I just saw 22 caterpillars burst out of their cocoons as shimmering butterflies. I should say "kid-pillars," because actually they were kids wrapped from their shoulders to their toes in bathroom tissue, standing perfectly still as the camp naturalist sparked their imaginations. She said quietly, "Pretend you are a caterpillar that has created her chrysalis." Then she shouted, "But now you are turning into a beautiful butterfly!" On cue, all the giggling kids broke free! A personal experience brought the natural world to life for these eager-to-learn kids.
This summer your family can catch and care for real backyard bugs and caterpillars in a snazzy screened "bug condo" made from a cardboard, cylinder-style oatmeal container. Once you and your children have observed the critters up close, flip off the top lid and set them free!
Scout around for an empty oatmeal container, a ruler, marker, acrylic paints, paintbrush, stickers, scissors, packing or electrical tape, and window screen, then assemble it in three easy steps:
1. Place the oatmeal container on its side. With scissors, cut the container into three sections — top, bottom and middle — so the middle portion is a 5-inch cylinder. (Older children will be challenged to measure and mark the measurements before cutting.) Using the cylinder tube as a pattern, wrap the screen around the tube and cut it to match the size of the tube.
2. Discard the cardboard tube. Now, tape the "screen tube" to the top and to the bottom of the oatmeal container, replacing that original cardboard center section.
3. Paint the nonscreened portions and decorate with stickers. For fun, give the condo an address and a name, then add grass, sticks or other nature finds inside. Now it's time for an "open house" for the neighborhood wriggly friends. Lift the lid and welcome them inside.
SUMMER LEARNING TIP:
If your child finds a caterpillar, care for it until it changes into a chrysalis and later into a butterfly. Provide fresh leaves every day from the plant where you found it, and mist with water. Add a few twigs the caterpillar can hang from as it changes into a chrysalis. When the butterfly finally emerges, admire it and set it free.
Write Donna with your questions and ideas at www.donnasday.com. Donna's latest book, "Donna Erickson's Fabulous Funstuff for Families," is available in bookstores nationwide. © Donna Erickson Distributed by King Features Syndicate