Why Choose Butterflies?

I chose butterflies as a theme to explore with the children because I find them fascinating and feel that the insects can provide colorful, interesting experiences to the children in the curriculum. I also wanted to explore the themes of a butterflies impact on the world around the children, how they change from one stage of life into another as well as introduce children to applicable life themes in an interesting way. My goal in teaching this theme is to provide children with new information in regards to different butterflies and to provide materials that allow the children to explore the world of the butterfly through their activities. This theme is developmentally appropriate for children since it is easily approachable by any child regardless of age. The theme of Butterflies is culturally relevant because not all butterflies inhabit the same regions. An example of this will be the most common butterfly which is the monarch, during the winter months the monarch butterfly travels down to Mexico to live there, which will provide children from the area or with family from the area a new topic for discussion. Further, it is a fun, approachable and rich sensory topic for children of any age. An activity that can be modified to meet the needs of children at any stage of their development will be the Fly, Fly Like A Butterfly activity which will teach children about the monarchs migration to Mexico through the use of song and will provide visual representations of the migration for those children who are not quite ready to read a map or globe. Butterflies and caterpillars are a unique experience since the bright colors, interesting characteristics, as well as their ability to fly fascinate children while at the same time will allow me to relate the insects to themselves by providing information about how much like caterpillar, the children are undergoing a metamorphosis that while longer than the caterpillars is just as special. The butterfly provides the children with rich sensory experiences to enhance daily learning whether it

is holding a caterpillar in their palm or watching the butterflies take flight at the end of their transformation. The children will also have plenty of open ended activities to keep them engaged throughout the theme including experimenting with different food sources that the caterpillar enjoys, what separates a butterfly from a moth, as well as what climates the caterpillar inhabits. The children will also be able to self correct many of these activities through their own observations, knowledge and developing problem solving skills. For example, the children will be able to experiment with the caterpillars by providing them different habitats and finding out what environmental factors contribute to a successful metamorphosis in the caterpillars. I have several changes in store for the classroom as well as activities for each of the eight learning centers that take advantage of Howard Gardners eight different intelligences. For example, in the discovery center I plan to have the caterpillars on display which will allow the naturalist to understand how the caterpillars interact with their environment and will sharpen the childrens observational skills as well as their vocabulary through observations of the creatures. The children will also have a chance to find out what a caterpillar and butterfly experience in their habitat as well as the contributions that the creatures provide to the environment through the use of the dramatic play area, where I will place butterfly wings and cocoons to give children the opportunity to explore the life cycle of the butterfly which will offer those children who are body smart a chance to explore new but developmentally appropriate physical challenges like moving around like a butterfly or finding out what it feels like for a caterpillar to live inside a cocoon. I will also provide sensory experiences in the art area by providing clay for the children to model caterpillars after as well as developmentally appropriate materials to create butterflies through simple everyday items like toilet paper rolls, glue, construction paper and glitter, this will give the spatially intelligent children an opportunity for relevant and hands on manipulative

activities that are self correcting and open ended. The children will also be able to read about the different species of butterflies and caterpillars in the world in order to discover the differences between butterflies in a variety of different geological areas. Further I will also provide the linguistically intelligent children a chance to catalogue their thoughts through the use of journal entries, tape recorders, and poetry relating to butterflies in order to allow the children to refine their linguistic abilities. I will also be providing different science experiments and cataloguing opportunities related to the caterpillars which will allow those students who are logicalmathematically intelligent an opportunity to categorize, organize, count, and discuss the caterpillars. I also will organize the schedule to arrange for large group, small group and individual activities that will allow children to make use of their interpersonal or intrapersonal intelligence by providing activities like creating models of butterflies or group observations to make use of group discussions as well as individual exploration. The children who are musically intelligent will also receive an opportunity to harness their skills through the music center where I will place lyric sheets from the song Fly, Fly, Fly like a Butterfly as well as mp3 tracks related to the theme which will allow the children to sing along with the songs throughout the week. The theme of butterflies and caterpillars is an open ended, sensory and fun activity that the children will no doubt enjoy because of its deceptively simplistic yet remarkably complex themes. There will be ample opportunities for exploration, for experimentation and for discovery which will keep the children engaged throughout the week. The theme will also lend itself to natural involvement with their parents which will enhance their learning by involving the family unit as a whole whether it is through the field trip to an actual butterfly exhibit or through making a home for their own caterpillars with their parents. This theme also encourages natural

scientific inquisitiveness and entices the children to be curious in learning about the caterpillars and butterflies by providing them with a point of reference as to how these individual creatures relate to themselves. The theme of caterpillars and butterflies will also provide the children with the skills necessary to develop their problem solving as well as sharpen their critical thinking skills, both of which are fundamental skills for academic success throughout their later school years.