Discovery Station has partnered with the Judy Center of Washington County, Washington County Free Library, The Hub at USMH, and Washington County Reads to bring hands-on STEAM education to the little ones in your life!

This week’s Wonderful Wondering Wednesdays features two craft activities!
Butterfly Life Cycle
Overview
This activity will have children making a model of the butterfly life cycle while also developing important skills like:
- fine motor skills (coloring, cutting, gluing)
- perseverance (sticking with the activity until it is finished – wait time is involved!)
- building vocabulary (life cycle, chrysalis)
Supplies Needed
- White Paper Plate – Crayons
- Brown Pipe Cleaner – Mini clothespin
- Small Stick – Tiny pom poms
- Green Paper, small piece – Tissue Paper, light green and pink
- Glue Stick
Instructions

- Color the entire outer ridge of the inside of the paper plate yellow. Leave the flat middle part white.
- For the chrysalis: cut a small square of the green tissue paper and form it into a “cocoon” shape over one end of the stick. Twist it closed around the stick. Please note: A chrysalis is part of the butterfly lifecycle and a cocoon is a part of the moth lifecycle. Both a chrysalis and a cocoon look the same but are different terms.
- For the butterfly: cut a small square of pink tissue paper, pinch together in a fan style, and clip the clothespin on it to hold it in place. Make sure each side of the paper is equal and fans out like wings. Cut a small piece of pipe cleaner, fold in half, and clip the clothespin to it so it looks like antennas.
- For the eggs: cut out a small leaf from the green paper and draw some lines on it to resemble leaf veins. Glue the white pom poms on in the middle of the leaf.
- Once your plate is dry, draw 2 black lines on the white flat part so you have 4 equal sections.
- Glue the leaf onto one of the sections. Glue the six poms on another section to look like a caterpillar. Glue the chrysalis onto another section and glue the butterfly onto the last section.
- Use a marker to write the life cycle names above each life cycle section: Write eggs above the leaf, write caterpillar above the caterpillar, write chrysalis above the chrysalis, and write butterfly above the butterfly.
Extend the Learning:
Take a walk and go on a butterfly hunt! See if you can spot different kinds of butterflies and take pictures of them.
Books about butterflies
The Reason for a Flower by Ruth Helle
Waiting for Wings by Lois Ehlert
How Does a Caterpillar Become a Butterfly? And Other Questions About Butterflies by Melissa Stewart
Counting Caterpillars

Overview
Learning to count is fun and interactive with Counting Caterpillars! Children will also be developing important skills like:
- Counting and identifying numbers 1-10
- fine motor skills (writing, cutting, gluing)
- building vocabulary
- following directions
- cooperation
**Counting Caterpillars craft courtesy of easypeasyandfun.com**
Supplies Needed
- 11 construction paper circles
- split pins
- one pom pom
- two googly eyes
- glue
- crayons
Instructions
- Write a number from 1-10 on each circle (one circle will make-up the head of the caterpillar and should NOT have a number on it).
- Use split pins to connect the circle. Start on the front side and push through to the back.
- Repeat using all of the circles
- Punch one more circle using the circle punch.
- Glue the google eyes to the circle, then use the marker to draw a nose and a mouth.
- Attach the head to the rest of the circles using a split pin.
- Glue the pom pom on to make hair.
- You are ready to start counting! You can close the circles and open them to count in order.

Extend the Learning: If your child already knows the numbers 1-10, create another caterpillar with higher numbers (or learning to skip count by 2’s, 5’s, 10’s, etc.) Cut out more circles and use them to teach addition (2 blue circles + 3 green circles = 5 circles), subtraction, etc.
Books about caterpillars and bugs
Little Kids First Big Book of Bugs by Catherine Hughes
Bugs A to Z by Caroline Lawton
Caterpillar and Bean by Martin Jenkins