers day crafts, mothers day projects, mothers day word pictures, making word pictures, butterfly anchor chart, leaping into the next grade certificates, butterfly vocabulary, science vocabulary activities, Click on the "Look Who's Leaping!" template to view/download mine, or design your own with words specific to you and your school.

martin luther king activities, abe lincoln activities, dolch word activities, adjective activities, mothers day cards, motehrs day ideas, mothers day activities, great sites for teachers, great sites for kids, word pictures, kindergarten graduation ideas, kindergarten graduation activities, kindergarten graduation certificate, writing ideas for early elementary, writing prompts for May, poem ideas for May, poem ideas for early elementary, computer centers for early elementary, making word pictures, CVC word activities, CVC word anchor charts, Dolch word anchor charts, Dolch word lists, butterfly anchor chart, butterfly word pictures, life cycle of a butterfly word picture, butterfly anchor chart, butterfly vocabulary activity,martin luther king activities, abe lincoln activities, dolch word activities, adjective activities, mothers day cards, motehrs day ideas, mothers day activities, great sites for teachers, great sites for kids, word pictures, kindergarten graduation ideas, kindergarten graduation activities, kindergarten graduation certificate, writing ideas for early elementary, writing prompts for May, poem ideas for May, poem ideas for early elementary, computer centers for early elementary, making word pictures, CVC word activities, CVC word anchor charts, Dolch word anchor charts, Dolch word lists, butterfly anchor chart, butterfly word pictures, life cycle of a butterfly word picture, butterfly anchor chart, butterfly vocabulary activity,Tagxedo also has an awesome gallery featuring famous people.  Two of my favorites are Abe Lincoln and Martin Luther King.

How perfect to use word art, when studying these men. Have students plug in a speech, or adjectives they feel describe them.

What a wonderful vocabulary builder and great independent computer center to practice keyboarding skills!  It’s also a fun way for students to illustrate a poem or short story that they wrote!

I’m always looking for different ways for students to use Dolch and CVC words, so I typed in the various lists of Dolch and CVC words to make cute anchor charts. I made a header that says:  How many words can you spy?

Students LOVE  “I Spy” and “Where’s Waldo?” books, so this is yet another way to immerse children in word work in a fun way. Run off copies of the various word pictures and have students “spy” the words in the collage.

dolch word activities, dolch word anchor chart, dolch word lists, cvc word activities, cvc word list, cvc anchor chart, adjective activities, mothers day cards, mothers day activities, word pictures, great websites for early elementary, great writing websites, may writing prompts, mother's day ideas, kindergarten certificates, kindergarten graduation certificates, kindergarten graduation ideas, kindergarten graduation ideas, computer centers for early elementary, mothers day crafts, mothers day projects, mothers day word pictures, making word pictures, butterfly anchor chart, butterfly vocabulary, science vocabulary activities, dolch word activities, dolch word anchor chart, dolch word lists, cvc word activities, cvc word list, cvc anchor chart, adjective activities, mothers day cards, mothers day activities, word pictures, great websites for early elementary, great writing websites, may writing prompts, mother's day ideas, kindergarten certificates, kindergarten graduation certificates, kindergarten graduation ideas, kindergarten graduation ideas, computer centers for early elementary, mothers day crafts, mothers day projects, mothers day word pictures, making word pictures, butterfly anchor chart, butterfly vocabulary, science vocabulary activities, Have them jot down the words as they find them and then, for another activity, students can alphabetize their list.

Have students make tally marks next to each word to see how many times they found it in the word picture, to reinforce yet another standard!

dolch word activities, dolch word anchor chart, dolch word lists, cvc word activities, cvc word list, cvc anchor chart, adjective activities, mothers day cards, mothers day activities, word pictures, great websites for early elementary, great writing websites, may writing prompts, mother's day ideas, kindergarten certificates, kindergarten graduation certificates, kindergarten graduation ideas, kindergarten graduation ideas, computer centers for early elementary, mothers day crafts, mothers day projects, mothers day word pictures, making word pictures, butterfly anchor chart, butterfly vocabulary, science vocabulary activities, I've included an apple word art picture for all of the Dolch words for the following lists: pre-primer, kindergarten, first, second and third, + an apple for all of the Dolch nouns and an anchor chart that lists all of the words in their separate categories.

There are 8 CVC word posters. The shape depicts a CVC word. i.e. dog, pig, key etc. I've included an alphabetical list of all of the 338 CVC words used on the word art posters. Click on the links for the Dolch Word Picture Packet,or CVC Word Picture Packet . 

I also thought it would be cute to make a graduation certificate using those themed-words. dolch word activities, dolch word anchor chart, dolch word lists, cvc word activities, cvc word list, cvc anchor chart, adjective activities, mothers day cards, mothers day activities, word pictures, great websites for early elementary, great writing websites, may writing prompts, mother's day ideas, kindergarten certificates, kindergarten graduation certificates, kindergarten graduation ideas, kindergarten graduation ideas, computer centers for early elementary, mothers day crafts, mothers day projects, mothers day word pictures, making word pictures, butterfly anchor chart, butterfly vocabulary, science vocabulary activities, Click on the link to view/download the Kindergarten Graduation certificate word picture.

Word are is an interesting and unique way to plug in new vocabulary as it relates to the various science themes that you study, like butterflies. dolch word activities, dolch word anchor chart, dolch word lists, cvc word activities, cvc word list, cvc anchor chart, adjective activities, mothers day cards, mothers day activities, word pictures, great websites for early elementary, great writing websites, may writing prompts, mother's day ideas, kindergarten certificates, kindergarten graduation certificates, kindergarten graduation ideas, kindergarten graduation ideas, computer centers for early elementary, mothers day crafts, mothers day projects, mothers day word pictures, making word pictures, butterfly anchor chart, butterfly vocabulary, science vocabulary activities, Click on the link to view/download the Butterfly Word Picture anchor chart.

As you can see, I had an absolute blast on this site and hope you do too! Do you have a fun site that your kiddos enjoy or a personal favorite educational site?  I’d love hearing from you diane@teachwithme.com or feel free to post a comment here, especially if you use one of my ideas.

dolch word activities, dolch word anchor chart, dolch word lists, cvc word activities, cvc word list, cvc anchor chart, adjective activities, mothers day cards, mothers day activities, word pictures, great websites for early elementary, great writing websites, may writing prompts, mother's day ideas, kindergarten certificates, kindergarten graduation certificates, kindergarten graduation ideas, kindergarten graduation ideas, computer centers for early elementary, mothers day crafts, mothers day projects, mothers day word pictures, making word pictures, butterfly anchor chart, butterfly vocabulary, science vocabulary activities, For more technology in the classroom, click on the link to zip on over to my "pinteresting" pin board filled with  more creative and fun ways to use technology with your kiddos.

Thanks for visiting today.  Even though it's the end of April, the weather continues to be unusually cold here in Michigan.  We actually had snow flurries the past two days.  Boo and boo hoo too! Wishing you a warm and cozy day.

 "Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes.  Art is knowing which ones to keep." -Scott Adams

1-2-3 Come Make A Keepsake Butterfly Craft With Me

Are you studying butterflies for spring? This was one of my Y5's favorite units.   Because butterflies are such a popular theme, I designed this keepsake butterfly card your students can make for their mom for Mother's Day.  

mothers day crafts, mothers day activities, ideas for mothers day, mothers day gift ideas for kids to make, fathers day ideas, fathers day crafts, fathers day gifts for kids to make, butterfly crafts, butterfly activities, hand and footprint craftsIf you're all set for Mother's Day, the packet is very versatile, as  I’ve included 3 stationery templates to choose from to glue a butterfly to:  Fluttering by with a Mother’s Day Hi; Fluttering by with a Father’s Day Hi; and Fluttering by with a friendly Hi.

Students take off their shoe and trace it on their color choice of folded construction paper.  When they cut out their “butterfly wing” they will have two.  These sweet little feet become the "wings"of a butterfly that they decorate.

So that children know where to glue their butterfly’s wings, make a sample to share with them. So that their "wings" are not too far apart or too close together, explain that they should use the thorax as a guide before they glue everything down.

Because we had already studied butterflies, my students were familiar with the science vocabulary. If yours are not, this activity is a fun way to learn.

  Show students several ways they can arrange their butterfly. I think gluing them at a diagonal is pretty cool, and offers another teachable moment to introduce that spatial direction word, to help grow their vocabularies.

Beforehand, cut a variety of colors for the butterfly’s body and fold them.  I made a template for 3 different size thoraxes to accommodate the different shoe sizes of students.   Next, they glue only the head and bottom tip of the thorax down, so that it is 3 dimensional.  

little kids doing crafts, mothers day crafts, mothers day activities, ideas for mothers day, mothers day gift ideas for kids to make, fathers day ideas, fathers day crafts, fathers day gifts for kids to make, butterfly crafts, butterfly activities, hand and footprint craftsFor extra 3D pop, cut a small slit around the top of the btterfly's head. (I use an Exacto knife). Students bend a pipe cleaner in half to make a V-tip, and then curl the ends around a pencil. 

Insert the tip into the slit and tape the end on the back.  Students make adjustments by bending the antennae forward a bit.   If you don't want to fuss with this step, have children draw antennae on with a crayon or marker.

Run the little heart poem template off on a variety of colors of construction paper.  "I made this card especially for you. The butterfly's wings were traced from my shoe." There are 6 on a page, so rough cut them. Students choose one, trim and glue it to the corner of their card.   

Discuss symmetry and have children decorate their butterfly’s wings, by drawing shapes or designs on them, dotting with a bingo dauber, or Q-tip, or using stamps or stickers.

For that finishing touch, I added some dashed lines to look like the flit and flutter path of a butterfly.  Glitter and wiggle eyes would also add pizzazz.   Click on the link to view/download the Fluttering By Butterfly craftivity. 

Thanks for visiting today.  If you'd like to see some more Mother's Day FREEBIES click on the link to zip on over to that section of my site, where you'll find 30 more options! I also have an entire board on Pinterest designated for more free Mother's Day ideas, activities and crafts.

mothers day crafts, mothers day activities, ideas for mothers day, mothers day gift ideas for kids to make, fathers day ideas, fathers day crafts, fathers day gifts for kids to make, butterfly crafts, butterfly activities, hand and footprint craftsWell that's it for today.  My feet have hit the floor running this morning, as I'll be flitting to the vet with my poodle pup Chloe, along with a toddler and baby.  Hopefully this won't be too crazy...LOVE being a grama!  Wishing you an energy-filled day.

"As with the butterfly, adversity is necessary to build character in people." -Joseph B. Wirthlin

1-2-3 Come Make A Butterfly With Me

I used to make a perpetual Mother's Day calendar using some of the monthly artwork that my Y5s enjoyed creating.  Since we studied butterflies, I had a room helper trace my students' foot with their shoe on and then cut them out.  These sweet little feet became the "wings"of a butterfly that they decorated. 

mothers day crafts, mothers day activities, ideas for mothers day, mothers day gift ideas for kids to make, fathers day ideas, fathers day crafts, fathers day gifts for kids to make, butterfly crafts, butterfly activities, hand and footprint craftsSince the butterfly activities have been such a popular download, I thought I'd share this idea as a Mother's Day "craftivity." 

If you're all set for this holiday, the packet is very versatile, as  I’ve included 3 stationery templates to choose from to glue a butterfly to:  Fluttering by with a Mother’s Day Hi; Fluttering by with a Father’s Day Hi; and Fluttering by with a friendly Hi.

Students take off their shoe and trace it on their color choice of folded construction paper.  When they cut out their “butterfly wing” they will have two.

Make a sample to share with your students so that they know where to glue their butterfly’s wings.  I think these look interesting at a diagonal.

Before hand, cut a variety of colors for the butterfly’s body and fold them.  I made a template for 3 different size thoraxes to accommodate the different shoe sizes of students.   Next, they glue only the head and bottom tip of the thorax down, so that it is 3 dimensional.  

Cut a slit around the top of the head.  Students bend a pipe cleaner in half to make a V-tip, and then curl the ends around a pencil.  Insert the tip into the slit and tape the end on the back.  Students make adjustments by bending the antennae forward a bit.   

Run off the little heart poem on a variety of colors of construction paper.  Students choose one, trim and glue it to the corner of their card.  "I made this card especially for you.   The butterfly's wings were traced from my shoe."   Discuss symmetry and have children decorate their butterfly’s wings.  

For that finishing touch, I added some dashed lines to look like the flit and flutter path of a butterfly.  Stickers, glitter and wiggle eyes would also add pizzazz.   Click on the link to view/download the Fluttering By Butterfly craftivity. 

mothers day crafts, mothers day activities, ideas for mothers day, mothers day gift ideas for kids to make, fathers day ideas, fathers day crafts, fathers day gifts for kids to make, butterfly crafts, butterfly activities, hand and footprint craftsThanks for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN away.  If you'd like to see some more Mother's Day FREEBIES simply scroll down to take a look at this week's blog articles, or click on the link to zip on over to that section of my site, where you'll find 30 more options!

1-2-3 Come Do Some Very Hungry Caterpillar Activities and Crafts With Me

My life seems to be flying by!  Can anyone else out there relate?  I had planned to get these cute little caterpillars done the first week of April, but the past few days filled up with so many other responsibilities, that the caterpillars had to stay in their "chrysalis state" 'til now. 

the very hungry caterpillar activities, the very hungry caterpillar crafts, graphic organizer for the very hungry caterpillar, the very hungry caterpillar bulletin board ideas, common core the very hungry caterpillar, alphabet activities, shape activities, 3D shape activities, 3D shape crafts, 2D shape activities, hexagon activities, pattern block activities, pattern block shape activities, skip counting activities, skip counting by 2's, skip counting by 3's, skip counting by 5's, skip counting by 10's, color word activities, color activities, color crafts, alphabet crafts, the life cycle of a butterfly activities, life cycle of a butterfly craftsI hope you can still use them, or as the life of a pack-rat teacher goes, tuck these ideas away for next year.  Since so many people read The Very Hungry Caterpillar, I wanted to use Eric Carle's cute litter critter as a spring board to studying a variety of other things. 

I created the caterpillar template and made a list of all sorts of ways I could use it, then set about to design the details.   You can choose which one you want your students to do, or give them a choice.  A friend of mine liked them so much, that she plans to make 3 (a different one each week).

the very hungry caterpillar activities, the very hungry caterpillar crafts, graphic organizer for the very hungry caterpillar, the very hungry caterpillar bulletin board ideas, common core the very hungry caterpillar, alphabet activities, shape activities, 3D shape activities, 3D shape crafts, 2D shape activities, hexagon activities, pattern block activities, pattern block shape activities, skip counting activities, skip counting by 2's, skip counting by 3's, skip counting by 5's, skip counting by 10's, color word activities, color activities, color crafts, alphabet crafts, the life cycle of a butterfly activities, life cycle of a butterfly craftsIn The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eats the Alphabet, students trace and write upper and lowercase letters.  I've also included a set where a bit of the butterfly's life cycle is also included with the letters. 

For example, for the Zz letter, I added:  Zzzzzz sleeping in a chrysalis, and then included a butterfly pattern with the letters all over her wings to be cut and glued on the last section.  

I glued just the thorax portion to the last "body" circle and bent the wings up so that the butterfly looks like she's flying.

Older students could also make a list of a food the caterpillar could eat that begins with that letter.  You may want to read Lois Ehlert's book Eating the Alphabet (Fruits and Vegetables from A to Z) to give students some ideas.  Click on the link to view/download The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eats the Alphabet packet. 

the very hungry caterpillar activities, the very hungry caterpillar crafts, graphic organizer for the very hungry caterpillar, the very hungry caterpillar bulletin board ideas, common core the very hungry caterpillar, alphabet activities, shape activities, 3D shape activities, 3D shape crafts, 2D shape activities, hexagon activities, pattern block activities, pattern block shape activities, skip counting activities, skip counting by 2's, skip counting by 3's, skip counting by 5's, skip counting by 10's, color word activities, color activities, color crafts, alphabet crafts, the life cycle of a butterfly activities, life cycle of a butterfly craftsIf you'd like to review just the life cycle of a butterfly, you'll want to take a look at The Life Cycle Of The Very Hungry Caterpillar packet.  Students trace and write the words, then color, cut and glue the pictures. 

If you look closely, you'll see that I glued down just the thorax with this butterfly too, so it looks 3 dimensional, like the larger one above.  Click on the link to view/download it. 

the very hungry caterpillar activities, the very hungry caterpillar crafts, graphic organizer for the very hungry caterpillar, the very hungry caterpillar bulletin board ideas, common core the very hungry caterpillar, alphabet activities, shape activities, 3D shape activities, 3D shape crafts, 2D shape activities, hexagon activities, pattern block activities, pattern block shape activities, skip counting activities, skip counting by 2's, skip counting by 3's, skip counting by 5's, skip counting by 10's, color word activities, color activities, color crafts, alphabet crafts, the life cycle of a butterfly activities, life cycle of a butterfly craftsThe Very Hungry Caterpillar Eats a Rainbow, reinforces colors as well as the days of the week.  Before hand, brainstorm what kinds of things the caterpillar could eat that are the various colors.  Write these words on the board to help children with spelling.

Students trace and write the color words and complete the sentence with something the caterpillar ate that was that color.  Adding end punctuation reviews another standard.  

Children then draw and color a picture.  I've included my sample so that you can quickly make one to share with your students. Click on the link to view/download The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eats a Rainbow packet.

You may also want to read one of the following books for some great examples of rainbow-colorful food: I Eat A Rainbow, by Bobbie Kalman;  Can You Eat a Rainbow? by Anastasia Suen;  and/or  I Can Eat A Rainbow, by Annabel Karmel.   

the very hungry caterpillar activities, the very hungry caterpillar crafts, graphic organizer for the very hungry caterpillar, the very hungry caterpillar bulletin board ideas, common core the very hungry caterpillar, alphabet activities, shape activities, 3D shape activities, 3D shape crafts, 2D shape activities, hexagon activities, pattern block activities, pattern block shape activities, skip counting activities, skip counting by 2's, skip counting by 3's, skip counting by 5's, skip counting by 10's, color word activities, color activities, color crafts, alphabet crafts, the life cycle of a butterfly activities, life cycle of a butterfly craftsThe Very Hungry Caterpillar Eats Some Numbers includes counting from zero to ten, where students trace and write the numbers as well as the number words.  I've  included a butterfly pattern to glue to the last section if you want.

There are also caterpillar "body" circles for skip counting by 2's 3's, 5's, and 10's. 

the very hungry caterpillar activities, the very hungry caterpillar crafts, graphic organizer for the very hungry caterpillar, the very hungry caterpillar bulletin board ideas, common core the very hungry caterpillar, alphabet activities, shape activities, 3D shape activities, 3D shape crafts, 2D shape activities, hexagon activities, pattern block activities, pattern block shape activities, skip counting activities, skip counting by 2's, skip counting by 3's, skip counting by 5's, skip counting by 10's, color word activities, color activities, color crafts, alphabet crafts, the life cycle of a butterfly activities, life cycle of a butterfly craftsIn all of the packets there are patterns for the caterpillar's head if you want it to be made out of construction paper, as well as a pattern that students can color, like the "Skip count by 10's" caterpillar in the photo.

Click on the link to view/download The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eats Some Numbers.

Since I have many requests for shape craftivities, particulary 3D shapes, I thought I'd make The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eats Some Shapes. 

the very hungry caterpillar activities, the very hungry caterpillar crafts, graphic organizer for the very hungry caterpillar, the very hungry caterpillar bulletin board ideas, common core the very hungry caterpillar, alphabet activities, shape activities, 3D shape activities, 3D shape crafts, 2D shape activities, hexagon activities, pattern block activities, pattern block shape activities, skip counting activities, skip counting by 2's, skip counting by 3's, skip counting by 5's, skip counting by 10's, color word activities, color activities, color crafts, alphabet crafts, the life cycle of a butterfly activities, life cycle of a butterfly craftsThis is the largest packet, as I've included a caterpillar that reviews 2D shapes, as well as the days of the week.  For this caterpillar, students trace and write the shape words, as well as draw the shapes

I've included a butterfly pattern with the various shapes sprinkled on the wings, if you'd like to include that on the last "body" section.  For a cool 3D effect, fold the wings up and glue only the thorax portion down.

Another caterpillar, is a cut and glue the 2D shapes on the "body" circles.  Besides the standard 2D shapes, you can also choose to include the hexagon, pentagon, & octagon, and/or the pattern block shapes: rhombus and trapezoid

There's also a separate caterpillar that simply eats all of the 3D shapes. As with the above activity, students cut and glue the 3D shapes to the "body" circles.  Click on the link to view/download The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eats Some Shapes.

the very hungry caterpillar activities, the very hungry caterpillar crafts, graphic organizer for the very hungry caterpillar, the very hungry caterpillar bulletin board ideas, common core the very hungry caterpillar, alphabet activities, shape activities, 3D shape activities, 3D shape crafts, 2D shape activities, hexagon activities, pattern block activities, pattern block shape activities, skip counting activities, skip counting by 2's, skip counting by 3's, skip counting by 5's, skip counting by 10's, color word activities, color activities, color crafts, alphabet crafts, the life cycle of a butterfly activities, life cycle of a butterfly craftsFinally, rather than make a caterpillar that covered story elements using this pattern, I made a graphic organizer - worksheet, to change things up a bit. 

To save you time, I included a template with the answers, so that you can make a quick sample to share with your students. Click on the link to view/download the graphic organizer for The Very Hungry Caterpillar's story elements. 

the very hungry caterpillar activities, the very hungry caterpillar crafts, graphic organizer for the very hungry caterpillar, the very hungry caterpillar bulletin board ideas, common core the very hungry caterpillar, alphabet activities, shape activities, 3D shape activities, 3D shape crafts, 2D shape activities, hexagon activities, pattern block activities, pattern block shape activities, skip counting activities, skip counting by 2's, skip counting by 3's, skip counting by 5's, skip counting by 10's, color word activities, color activities, color crafts, alphabet crafts, the life cycle of a butterfly activities, life cycle of a butterfly craftsThanks for visiting today.  As always, feel free to PIN away.   

 "Everyone is like a [caterpillar].  They start out ugly and awkward, and then morph into beautiful and graceful butterflies that everyone loves." -Drew Barrymore

Fluttering With The Butterflies:  Hands-On "Craftivities"

April is the time that I launched my huge unit on butterflies.  It was my Y5’s favorite unit whenever we graphed “favorites”.

I ordered live larva from Insect Lore and my students were amazed to see the eggs hatch into hair-thin caterpillars, eat their way into chubby pencil-thick caterpillars, assume the J-position and spin a chrysalis, finally turning into 5 Painted Lady butterflies that were seen flying around their netted house in about 14 days time.butterfly crafts, butterfly activities, life cycle of a butterfly, activities to show the life cycle of a butterfly, butterfly centers, butterfly projects, butterfly art projects, butterfly booklets, butterfly activities for preschool kindergarten and first grade, butterfly writing prompts,

butterfly crafts, butterfly activities, life cycle of a butterfly, activities to show the life cycle of a butterfly, butterfly centers, butterfly projects, butterfly art projects, butterfly booklets, butterfly activities for preschool kindergarten and first grade, butterfly writing prompts, Every day was hands-on with a large variety of “craftivities” games, and songs that immersed them in the amazing life cycle of the butterfly.

They couldn’t wait to be part of the adventure, create something and become part of the “magic”.

If you subscribed to Mailbox Magazine in 2007-2008 you saw lots of butterfly activities in the Preschool and Kindergarten/First Grade issues by Diane Tondreau-Flohr. 

I think they published over 50 of my designs that were kid-tested and teacher approved for nailing standards and being especially fun.

I’ve since designed zillions more.  Here are a few of my favorites:

The Butterfly, pictured above,is an easy reader that goes through the various parts of the butterfly's life cycle while reviewing spatial directions. By adding a child's school photo to the butterfly, you make this an extra special keepsake.

The Shapes on My Butterfly is also an easy reader, but reviews the 6 basic shapes.  Where Did All The Butterflies Go? practices simple subtraction skills.

Click on the links to view/download these copy-ready booklets, perfect for your writing center or Daily 5 activities.

butterfly crafts, butterfly activities, life cycle of a butterfly, activities to show the life cycle of a butterfly, butterfly centers, butterfly projects, butterfly art projects, butterfly booklets, butterfly activities for preschool kindergarten and first grade, butterfly writing prompts, If you’re looking for some tabletop or center activities, the 95-page Butterfly Unit is sure to have something to keep your students engaged.

If hands-on “craftivities” that nail standards, teach science, make awesome displays and keep students interested, is what you’re looking for, then you’ll want to check out the 153-page Butterfly Art & Activity book 1 or the 105-page Art & Activity book 2

I think my Y5's all-time favorite activity was the "Flutter Flapper".  This explained the entire life cycle of a butterfly. Students hung onto the pipe cleaner which represented the caterpillar stage and was a  "handle" that they flapped. 

It made their butterfly's wings go up and down as they pranced around the room to whatever music they voted on.

The thorax represents the crysalis and the pony bead on the pipecleaner is the egg. I've included a song and directions of how to manipulate the flapper through the various stages.

life cycle of a butterfly, butterfly activities, butterfly crafts, butterfly science, butterfly bulletin boards, A parent favorite, was the life cycle done with fingerprints.

butterfly crafts, butterfly activities, life cycle of a butterfly, activities to show the life cycle of a butterfly, butterfly centers, butterfly projects, butterfly art projects, butterfly booklets, butterfly activities for preschool kindergarten and first grade, butterfly writing prompts, butterfly crafts, butterfly activities, life cycle of a butterfly, activities to show the life cycle of a butterfly, butterfly centers, butterfly projects, butterfly art projects, butterfly booklets, butterfly activities for preschool kindergarten and first grade, butterfly writing prompts, The most impressive looking project was our butterfly file folders, which qualified as our scientific research study. 

On the outside they looked like a simple file folder. 

When you opened them up another folder was cut into the shape of a butterfly and contained all sorts of facts printed on a variety of colored shapes which reviewed 2 more standards.

butterfly crafts, butterfly activities, life cycle of a butterfly, activities to show the life cycle of a butterfly, butterfly centers, butterfly projects, butterfly art projects, butterfly booklets, butterfly activities for preschool kindergarten and first grade, butterfly writing prompts, butterfly crafts, butterfly activities, life cycle of a butterfly, activities to show the life cycle of a butterfly, butterfly centers, butterfly projects, butterfly art projects, butterfly booklets, butterfly activities for preschool kindergarten and first grade, butterfly writing prompts, butterfly crafts, butterfly activities, life cycle of a butterfly, activities to show the life cycle of a butterfly, butterfly centers, butterfly projects, butterfly art projects, butterfly booklets, butterfly activities for preschool kindergarten and first grade, butterfly writing prompts, butterfly crafts, butterfly activities, life cycle of a butterfly, activities to show the life cycle of a butterfly, butterfly centers, butterfly projects, butterfly art projects, butterfly booklets, butterfly activities for preschool kindergarten and first grade, butterfly writing prompts, Students could choose from a variety of projects to show the life cycle of the butterfly. 

A few of their favorites were a crown, necklace, caterpillar and reinforcement hole activity.

These were set up as centers.  My personal favorite was the tissue paper butterfly collage made from Elison diecuts. 

I made the butterfly 3-D by simply folding the wings of an extra butterfly and gluing it to the top of the bottom butterfly.  Passersby could not believe these project were done by little kids, as the finished artwork was stunning. 

butterfly crafts, butterfly activities, life cycle of a butterfly, activities to show the life cycle of a butterfly, butterfly centers, butterfly projects, butterfly art projects, butterfly booklets, butterfly activities for preschool kindergarten and first grade, butterfly writing prompts, Butterfly Etc. includes 126 pages of projects, games and lots of songs that help teach about butterflies as well.

Click on the links to view/download these units.

I hope you and your students have as much fun flying through this stuff as I did designing it.

I know my students did, and our hallway always looked awesome fluttering with beautiful butterflies!

Do you have a buttefly activity you'd like to share?  I'd enjoy hearing from you diane@teachwithme.com or you may also leave a comment here.

Feel free to PIN anything you think others might enjoy as well.  I think sharing is so important!

"Education, to be successful, must not only inform, but inspire." - T. Knowlson