@The Arts Unit Creative Classes
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Explore the life cycle of a butterfly through creative and performing arts
Explore the life cycle of a butterfly through creative and performing arts
Student dance, music and visual arts resource developed by The Arts Unit
Preschool, Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2 dance, music and visual arts
What will I learn?
What will I learn?
You will:
learn the 4 stages in the butterfly life cycle. Egg, caterpillar (larva), chrysalis (pupa) and butterfly (adult)
create artworks inspired by the different stages of the butterfly life cycle
sing songs connected to the theme
create and perform a dance movement sequence inspired by butterflies.
Before you begin you will need:
Before you begin you will need:
access to a device to watch videos
a clear space to dance
art supplies - for example: paints, textas, pencils, paper, scissors and tape.
Welcome to the class
Duration: 00:31Life cycle of a butterfly
Life cycle of a butterfly
Explore how butterflies change and grow throughout their life cycle in this interactive lesson from NATURE. Watch the videos and complete the interactive activities to discover the amazing transformation process from a tiny caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly.
Note: you can access as 'guest' to avoid the need to sign in.
Create a book
Create a book
Create a fold up book to show the 4 stages of the life cycle of a butterfly.
You could make this a picture book or include facts to show what you have learnt about the butterfly life cycle.
Follow these instructions to get started:
Artwork - Chelsea Zukauskas - Faulconbridge Public School
Fold your paper into 8 segments.
Cut and tape segments to allow for reveals that fold up, fold down or fold out.
Cut and tape segments to allow for reveals that fold up, fold down or fold out.
Each segment is for 1 stage of the life cycle.
Add information about the 4 stages of the butterfly life cycle.
You could use textas, pencils or paints.
Caterpillars
Caterpillars
Learn the rhyme 'Arabella Miller and her woolly caterpillar'
Watch the video and join in with Susan Sukkar as she performs the rhyme Arabella Miller and her Caterpillar.
Can you join in the actions and make your finger be a caterpillar?
Arabella Miller and her Woolly Caterpillar
Duration: 04:14
You might like to create a caterpillar artwork like these students did.
What will your caterpillar look like?
Caterpillar
Zachary EmmettRussell Vale Public SchoolOperation Art 2019
Smiley Caterpillar
Juneau Wade ScneidersNewtown Public SchoolOperation Art 2018
Caterpillar
Bailey GaffGlenmore Park Public SchoolOperation Art 2017
Butterflies
Butterflies
Look at the images of butterflies in this image carousel.
What did you notice about the butterflies? Discuss your thoughts with your teacher and your class.
How many wings does a butterfly have?
Can you see the patterns on their wings? Are the patterns the same for all butterflies?
Did you notice that a butterfly wings are the same on both sides. This is called symmetrical. This means the 2 wings on the right side match the 2 wings on the left side.
How many beautiful colours did you notice on the butterflies?
Create a symmetrical butterfly.
Create a symmetrical butterfly.
Follow the steps below to create your own symmetrical butterfly.
Be warned - this can get messy!
It is best to have some paper or a paint cloth under your paper before you start. A paint shirt is also a great idea.
Artworks by Chelsea Zukauskas Faulconbridge Public School
Fold a piece of paper in half.
Apply some dollops of paint on 1 side of the paper only.
Use a variety of colours for best results.
Fold the other side of the paper over on top of the paint.
Use your hand to squish the paint between the 2 sides of the paper.
Be sure to spread all the way to the edges of the paper.
Slowly and carefully open the 2 sides to reveal your picture.
Can you see that both sides now mirror each other! Just like a real butterfly!
Leave out flat to dry.
This may take overnight!
When your paint is dry fold your paper back in half and draw a butterfly outline.
It can be any shaped wings you like.
Cut your butterfly shape out and open it up to reveal your butterfly.
Add a body, face and antennae to your butterfly.
Your symmetrical butterfly masterpiece is now complete!
Butterfly dance
Butterfly dance
Using the music and imagery from the video 'Beautiful Butterflies - relaxing meditation music' create a sequence of movements that explore the life cycle of the butterfly.
Beautiful Butterflies - relaxing meditation music
Duration: 06:50Explore the elements of dance to make your butterfly dance more interesting. You could consider:
shapes - curved or straight body shapes, A round ball to a fully extended butterfly.
levels - high, medium and low levels
directions - move forward, backward, sideways, diagonal
pathways - move zigzag, circular or straight
tempo - fast and slow
dynamics - flowing movements or sharp movements.
Follow these directions to get your butterfly dance started:
Start in a small ball on the floor just like a butterfly egg.
How small can you be.
Tuck your legs, arms and head in tight!
Break out of your egg stretching your body out to become a caterpillar.
Can you make lots of stretching shapes?
Now become a caterpillar slithering and crawling around the floor eating leaves and moving from leaf to leaf.
Can you crawl or roll fast and slow? Can you make your caterpillar stand up and move around the room in different directions looking for leaves to eat.
Is your caterpillar getting bigger and bigger?
Freeze - you are now a chrysalis.
Stand in a frozen chrysallis shape. Can you be perfectly still?
Now you are moving slowly in the breeze as you hang from your branch.
Break free from your chrysallis.
Don't move from your branch yet!
Stretch and shake out your arms and legs to dry your wings moving them slowly in the breeze, testing them out, getting ready to fly.
Bend from side to side, down and up getting ready to take flight.
Now fly beautiful butterfly! Fly!
Move around your space flying like a butterfly.
Up and down, round and round.
Find a delicious flower to land on and eat some nectar. Are you using your feet to eat with?
Now off again flying to the next delicious flower.
WOW!
You were a beautiful butterfly and that was a fantastic butterfly dance!
Can you create your own butterfly artwork like these students did.
We can't wait to see your beautiful creation!
Rainbow Butterfly
Charlotte RoworthTimbumburi Public SchoolOperation Art 2017
The butterfly hidden in the flower
Milijana ZuzicKyeemagh Infants SchoolOperation Art 2017
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Listen to the story of The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar - Animated Film
Duration: 06:47Watch the students from the 2018 Schools Spectacular performing in the segment Greatest Stories Ever Told.
Can you spot the Hungry Caterpillar and see him grow into a beautiful butterfly.
Photo credit: Anna Warr
Schools Spectacular 2018 - Greatest stories ever told (segment)
Duration: 09:32Wow!
I had so much fun with you learning about the butterfly life cycle.
Congratulations, beautiful butterfly!
You have completed this
@The Arts Unit Creative Class.
Third-party content attributions
Third-party content attributions
Caterpillar, © Zachary Emmett, 2019, reproduced and communicated with permission.
Smiley Caterpillar, © Juneau Wade Scneiders, 2018, reproduced and communicated with permission.
Caterpillar, © Bailey Gaff, 2017, reproduced and communicated with permission.
Butterfly life cycle book activity images, © Chelsea Zukauskas, 2020, reproduced and communicated with permission. Provided all acknowledgements are retained, these images may be reproduced free of charge for non-commercial educational purposes within Australia only.
Butterfly symmetrical art activity images, © Chelsea Zukauskas, 2020, reproduced and communicated with permission. Provided all acknowledgements are retained, these images may be reproduced free of charge for non-commercial educational purposes within Australia only.
Rainbow Butterfly, © Charlotte Roworth, 2017, reproduced and communicated with permission.
The butterfly hidden in the flower, © Milijana Zuzic, 2017, reproduced and communicated with permission.
Schools Spectacular image, photographer: Anna Warr.
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