Over the years, your child has probably seen butterflies fluttering through the air, or they might have even raised them in their classrooms for a short while. However, did you know that monarchs, just like birds and other animals, migrate to a different region of the world for the winter season?
The Monarch butterfly, a butterfly characterized by its black and orange colors, migrates from the United States and Canada to Mexico for the winter season. This year, however, the number of Monarch butterflies migrated to Mexico decreased by 59 percent, making this year’s number the lowest levels the Monarch butterfly population has seen in 20 years. There are a variety of factors that could be contributing to this steady decline in the Monarch butterfly population, but there is no certainty as of yet.
You can tie in this specific current event with a special craft for your children. Here are some basic instructions:
Materials You Will Need:
- Construction paper
- Marker
- Paint
- Scissors
Directions:
- Draw a butterfly shape on the construction paper
- Fold the paper in half so that the butterfly is folded down the middle, with two identical halves
- Drizzle paint on only one side of the butterfly.
- Fold the paper in half, and pat the sides together.
- Open up the paper and let the paint dry.
- Cut out the butterfly shape, and post these shapes as decorations.
Please refer to the images above for demonstrations on the Monarch Butterfly craft. Encourage your child to use their imagination; use different colored paints and construction paper, and perhaps you can even make creative shapes. You might even want to relate this craft to a fun worksheet that helps your child learn how to categorize and differentiate between different items.
Filed under: Crafts, Current Events, Newsletter, Parents and Kids, Science Facts, Uncategorized, What's New | Tagged: Butterfly Craft, Crafts, Kids crafts, Monarch Butterfly, Monarch Butterfly migrate | Leave a comment »
