Raising Butterflies
Outdoor Activities for Kids

If you are looking for outdoor activities for kids that they will love, try..... RAISING BUTTERFLIES!

First things first....you need to find a Monarch egg or Monarch caterpillar.

You find these on......MILKWEED.

If you don't have any Milkweed in your garden, you have some options:

• Buy some Swamp Milkweed (my favorite) from the local garden center or nursery
• Grow some Tropical Milkweed ...but this takes time (instructions on link)
• Go to a "weedy area" near your home where there might be some Common Milkweed and check for eggs or caterpillars (below)

Activities for kids while raising butterflies:

1. (3-5 days) Egg turning black - caterpillar hatching
2. (4 times) Caterpillar is still for a long time - sheds its skin and eats it!
3. (10-14 days) Caterpillar spinning button of silk - attaches its rear - swings into "J" position
4. (less than 24 hours) caterpillar antennae becomes limp, caterpillar straightens and moves, skin splits - chrysalis appears!
5. (1-2 hours) Chrysalis dries - forms beautiful golden necklace
6. (9-14 days) Chrysalis turns black and transparent - Monarch wings can be seen
7. (less than 24 hours) Chrysalis gets slightly "cloudy" and starts to split from bottom sides - butterfly emerges!!
8. (1/2-1 hour) Butterfly pumps fluid into its wings - wings expand

Is your Monarch........

...............MALE.........................or.......................FEMALE?..............

Some math activities while raising butterflies include:

• Mark stages on a calendar and keep track of number of days and hours between the stages.
• Compare these numbers through summer broods - are they different as temperature increases?
• Keep track of how many leaves the caterpillar eats - does this change alot as it grows?

Kids Activities | Butterfly Gardening for Kids | Kids Butterfly Outing

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