Family Fun, Recipes, & Healthy Living
We love scavenger hunts. They are great for all ages & you can incorporate so much learning while exploring! We enjoy printing out our scavenger hunts & laminating them so we can use them over and over. I’ve linked some lamination paper we enjoy using …
We love scavenger hunts. They are great for all ages & you can incorporate so much learning while exploring! I specifically made this scavenger hunt to go along with our Insect & Arachnid themed learning activities. We enjoy printing out our scavenger hunts & laminating …
Activity 1
Print out and discuss the anatomy of a butterfly with your child. Allow them to color the parts as you name them. For younger children, have them practice writing the letters for the word butterfly. Say each letter and say the letter sound(s) each letter makes. For older children use this opportunity to have them practice spelling BUTTERFLY. Cover the word at the top of the paper and ask them to fill in each blank spot with a letter to make the word Butterfly.
Once you have finished working on the butterfly, you can read the facts listed about the butterfly. If your child can’t read, you or an older child can read to them. For older children, have them write in a journal their favorite facts about the butterfly.
Butterfly-Anatomy-busylittleizzy-LessonActivity 2
Go outside and explore nature. Collect sticks, stones, acorns and more. Discuss the anatomy of a butterfly and create one with your nature finds. You can also then create the butterfly life cycle to go along with your butterfly. Refer to the butterfly anatomy PDF from activity 1, if needed. Click here to learn more about this activity. For older children, have them write in their journal what they used to create their butterfly outside. For children still working on letters and words, have them write words and or draw pictures to share what they used to create their butterfly.
Activity 3
Use modeling clay or play dough to create a butterfly. Click here for our favorite homemade play dough recipe. Discuss the body parts of a butterfly. Refer to the butterfly anatomy PDF from activity 1 if needed. We found it easiest to start with the 3 main body parts, the head, thorax and abdomen. After that let the child chose what body part to add next.
Activity 4
Use drawing materials to create a butterfly in a journal. For younger children they can work on writing their letters as you support them in the spelling of the word butterfly. For older children, have them write down each word as shown in the PDF from activity 1. Give them the choice to draw a line to each part, color each part the same color as the word for each body part or even allow them to number each part and put that number next to each anatomy word they write. Refer to the butterfly anatomy PDF from activity 1 if needed.
Activity 5
Butterflies have bilateral symmetry. Teach your child about symmetry with this fun activity. Help, model or encourage your child to paint a butterfly body (head, thorax & abdomen). Now ask them to paint a forewing and a hindwing on only 1 side. Now fold the paper in half and open up to reveal a symmetrical butterfly. Discuss symmetry and what that word means.
Click here for more butterfly and insect learning activities.
Happy Learning!
XO Eryka
Insects & Arachnids OH MY! I bet you didn’t know this but bugs are a type of insect. Another fun fact, spiders are not insects, they are arachnids, which do not fall under the insect category. On the blog you will find I’m sharing a …
First print & cut out the words and letters. Now you have an option, you can laminate the letters like I did or not. I like to laminate, so we can use over and over. Plus you can use the letters over and over for …
For all my homeschool parents, here is a super fun way to work on writing letters, words & shapes. Izzy loves using the sand to create letters, words and shapes.
The first thing you want to do is find a low edge pan or box such as this & then you will add some sand to it. I linked some options below for you guys, along with colored sand. We plan to do colored sand & colored pasta throughout this year to keep it exciting!
If you are curious about dying pasta, below is a video I made to explain how. It’s super easy & Izzy loved helping make it.
commissionable links
You also can add some fun to it by adding little figures to the sand/pasta. For some kids this may be distracting, but for others, this may help them stay engaged & learning.
First you want to let your child explore the sand/pasta. Maybe start with an activity of looking for things in the sand that start with the letter you are working on or the theme of the word. For example, butterflies for the word butterfly. They aren’t going to focus on writing letters, if they haven’t first been able to explore the sand.
For the sand writing activity you can teach so many things, let’s start first with teaching letters. One option is to put a letter “B“ card sitting up in the sand, like the word “BUTTERFLY” shown in the image above. You can now ask your child what letter they see & what sound that letter makes. Then you can say, “Letter B makes this sound.” —make the letter sound—
Now you can model how to make letter be and say the steps as you do it. “Letter B starts with a big line down. Now a little curve and a little curve.” Finally it is your child’s turn to practice writing letter B.
You can also work on writing words, spelling & shapes. Follow the same steps for writing letters. You may need to use a tiny brush, wooden writing utensil or have a larger pan for words.
Click here to the Insect themed lessons blog post to see more like this.
XO Eryka
I you have the chance to check out these super fun coloring pages and our book suggestions then you know all about life cycles of insects. Step 1. Explore Outside & Collect Nature What should I collect? Anything fun you find outside. Some examples are …
I linked a bunch of fun and free printable life cycles below. These are great for you to talk through with your child and then allow them some independent coloring time. How is this educational? Coloring is important because it helps build hand strength & …
This post is sponsored by Juicy Juice, however as always, all opinions remain my own.
We are so thankful for the teachers Izzy had last school year. Although the year ended differently than originally planned, the teachers did what they could to ease the transition to at home learning.
Now before I dive into this school year and my tips for back to school prep, or our super easy and fun DIY Storage/Organization Center… we need to talk about last school year.
I am so excited to join Juicy Juice in honoring teachers as they continue to adapt a new normal of schooling through the 100% Thankful Teacher Contest. Parents, you can nominate teachers who have gone above and beyond at juicyjuice.com/thankful. Those teachers nominated could win over $30,000 in prizing and a Michaels’ gift card.
Now as we get ready to start this new school year, here are some ways we are preparing for back to school.
1. Stock up on Lunch & Snack Essentials & Create Independence
Have kids going to school, that will need after school snacking? Have kids staying home this year? Either way, I think independence is super important, for your child and for you.
I work full time & so does Izzy’s dad. This is why I created a snack station for Izzy. She can easily grab a snack when needed. We also have a water bottle filled for her that she can take around the house. In the fridge, within Izzy’s reach we have Juicy Juice 100% juice boxes and cheese & fruit (some cut up in containers). I don’t know if you are aware but Juicy Juice is 100% juice with no added sugar and is an excellent source of Vitamin C.
For mornings I know the day may be busier, make a meal available in reach. For example, make a sandwich or individually wrap up a slice of pizza from the night before. Another idea is to create a lunch in a bento box & place it in the fridge ready to go for after school snacking or at home lunch.
2. Create a Fun Home Learning Space Together
Whether your kids are going to school or staying home it’s important to create a fun space for learning/homework. It’s also important to have your kids get involved. Even if you don’t have much space at home, you can still create something special. A little lap tray can become their mobile space. Allow your child to decorate the side and underneath with stickers or use lamination paper to add their own art.
Which leads me to my next tip. Give your kids options and have your kids help you chose the space, or have them help decorate the space. One way we did this was by creating a pencil/storage organization center.
This is a great gift idea for friends & even for teachers. Or, like us, you can use it at home to help organize your school station. An organized space helps your child know where things are, which can reduce frustration and help keep them focused on learning.
Cheers to recycling our juice boxes!
Have fun creating & preparing for the year! Oh, and don’t forget to nominate a teacher at juicyjuice.com/thankful.
XO Eryka
This post is sponsored by Kleenex, all opinions are my own. I know many of us parents, we have not made a final decision on what school will look like for our kids this fall. For us, no matter what going back to school looks …