Raising Butterflies

Ian releasing a black swallowtail butterfly we raised from a caterpillar.

Books:  Monarch and Milkweed by Frost and Gore;  Butterflies by Hurtig;  Life Cycle of a Butterfly by Royston;  Monarch Butterfly by Gibbons

Reference Links:
Raise Black Swallowtail Butterflies Indoors
Papilio polyxenes

Using Maps

Map we made of the Island of Sodor (from Thomas the Train & Friends).

Ian and Eric love treasure maps!  This month I made maps of the yard marked with the location of a special hidden treat.  The boys used the maps to find the treasures.  Then Ian hid a treasure and made a map for me and Eric.

Map topics we discussed included legends and symbols, cardinal and intermediate directions, and bar scales.

Books:  Follow That Map! A First Book of Mapping Skills by Ritchie;  The Secret Box by Lehman;  A Map Is a Picture by Rinkoff;  Kat's Maps by Scieska

Eggs

Ian collecting eggs from our chicken coop.

Our chickens started laying eggs this month!  Ian collects the eggs every day.  The boys were excited to discover double yolks in many of the first eggs.

Activities:

• Rolling Eggs (Small Wonders by Garrett & Thomas)
• What's Inside an Egg? (Small Wonders by Garrett & Thomas)
• Imagine Hatching: A Guided Imagery (Small Wonders by Garrett & Thomas)
• Chicken Egg Development Wheel
• Read many books about eggs of various animals such as reptiles and fish

Books:  A Nest Full of Eggs by Jenkins;  Guess What Is Growing Inside This Egg by Posada;  Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Suess;  Amazing Eggs by Hodgkins;  What's in that Egg? by Baines;  How an Egg Grows Into a Chicken by Kant;  Chicks & Chickens by Gibbons;  Where Do Chicks Come From? by Sklansky;  Animal Eggs by Cusick & O'Sullivan

Videos:  Reading Rainbow: Birds of a Feather