Engagement for Kids
As a Butterfly Hero, you and your child have many opportunities to enjoy nature together. Share your child’s delight as plants grow and butterflies, bees, and birds arrive in your garden. Look for the following to experience the wonder first hand. Ask your child:
- Which flowers are most popular? Check out whether certain kinds of butterflies seem to prefer visiting certain flowers.
- Do the butterflies' colors blend in or stand out? Are they more camouflaged with their wings open or closed?
- Can you identify the butterflies you spot? Note their size and shape, the colors and patterns on their wings, and how they fly. Then use a field guide to search for their names. You could also go online to butterfliesandmoths.org for lots of helpful information.
- Can you get close enough to watch a butterfly's long tongue unroll? Can you use a magnifying glass to see the tiny scales that cover its wings.
- Observe leaves for tiny eggs and check back to discover caterpillar growth. Milkweed leaves with bites taken out is a first clue for finding caterpillars!
Here are some ideas for children to make the most of their butterfly garden habitat!
Explore Enchanted Spaces
- Create an Enchanted Wildlife Garden
- Grow a Sunflower Playhouse
- Hunt for Fireflies
- Dewdrop Discovery
- Animal Homes
Move
Discover
Share
- Roll Seeds into Balls and Share them with Friends for their Own Gardens
- Invite Friends to Make Rain Music
Play Safe
- Avoid Insect Stings and Bites
Note: Remind children to always wash their hands after working and playing in the garden and not to eat or taste plants outside of the vegetable garden.
Other Helpful Resources for Gardening with Kids
Check out our Kids Gardening for Wildlife page for more activity ideas to help you connect with nature. Use our Activity Finder to get the most out of your time to play outdoors, watch wildlife, and discover the wonder of nature.
