This has been our favorite way to learn about the lifecycle of the Butterfly. Sensory play is a great way to learn as the littles explore and play with the materials. This bin needs what is usually available in all our pantries, and the setup is effortless.
Materials needed:
- Sensory bin
- 1 cup Pasta shells
- 1 cup Rotini Pasta (tri-color pasta optional)
- 1 cup Farfalle Pasta
- 1 cup Rice
- Printouts (available below)
- Real/ fake leaves
- Sticks
The printable comes with colorful butterflies you can use in the sensory bin along with the lifecycle of a butterfly. Find the Free printable at the end of this page.
Dump the cups of pasta and rice in the sensory bin. Scatter the leaves and twigs around the bin and that’s it! Guide the littles to line the lifecycle cards and make a story with the sensory fillers. The idea is:
- Rice – Butterfly eggs
- Rotini Pasta – Caterpillar
- Pasta shell – Cacoon
- Farfalle pasta/ butterfly cut-outs – Butterflies!
It’s always impressive to watch the littles make their own stories of butterfly babies and adult butterflies as they explore, play, and learn! Review the lifecycle as they continue to play.
Store the contents together in a Ziploc bag to take out and play whenever they want. More play leads to more review, which in turn leads to mastery of the lifecycle!
Now, feel free to download the pdf below and dig into the wonderful world of butterflies with your littles!