Dimensions Education Programs bring the missions of Exchange and Nature Explore to life with nature-rich, play-centered, whole-child learning. Last spring, one of the toddler teachers designed a project to respond to children’s interest in the life cycle of a butterfly. Notice how these toddlers explore with all their senses and stay engaged in this inquiry for days as they nurture, observe, and celebrate a caterpillar’s life.

April 4, 2024 – “Is It a Worm or a Caterpillar?”

Child looking closely at the ground

While outside in the Nature Explore Classroom, Blair (age 2 ) spotted a millipede and called it “a baby worm.” Since the creature was no longer living, it was easy for the toddlers to observe and generated some questions. Naya (age 2) looked at the millipede and said, “Butterfly.” We discussed what we saw and wondered many things, including, “How can we tell if it’s a caterpillar, and will it become a butterfly?”

Following the children’s interest and knowing that springtime in Nebraska was far in our future, I ordered caterpillars online and brought them into the classroom for the toddlers to observe.

April 8, 2024 – Day One of Our Observations

The toddlers were mesmerized by the caterpillars’ movements as they waved their tiny bodies at us. We also noticed the food at the bottom of the jar. This was my first time asking toddlers to make observational drawings, and they were excited to do this. Only a few seemed to understand that we were trying to draw what we were seeing. Notice the top left drawing, where a child drew a rectangle for the cup and next orange bottom to represent the food.

 

April 12, 2024 – Day Four – “What’s that Stuff?”

The children were curious about the caterpillars’ movement and how they breathe. They noticed the air holes at the top of the container and the missing food at the bottom. To understand more, we decided to read The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.

“What’s that stuff?” The children noticed a few more changes in the cup. The food was no longer solid; it looked like pellets. There was also web-like silk around the jar. “Why?” We grabbed our magnifying glasses to investigate.

 

April 15, 2024 – Day Seven – Getting Bigger

We came in on Monday morning to discover that our little caterpillars were no longer little! They appeared to have doubled in size, and some tripled in size. They seemed to be moving even more.

 

April 19, 2024 – Day Eleven – Move Like a Chrysalis

Today, 4 out of 5 of the caterpillars were now in their chrysalises. It seemed every time the one remaining caterpillar crawled close to a chrysalis, the chrysalis would shake. We wondered why. We had fun pretending to be caterpillars inside our cocoons, twitching occasionally and emerging into butterflies.

 

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April 22, 2024 – Day 14 – Time for a New Home

“Wait for me!” One caterpillar is left – now what? Our tiny little caterpillar we named “Baby” still has not made its cocoon. After 3 days in a cocoon, you’re supposed to turn the lid vertically in the new net habitat. But what about “Baby” – was “he” not ready? We decided to move him also and hope for the best.

“Baby,” the caterpillar spent all day exploring the new habitat. He crawled all the way out of his jar and up to the top of the net, then back down to the jar to eat. It was a lot of work for one little caterpillar. We revisited the book The Very Hungry Caterpillar and asked, “Will ‘Baby’ ever become a cocoon?”

 

While we were waiting, some children used Play-Doh and told me they made their own “caterpillars.”

 

April 26, 2024 – Day 18 – Baby Made it to the Top!

He is almost a week behind his siblings, but “Baby” has attached and is hanging down in his J-shaped form, making his cocoon. He might make it after all. Phew!

 

April 29, 2024 – Day 21 – We Have a Butterfly

We had a special surprise over the weekend. We have one butterfly. I’m sad to report that our tiny caterpillar, “Baby,” did not make it. He was hanging straight from the top, and when we bumped the net, it was clear he was no longer living.

So, the children and I talked about how sometimes this happens. Animals and insects eventually die. The children thought maybe Baby was sick. One of the friends wanted to touch him, and others wanted to look closer with magnifying glasses.

We decided we would return him to the earth and bury him in our dirt pit in the Nature Explore Classroom. Blair offered to carry him gently down to his final resting place. “Now can I touch him?” “Yes, you may lay him down,” I responded. She and other friends waved to him and told him goodbye.

 

April 30, 2024 – Day 22. – “Come Look!”

Never fear; our toddler’s hearts are perfectly fine and full of excitement for the remaining four caterpillars who made their cocoons and were still waiting for us. Over the following three hours, we had a front-row seat to the amazing emergence.

 

 

A snack for the butterflies: Orange slices and sugar water

 

Time to Release

 

Educator, Jennifer Stahnke

Jennifer Stahnke is a toddler educator at Dimensions Education Programs in Lincoln, Nebraska.

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