Changes to the Environment

Thematic Unit Topic: ______Butterflies________

Classroom Area: __________Block Area________

List the Items You Plan to Introduce and How Much They Will Cost (a minimum of 6):
Remember:
The items should be safe, child-directed, encourage the use of multiple intelligences and provide
opportunities for sensory learning).
The items should be reasonably priced, able to be made by the teacher or easily obtainable.
Try to use objects that are already in the classroom in creative, new ways.
Think about what items you might obtain through donations from family, local business, etc.

1. Shoe Boxes (about 3-4). These are free.
2. Leaves and twigs. These are free.
3. Build your own caterpillar. This will be blocks available in the classroom with pictures of different
parts of a caterpillar glued to them to make a caterpillar. This will only cost ink to print.
4. Plastic Butterflies (one dozen). This will be ordered for about $2.50
5. Caterpillars (one dozen.) This will be Popsicle sticks, about $1 dollar, covered with multi colored pom
poms, about $4.00.
6. Life cycle of a caterpillar blocks. Each block is made with a hollow block and just costs ink to print out
the design silhouettes of the different stages of a caterpillars life cycle.
7. Poster of a butterfly. Cost: $6.50
8. Life cycle of a caterpillar (hand-made). Large Construction paper, Cost: $1.
9. Old netting (donation)
10. Butterfly habitat photo, a milkweed garden photo which is the food source of the monarch butterfly
(this will be a printed poster to hang in the block area).
When will you introduce these items? (At the beginning of the thematic unit, throughout the unit
during a small group lesson plan, circle time)
I will introduce the items at the beginning of the thematic unit, shortly after the introductory circle time
activity and introduction to the thematic unit. I will introduce the build your own caterpillar activity, the
shoe boxes, leaves/twigs, and the caterpillar bugs first while the caterpillars are still being discussed.
Then as the week progresses and the childrens knowledge grows through more exposure to the
caterpillars life cycle, I will introduce the butterfly themed ideas so the children can have a general idea
of what the caterpillar will look like in the days to come, these items include the life cycle of a caterpillar
blocks, the plastic butterflies, and the poster of a butterfly.















Are there any special rules that the children need to follow when using these items?
The children should not place the twigs and sticks in their mouths, or use the leaves or twigs as
weapons.
The children also should not destroy another childs home for their caterpillars.
Children also may not rip the papers or the caterpillars apart and should treat all the items with
respect.









What do you hopethe children to learn?

I hope that the children gain a better understanding of the caterpillars life cycle ahead of time. That way,
they will have more knowledge to draw upon before hand for the ongoing science activity of monitoring
the caterpillars lifecycle. I also hope that the children learn about sequence of events by their ability to
follow the diagrams placed in the block area of the different life stages of a caterpillar.














What are some ways that the children can reflect on what they have learned?

The children will have a chance to reflect on what they have learned in several of the small group activities
planned throughout the week, such as cataloging the actual caterpillars life cycle or creating diagrams or
models relating to the caterpillars metamorphosis to a butterfly. The children will also have time to reflect on
this knowledge through video presentations, the dramatic play area, as well as story-time activities that relate to
books on the caterpillars and butterflies as well as the life cycles of both. The children will also have a chance
to study the habitats of a butterfly which will include the milkweed poster from the dramatic play area and the
rocky mountains of Mexico, which we will learn about in a singing activity during one of our small group
activities. They will also learn through their own observations of their own caterpillars and the butterfly
migration videos we will watch about the different habitats that both creatures need as well as what
characteristics make their habitats similar.