Butterflies
 http://everydaylearning.handinhandhomeschool.com/butterflies/

Butterflies

Posted on April 20, 2012 by admin

Your kids already know some of the basic facts about the life cycle of the butterfly and how you should never touch their wings. Take your love for butterflies a step further with some new learning ideas.

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How You Can Explore the Day:

1. Science:
   Begin your butterfly exploration with the Florida Museum of Natural History’s Butterfly Discovery Game. You’ll find some basic facts and then your kids can use the free online interactive to create their own butterfly. The neat part about this learning tool is that after they get to mix and match body shape, wing shape and color pattern, they’ll see how it matches up to one of 20,000 real butterfly species.
    
2. Science:
   Migration or hibernation? The University of Minnesota’s MonarchLab offers some of the most kid-friendly explanations about butterfly migration. As you read about the butterfly’s sun compass behavior, get your own magnetic compass out for a bit of orienteering with your kids.
     Of course, not all butterflies leave their habitat for the winter. Most of them hibernate, much like a bear. The Butterfly Lab is not that kid-friendly of a site but it will help you learn some basic facts about hibernation behaviors and butterflies.
3. Geography:
   Monarchs are known for their migratory flights from Canada to Mexico. Grab a map and identify these countries. Better yet, visit the Monarch Migration website and use their historic data to track migratory patterns. Poke around the site because they have excellent images, activity ideas, and science journaling prompts to help your budding naturalist think like a scientist.
    
4. Science and Latin:
   Butterflies belong to the scientific order Lepidoptera. Help your kids be a word sleuth and break down what it means. Hint: It’s two words, lepido and ptera.
     Start with this Wikipedia chart of Latin and Greek root words commonly used in scientific names. Brainstorm other animals that may have scales and wings. Do they share the same Latin root words? (Think about certain dinosaurs and snakes.) Print out pictures of different animals and organize them in ways that show how they are similar and how they are different.

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Butterflies Posted on April 20, 2012 by admin Your kids already know some of the basic facts about the life cycle of the butterfly and how you should never touch their wings. Take your love for butterflies a step further with some new learning ideas. How You Can Explore the Day: 1. Science: Begin your butterfly exploration with the Florida Museum of Natural History’s Butterfly Discovery Game. You’ll find some basic facts and then your kids can use the free online interactive to create their own butterfly. The neat part about this learning tool is that after they get to mix and match body shape, wing shape and color pattern, they’ll see how it matches up to one of 20,000 real butterfly species. 2. Science: Migration or hibernation? The University of Minnesota’s MonarchLab offers some of the most kid-friendly explanations about butterfly migration. As you read about the butterfly’s sun compass behavior, get your own magnetic compass out for a bit of orienteering with your kids. Of course, not all butterflies leave their habitat for the winter. Most of them hibernate, much like a bear. The Butterfly Lab is not that kid-friendly of a site but it will help you learn some basic facts about hibernation behaviors and butterflies. 3. Geography: Monarchs are known for their migratory flights from Canada to Mexico. Grab a map and identify these countries. Better yet, visit the Monarch Migration website and use their historic data to track migratory patterns. Poke around the site because they have excellent images, activity ideas, and science journaling prompts to help your budding naturalist think like a scientist. 4. Science and Latin: Butterflies belong to the scientific order Lepidoptera. Help your kids be a word sleuth and break down what it means. Hint: It’s two words, lepido and ptera. Start with this Wikipedia chart of Latin and Greek root words commonly used in scientific names. Brainstorm other animals that may have scales and wings. Do they share the same Latin root words? (Think about certain dinosaurs and snakes.) Print out pictures of different animals and organize them in ways that show how they are similar and how they are different.

Gifts to and from Nature/Pine-Cone Bird Feeder

Rootbeer applying the peanut-butter to his pine-cone. He made the pine-cone feeder at the Department of Conservation Program-Gifts to and from Nature earlier today.

Rolling the peanut-buttered pine-cone into the bird seed.

Hanging up his bird feeder. Enjoy birds!!

Department of Conservation-Gifts to and from Nature

Collecting items for our Nature Collection Projects.

Some of the items Rootbeer collected.

Creating with sticks and twine.

Rootbeer's gifts from Nature Collection.

Preparing for his presentation!

Presenting his stick decoration.

Presenting his Lady Bug House. The large stick collection the his right is also part of his collection! When we get home we are going to finish our pine-cone bird feeder that Rootbeer started (see previous post)!

Another view of his ladybug house.

Xplor-Butterfly Bombs

Butterfly Bombs

By Matt Seek

 on

Fri, 01/28/2011

Butterfly bombs are little balls made of soil, clay and wildflower seeds. You toss the bombs wherever you want a butterfly garden to grow. Rain will melt the clay and wash the seeds into the ground. In a few months, you’ll have an explosion of wildflowers perfect for any butterflies that flutter by.

Round Up These Ingredients

• Powdered clay (available at most craft stores)
• Potting soil
• Wildflower seeds (Make sure to choose wildflowers that are native to Missouri. The Grow Native! website can give you ideas for which seeds to use.)
• Water

Get Your Hands Dirty

1. In a mixing bowl, combine 5 parts powdered clay, 5 parts potting soil and 1 part wildflower seeds.
2. Add a tiny bit of water. You'll need just enough to make a thick, clay-like dough. Don't add too much at first; you can always add more water later.
3. Use your hands to roll the mixture into balls the size of large gum balls.
4. Put your butterfly bombs on an old newspaper and let them harden in a cool, dry place for at least three days.
5. Toss your butterfly bombs wherever you want flowers to grow. (Make sure it's okay with an adult first!)

Out-and-About: Eagle Days 2012

Eagle Watching and Ornithology with Mom & Dad!!

Visitors Center-Liberty the Captive Bald Eagle, this was the warm part.
It was a long, cold, windy walk to view the Eagles, but well worth the trip. We had a great family day!!

Rootbeer's Eagle Mask

A Male Cardinal

We learned that the smaller the talons, the smaller the pray and Large Talons=Large Pray. All of the previous birds were frozen and then were thawed out for observation. They will be re-frozen to study at a later date. The smaller birds are stored at the conservationists home freezer. The larger birds are stored at a local university's freezer. This was a wonderful informative observation, and learning experience for all of us!

Nuts About Nature-Nature Studies & Discoveries

Clearing a Path by Trimming Our Favorite Tree!! Then we took a long nature hike!!

Nuts About Nature-Nature Studies & Discoveries

Nature Study Hike

Rootbeer on the Rocks.

Mossy Rocks

Mushrooms on Trees

A Birds Nest in a thorn bush.

Deer Tracks

Nuts About Nature-Nature Studies & Discoveries

Balancing on a rock.

Exploring the creek.

Our First Winter Nature Study Hike

I am gonna jump in Mom!! Just kidding.

How does the water feel?

A beautiful view!!

Dried Moss

Dried grass, a box turtle shell and turtle bones