The office leadership at my early childhood learning center ordered a caterpillar experiment kit for the classrooms. Above is a picture of the container of caterpillars. There are six caterpillars in the cup.
The kit comes with directions for how to keep the caterpillars and watch them morph into a cocoons and turn into butterflies.
I will post updated pictures as the experiment progresses. The students are very excited to observe real caterpillars.
This art activity shows the life cycle of a caterpillar turning into a butterfly. Early childhood students will be able to demonstrate their knowledge of how a caterpillar morphs into a butterfly.
Picture 1, top left of the paper: The caterpillar egg. A small grain of rice.
Picture 2, top right of the paper: The caterpillar. A short piece of yarn or pipecleaner.
Picture 3, bottom right of the paper: The chrysallis. A cottonball.
Picture 4, bottom left of the paper: The butterfly. Two elbow-shaped macaroni noodles colored in advance with food coloring.
The plague of hail lesson from Exodus 9:13-35 could be combined with the lesson on the rain and the Water Cycle.
The Egyptians and people in the land were told to gather all of their animals and servants and take cover. Hail was going to fall all over the land. Some people listened to God’s warnings; others did not.
Moses was told to raise his hand toward the sky. Then the hail started to fall all over the land of Egypt. There was hail and lightning. It was the worst hailstorm in Egypt since it had become a nation. The hail destroyed all the people and animals that were in the fields (verse 25).
Combine this lesson with a theme on the Water Cycle. Talk about precipitation forming in the clouds then falling/raining down and puddling on the ground then the sun heats up the water and causes evaporation back up into the clouds again.
Fill the science table with water and provide small watering cans for students to scoop and pour water.
For a science experiment about rain, fill a small clear cup with warm water. Cover with plastic wrap. Place the cup outside on the sidewalk on a cool day. Leave the cup outside for about 30 minutes, just enough time for condensation to form on the inside of the plastic wrap on the top of the cup. Bring the cup inside and look at the water droplets/bubbles on the inside of the plastic wrap across the top of the cup. Gently tap the top of the plastic wrap to make the water droplets drop down into the cup, symbolizing rain falling down.
Talk about precipitation as being either rain, sleet, snow, or hail. Talk about how each one of those forms of precipitation occurs.
Do a sequencing activity with pictures of precipitation falling down onto the roof, going down the drain pipe, puddle forming on the ground, sun coming out brightly, then clouds forming again.
Sing: Water! Water cycle! That’s rain! Water! Water cycle! That’s rain! 
First there is a cloud and it rains, it rains. It really, really rains.
The rain fills up the oceans, the oceans. It really fills the oceans.
Water vapor floats up, it floats up. It really, really floats up.
Water forms in the clouds. Water forms in the clouds. It really forms a cloud.
And it rains, it rains. It really, really rains.
This is a great experiment for the early childhood classroom. During early spring when the students are learning about seeds and plant growth, have them plant actual seeds in cups. This experiment obviously will go on for multiple weeks and the students can learn what happens in the seed cups week after week as they provide proper care.
Run an experiment as well. During a plant study, students learn that plants need sun and water to grow the best.
While planting seed cups for each student, plant one seed cup and place it in the sun but do not water it over the next few weeks. We put a popsicle stick in this cup to remind us not to water it since it was sitting on the windowsill with all the students’ cups. See the picture: all dried up.
Plant one seed cup and place it in a dark closet but remember to water it regularly like the students’ seed cups. See this picture: The grass seeds grew but the grass has a yellowish color. Not the healthiest growth without sun.
See the picture of a healthy grass seed cup: These seeds are green and growing better because they received regular sun and water.
Three nickels. One dime and one nickel. Fifteen pennies. Each one totals 15 cents. However you want to count it, it all equals 15.
Fifteen (15) is an important number today.
It was 15 years ago today that David and I began our married journey of life together in New Orleans, Louisiana.
That journey has taken us through valleys and up on mountaintops. I am thankful we have walked the journey together and look forward to many more years of adventures. After all, we were told on our wedding day that we were adventurous people.
Happy anniversary. I love you, David.
This is a great activity and experiment to do in an early childhood classroom when studying insects or the life-cycle of caterpillars turning into butterflies.
This is a fuzzy caterpillar. Mix grass seed with potting soil and stuff the mixture into a stocking/pantyhose knee-high stocking. Tie the end off tightly with a rubberband or rope. Pour water over the entire creation. Sprinkle daily with water. Watch the grass begin to grow over the next few days/weeks through the stocking, looking like a big fuzzy caterpillar.
This kind of looks like burnt meatloaf right now. I will post an updated picture as the grass grows.
