Give your students wings to fly with this darling Butterfly Life Cycle art project. This project covers Common Core Standards for Science and Language Arts for grades K-1 which can be found at the end of the lesson.
Grade Level
Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd grades. This project was created by 1st grade students.
Objective for Butterfly Life Cycle Art
Students will create a collage about the life cycle of a butterfly – (for Catholic schools) symbolizing the Paschal Mystery.
Time
4 – 30 min lessons
Materials
- 12×18 Watercolor paper – Canson XL Series Watercolor Textured Paper Pad for Paint, Pencil, Ink, Charcoal, Pastel, and Acrylic, Fold Over, 140 Pound, 12 x 18 Inch, 30 Sheets
- Brushes – Acrylic Paint Brush Set, 1 Packs / 10 pcs Nylon Hair Brushes for All Purpose Oil Watercolor Painting Artist Professional Kits
- Liquid Water Colors – Sargent Art 22-6010 10-Count 8-Ounce Watercolor Magic Set
- Or this mini version for homeschooling – Sargent Art 22-6210 10-Count 4-Ounce Watercolor Magic
- Kleenex for blotting paint
- 12×18 Black paper – Tru-Ray – 103061 Sulphite Construction Paper, 12 x 18 Inches, Black, 50 Sheets – 054150
- Oil pastels – Pentel Arts Oil Pastels, 50 Color Set (PHN-50) or crayons
Inspiration/Artist
I was inspired to make this project from this awesome site That Artist Woman: Click Here
Instruction with Questions
First
I teach in a Catholic Elementary School. This project can be used at any time of year. I use it to prepare my students for the Catholic Season of Lent.
Depending on your use of this lesson or your time allotted, this is a great version of Holy Week by The Beginners Bible series.
The Story of Easter – The Beginners Bible
Next
Delve into the life cycle of butterflies. I never miss the opportunity to use the famous “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle
This video is a wonderful focus on metamorphosis for young children. “Bullfrogs and Butterflies“. It is great that it has animation and the words to the song. I actually invited my students to dance through the room as we sang.
I show them this video, “Hermie – Episode 1 – A Common Caterpillar – christian cartoons“
Second
Have students do this coloring sheet about the life cycle of a butterfly from peakcar.org
Click Here for site.
Third
I love using this opportunity to explore the Elements of Art – Line, Form and Pattern and Symmetry. Have students draw a variety of imaginary lines in the air with their finger or draw them on the white board. These are important to point out when drawing the insides of the leaf, the munched out parts of another leaf, a branch and the butterfly wings.
I had a 1st grader tell me she did not know how to make a leaf. I asked her to make her hand in the shape of a leaf (like a bowl shape using only one hand) and describe the shape. It is pointy on the end and like an oval. Using simple language and references can help any child have the confidence to draw anything.
Finally, introduce the definition of Pattern which will be used for the wings of the butterfly.
The Lines Song | Art Songs | Scratch Garden
Read Aloud – Lines That Wiggle By: Candace Whitman
Fourth
Begin a lesson on Symmetry. I sing a little song as I teach this, “Same on both sides (pause) Symmetrical!”
I also love having them practice these skills. Check out this one from preschoolmom.com
Or this one from Learning at the primary pond
Fifth
Connecting this to the season of spring offers all sorts of opportunities. There are symbols for new life, death and again, if you are connecting this religiously, resurrection.
In a class discussion, recall what they already know about Spring (baby animals, flowers blooming etc.) Recall what they already know about butterflies. Discuss the life cycle of a butterfly. I demonstrate this with movement. Crouch down in a ball and pretend you are an egg. Wiggle around as you walk like a caterpillar. Spin into a wrapped up cocoon and come out of the cocoon and fly.
Ask what they know about Jesus. Connect his life cycle in movement with butterfly life cycle. Discuss the symbolism of the butterfly at Easter and all new life. Use the vocabulary-Paschal Mystery. Life Death and Resurrection.
Next, draw four large squares on the board. In each square ask about what happens next for the cycle. Show them several ideas of how they can make their image large and fill the square. Students begin drawing ideas for butterfly life cycle.
Sixth
Pre-cut four squares approximately 4.5″x4.5″ out of 12×18 watercolor paper. Students draw each one at a time as directed. Remind them not to pencil fill in the egg. It needs to remain white. Tell them that it is great if they draw off the page. Make sure they write their name on the back of each square before they begin. If you do this over several class periods, paper clip their stack together each time.
Have them sharpie over all of the pencil lines and color or oil pastel fill in their drawings.
Finally, water down some blue or turquoise paint and have them paint the sky.
Finally
Pre-cut 12×14 size rectangles out of the black construction paper.
I glue down the squares in a window like format and add the statement below it.
Check out these finished Butterfly Life Cycle art pieces!
Common Core Standards for Butterfly Life Cycle Art
Grade K – Science
Life Sciences
2. Different types of plants and animals inhabit the earth.
a. Students know how to observe and describe similarities and differences in the appearance and behavior of plants and animals (e.g., seed-bearing plants, birds, fish, insects).
b. Students know stories sometimes give plants and animals attributes they do not really have.
c. Students know how to identify major structures of common plants and animals (e.g., stems, leaves, roots, arms, wings, legs).
Investigation and Experimentation
4. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations.
a. Observe common objects by using the five senses.
b. Describe the properties of common objects.
c. Describe the relative position of objects by using one reference (e.g., above or below).
d. Compare and sort common objects by one physical attribute (e.g., color, shape, texture, size, weight).
e. Communicate observations orally and through drawings.
Grade 1 – Science
Life Sciences
2. Plants and animals meet their needs in different ways.
a. Students know different plants and animals inhabit different kinds of environments and have external features that help them thrive in different kinds of places.
b. Students know both plants and animals need water, animals need food, and plants need light.
c. Students know animals eat plants or other animals for food and may also use plants or even other animals for shelter and nesting.
d. Students know how to infer what animals eat from the shapes of their teeth (e.g., sharp teeth: eats meat; flat teeth: eats plants).
e. Students know roots are associated with the intake of water and soil nutrients and green leaves are associated with making food from sunlight.
Investigation and Experimentation
4. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations.
a. Draw pictures that portray some features of the thing being described.
b. Record observations and data with pictures, numbers, or written statements.
c. Record observations on a bar graph.
d. Describe the relative position of objects by using two references (e.g., above and next to, below and left of).
e. Make new observations when discrepancies exist between two descriptions of the same object or phenomenon.
Grade K-1 Language Arts
Children’s adventure stories, folktales, legends, fables, fantasy, realistic fiction, and myth. Includes staged dialogue and brief familiar scenes. Also included are nursery rhymes and the sub-genres of the narrative poem, limerick, and free verse poem Includes biographies and autobiographies.
Kindergarten – Math
Measurement and Data
Describe and compare measurable attributes.
- Describe measurable attributes of objects, such as length or weight. And, describe several measurable attributes of a single object.
- Directly compare two objects with a measurable attribute in common, to see which object has “more of”/“less of” the attribute, and describe the difference.
Classify objects and count the number of objects in each category. - Classify objects into given categories; count the numbers of objects in each category and sort the categories by count.
Geometry
Identify and describe shapes (squares, circles, triangles, rectangles, hexagons, cubes, cones, cylinders, and spheres).
- Describe objects in the environment using names of shapes, and describe the relative positions of these objects using
terms such as above, below, beside, in front of, behind, and next to. - Correctly name shapes regardless of their orientations or overall size.
- Identify shapes as two-dimensional (lying in a plane, “flat”) or three-dimensional (“solid”).
Analyze, compare, create, and compose shapes.
- Analyze and compare two- and three-dimensional shapes, in different sizes and orientations, using informal language
to describe their similarities, differences, parts (e.g., number of sides and vertices/“corners”) and other attributes
(e.g., having sides of equal length).
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