Searching for Fairies in Butterfly Hollow
There isn’t anything much in the world that Alexandria loves more than fairies, so we were very excited when the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens announced the opening of their newest exhibit, Butterfly Hollow. Not only are there butterflies, but there are also fairy houses throughout the exhibit just waiting to be discovered. We celebrated the first day of Spring with a fairy hunt in Butterfly Hollow.
Alex and her friends navigate the zoo
Alex and her BFF, Sophia (and the back of Derek's head)
My Beautiful Alex
Aw, look how cute! Not. She's actually throwing tiny rocks into the air. Her head was coated with them!
Butterflies!
Butterfly Hollow is an enclosed butterfly garden full of spring blooms, interesting recycled art, and lots of colorful butterflies. The wine bottle tree was an interesting touch and the tiny fairy houses were very cute. The little kids liked the water fall. Bella liked picking up the tiny white rocks that made the pathway and throwing them in the air. Oh joy.
An Adorable Fairy House
Bella and her friend discuss the best pebble throwing techniques 
Brothers
Beautiful Spring Blooms!
Cute!
We visited the zoo today with our homeschool group and made some new friends! It’s so amazing meeting new families with which we have so much in common. The kids love seeing their friends and having fun. We’ve made so many great friends here in Jacksonville.
Ethan, Age 5 1/2
Alex watches the butterflies
Overall, Butterfly Hollow was very cute. It really paled in comparison to our visit to the Butterfly Rain Forest in Gainesville last month though. There were not many varieties of butterflies, the exhibit was very small, and the garden leaves much to be desired. It was very inexpensive, though, so you get what you pay for. It was only $6 for the kids and I to tour the Hollow.
Would we recommend it? Sure, if you’re already visiting the zoo. The fairy theme was cute but left a lot to be desired. The gift shop was small but had a few cute things. Alex got a butterfly ring and a fairy sticker book and Bella got a butterfly board book. It’s nothing like last year’s Dino Alive exhibit… but it’s not a bad way to spend some time.
My Four Babies 
Isabella, Age 23 months
It’s a glorious first day of Spring here in Jacksonville. Sunny and 80+ degrees, we’re blowing up the pool this afternoon for a little neighborhood backyard pool party. It should be fun. After a morning walking the zoo, it’ll be the perfect way to start the season. I love the blossoming leaves and blooming flowers and crave the outdoors this time of year.
What did you do today to mark the start of Spring? Did you spot any fairies?
Interesting
The Kids and their friends
Some of our homeschool friends
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Bye, Bye, Butterflies, Bye!
Our butterflies have set out into the world, soaring into the sky above Jacksonville and into the great blue yonder. It was kind of sad to see them go, but wonderful too.
Our last chrysalis hatched on Sunday and we’ve been enjoying our four active painted lady butterflies. We gave them a piece of orange to suck the nectar. It was really interesting to watch! The weather warmed a bit today and although it’s cloudy, it’s not raining. It was time to let our butterflies out into the world to enjoy the rest of their short lives. We read that an adult butterfly lives for 14-21 days. Rather sad, isn’t it?
As soon as we unzipped the butterfly habitat, the most anxious butterfly fluttered right out. The remaining three were not so interested and needed some urging. Each eventually flew carefully out and landed not far outside of the habitat, testing their wings. One of the butterflies kept landing on us, as if he didn’t want to leave at all. Bella squealed with delight each time one of the butterflies moved. The butterflies left one at a time, giving us to time enjoy each one individually.
Eventually, each of the butterflies took off and fluttered into the sky.
Our butterfly and ladybug experiences were phenomenal learning experiences. We released our ladybugs into the flower bed today as well. They are crawling merrily about the bushes, looking for an aphid snack. The children learned a lot about how things grow and change and gained a greater appreciation for living things. No matter how small, every life is worth something.
We’re keeping our butterfly habitat in case we decide to do this again. I definitely think we will. This is a project we could enjoy year after year as the younger kids grow up and begin to learn more about their world. Derek learned so much from our studies. Just this morning he was explaining to me how a caterpillar grows and changes into a butterfly…. for the millionth time. It sure made an impression on him!
Bye, bye, butterflies, bye! We will miss you.
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The Butterflies and Ladybugs Have Hatched!
Exciting news! Our butterflies and ladybugs have hatched! The ladybugs have been breaking free from their pupa throughout the week and emerging full grown. Their spots emerge over a day or so and their shells harden to protect their soft, filmy flying wings. I haven’t been able to get a super great picture, but here’s what they look like today:
We studied lady bugs last week for science, but I figured I wouldn’t post pictures until they actually did something interesting. The larva turned into stationary pupa about a week ago and just sat there, transforming on the inside. We read books about the ladybug lifecycle and found some great related printables at www.enchantedlearning.com. Learning about ladybugs from our books and literature really added a lot of depth to our experiment, and the hands-on aspect of our science experiment made the project very meaningful!
Look what we made!
Learning About Ladybugs
Alex got a shot of me reading to the crew
The butterflies have been resting within their cocoons for about a week or so too, peacefully sitting on the desk and nearly forgotten. I was gathering the children’s drawing pads this afternoon, looked up, and this is what I saw:
Two tiny butterflies fluttered their colorful wings from within the mesh habitat! Two more cocoons are yet to hatch. The kids ran over to see the new butterflies. I gently set the habitat on the middle of the table and all four kids crowded around to see the miracle.
Our fun insect experiment is coming to a close. The kids have learned so much about how living things grow and change. The child who got the most out of it was Derek, I think. He talks about the insects a lot and also compares their changing forms to how he is changing and growing up. Score!
We’re going to release our insects early next week when the rain stops and the sun brightens beautiful Florida once again.
I think we’ll miss our little friends. It has been an eye-opening experience and I’d recommend it to anyone with little kids.
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What Happened to Our Caterpillars? We’ve Got Chrysalises!
Our butterfly adventure has hit a new high! After 1 week and 3 days, our first caterpillar turned into a chrysalis. By 2 weeks, all four caterpillars turned to chrysalises, hanging upside-down from the top of the container. It was really neat to watch them transform. First, they would hang motionless from the top of the container, twisted rather like candy canes. Next thing we knew, they were rock-hard cases. While the caterpillars were hairy, the chrysalises were smooth and gray.
The caterpillars attached themselves to a paper sheet when they turned into chrysalises, and I attached this sheet to the top of our mesh habitat. One of our chrysalises fell to the bottom of the container as soon as he transformed and I put him on a napkin at the bottom of the habitat.
Now we wait. It will take some time for the caterpillars to turn into butterflies within the chrysalis. Our booklet estimates 7-10 days. We’ll watch them and wait patiently. The kids have really enjoyed this experiment and have learned a lot about how living things grow and change. We’re excited to watch as our beautiful butterflies emerge sometime later this month!
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Outside Art Time on a Summer-Like February Morning
Punxutawney Phil may have predicted six more weeks of winter, but we’re certainly not feeling it here in Florida. Did winter even happen? Today was another lovely, sunny day in the upper 70′s to mid 80′s. It was so nice that we couldn’t help but take school outside to the park. That is a definite benefit of homeschooling: our classroom is not confined to one space. The world is our classroom.
While the kids got ready to go outside, I gathered together a bunch of art supplies: construction paper, yarn, scissors, crayons, paint and paintbrushes, newspaper, pipe cleaner, and more. I cut our egg carton into three pieces and stacked everything into a rather precarious heap to be transported outside. We staked out the picnic table and covered it with newspaper to contain painty messes. Today’s first project: Egg carton caterpillars!
The kids had so much fun creating colorful caterpillars. Do you remember making these crafts in elementary school? I do. Bella ticked Derek off trying to paint his caterpillar. “No, Bella!” he exclaimed, “You is not invited! You is ruining it!” Ruining it is an interesting concept considering he likes to paint by flinging.. yes, flinging… the paint at his creation. Wow. We went through many, many baby wipes cleaning up Derek’s paint job.
Derek ran off to play and the bigger kids did a symmetrical cutting project, cutting butterflies from construction paper and making them into a pattern banner. Alex designed a variety of interesting butterflies and merrily cut them out. I drew Ethan’s butterflies and he cut most of them. He has had a lot of trouble listening this week and wouldn’t follow directions at all, frustrating both of us. In the end, we ended up with two pattern banners of colorful butterflies. Ethan ended up with fewer butterflies because he would not listen and kept unfolding the paper and cutting the butterflies in half.
Our mornings aren’t all fun and games and we did accomplish more than fun art in the park. After we finished and cleaned up all the mess, we headed indoors for the serious business of math and reading. Derek got his own profile on IXL.com today! The bigger kids love IXL and practice their math drills using the program daily. Now Derek is a registered preschooler. He had so much fun counting and labeling shapes! What a smart boy. He’s also rocking his phonics. Alex did awesome with her typing tutor today and made some big strides forward in math. We had a very productive day today, the best kind of day.
Now we have some adorable caterpillars sitting on our counter and pattern banners hung around the dining room. We sure know a lot more about butterflies today than we did this time last week! This has been a very fun unit. Who knows what we’ll do next?
A Rainbow of Glorious Butterflies Surround us at Gainesville’s Butterfly Rainforest
We traveled to a whole new world today. Fragrant tropical flowers lightened the air and the gentle tinkling of a flowing creek and falling waterfall serenaded our walk. The flowers were so fragrant, I could have lost myself in them. Hundreds upon hundreds ofbutterflies fluttered and flew through the air, soaring and diving and perching prettily on flowers and leaves. Every color imaginable graced the wings of these lovely insects, creating a variable rainbow above us.
To compliment our Butterfly Study, the children and I took a field trip to the Butterfly Rainforest at the Florida Museum of Natural History. Located in Gainesville and part of the University of Florida, the Butterfly Rainforest is something that can only be seen to be believed. We loved it so much that we toured it twice!
Bella's Secret Garden
Alex loved the beautiful butterflies!
Our friend Evie looks into the pond
Before entering the Butterfly Rainforest, we learned all about butterflies in the inside exhibits. The butterfly hatchery was really neat! We saw all sorts of cocoons and hatching butterflies. This really reinforced the information the kids have been learning about the butterfly lifecycle. The definite highlight of the butterfly exhibit is the huge, ourdoor, screened habitat full of flowers, a fish pond and waterfalls, and hundreds of live butterflies flying about, resting, eating, and chasing one another.
The sight literally takes one’s breath away. I had to stop and stare for a moment. The view was so stupendous, like something from a dream. I wish my mom and grandma could be here to see it. They would love it and, like me, could spend hours there.
Alex searches for the butterflies on her guide and labels them
Butterflies Feeding
My Four Little Scientists
Derek's Friend
There are 55-65 different species of butterfly in the Butterfly Rainforest and they come from all over the world. They are such amazing creatures. I don’t think I had nearly as much respect for them before our visit.
Our neighbors and friends Jordan and Evie came along with us on today’s field trip. It was really nice to get to talk and share the experience! This museum is something everyone who visits Northern Florida should visit! The best part is that, apart from the Butterfly Rainforest, the museum is free. The rainforest does cost money to visit, but it’s well worth the experience! I think it’s something I’ll remember for the rest of my life. I’ve been to plenty of butterfly gardens, but they paled in comparison to this. At 6,400 sq. ft, this exhibit is nothing to laugh at.
Bella and her BFF Evie
Alex's New "Hair Accessory"
Ethan and a lovely buterfly
Mama's Bella
I had fun with my new camera! There aren’t many places where one can get to close to so many live butterflies!
The kids were filled with excitement. They were awed by how close they could get to the butterflies and loved pointing out each one they saw. It was such a great learning experience. Today’s adventure taught them more about butterflies than reading a dozen books ever could. Real life tends to be the best educator.
Checking out the butterflies
Wonder
Mama and Bella
Can't Get Enough Baby Kisses!
Today’s weather was perfect for some exploring. I wouldn’t recommend going when it’s too hot or raining since it is an outdoor exhibit. I also can’t believe it’s 82 degrees on February first!
The kids loved how the butterflies would land on them if they held still for a few minutes. It was pretty awesome! They have been talking about it ever since.
Our Family
Look at that!
A butterfly lands on our friend
The Florida Museum of Natural History is a lovely gem that really should be enjoyed. It’s a bit of a drive from home (1 hr, 40 min), but worth every moment of the experience.
We finished off our visit with a picnic lunch and some art appreciation. There was a crazy statue of a man hammering or something. It raised its arm up and down with a clanging noise. Derek said, “I don’t like that guy. He is creepy. Lets get out of here.”
Alexandria really enjoyed her field trip. She says that seeing all the butterflies was the best part of all.
My favorite part? Watching them sleep in the car on the drive home, their brains thoroughly stimulated and tired from a morning full of new sights, sounds, and experiences. Isn’t that the best kind of morning? I love this hands-on, fun, and memorable-type of education. I think we all learned something new.
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Alex’s Amazing Stained Glass Butterflies!
Stained glass has fascinated people for centuries. It’s so beautiful and intricate, and the way it catches the light is awe inspiring. This evening, Alexandria and I made some wax paper stained glass butterflies out of wax paper and color crayon shavings. It was a colorful and entertaining craft that fit in nicely with our unit on Butterflies.
First, I carefully shaved crayons into tiny pieces in a bowl. Alex cut sheets of wax paper and drew butterfly outlines on them. Once the crayons were shaved, she arranged the shavings on the waxed paper, placed another sheet of wax paper on top, and I ironed them to melt the wax.
Crayon Shavings and Wax Paper
Wax-covered butterfly before ironing
Alex was excited to watch the wax melt and spread, transforming our butterflies into colorful masterpieces. I also managed to get wax all over the ironing board… ooops. Once the butterfly shapes cooled, Alex cut out the butterflies and I punched a hole in the top of each one. We fastened some hemp cord and hung them up to enjoy.
Alex is such a little artist. She’s always creating something new and interesting. She has already hung her beautiful butterflies on her bedroom window to catch the first morning’s light.
Now… off to scrub the rest of the wax off of my poor old ironing board…
Tiny Hands+ Construction Paper= Adorable Handprint Butterflies!
This afternoon, the little kids crafted some adorable handprint butterflies! What is more adorable than tiny handprints? Nothing much, really. I began by tracing Derek’s hands while Alex worked on her butterfly book and Bella wanted in on the action too. That kid is growing up too fast! She wants to be involved in everything the bigger kids do!
Tracing Hands!
Tracing Baby Hands!
We traced a total of six handprint per child, two handprints per color. I cut them out and made butterfly bodies. Then the kids helped staple their wings to their butterflies and colored them. They had so much fun!
Derek was very proud of his butterfly!
Busy Coloring!
Bella and her BFF coloring
I love seeing the kids so passionate about their projects. Learning can be such fun! Once the butterflies were merrily colored, we taped them to the window for everyone to enjoy. Derek and Bella couldn’t stop talking about their butterflies!
This Week: Butterflies and Caterpillars!
Our Caterpillars are getting big!
Today marks the start of our Living Things Unit, and our first area of study is something that metamorphosizes dramatically over its lifetime, turns into something bright and fluttery, and is the least-gross member of the insect family. Any guesses? Butterflies!
Our tiny caterpillars arrived late last week from Insect Lore and already they have grown dramatically!
Our Caterpillars Last Week
Our Caterpillars Today!
We started our day with Story Circle, reading a selection of books about caterpillars and butterflies, singing a few finger plays about the insects, and discussing the caterpillar life-cycle. The kids then made butterfly art and colored books about the life-cycle.
Derek's beautiful butterfly
Today's Butterfly Book Selection The Kids' Butterfly Books
Derek's Pasta Caterpillars
While the little kids were resting, Alex and I went into further detail. We began studying the difference between butterflies and moths, butterfly body parts, and predators. She started her butterfly lap book, coloring brightly colored pictures and learning lots.
The kids are having fun learning about living things. To make our butterfly unit extra special, we’re heading to the Butterfly Rainforest in Gainesville this week! On top of raising our own Painted Lady Butterflies, the museum will really reinforce what we’re learning and make it memorable. I think we’re going to have a fun month!
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