Butterfly Paper Towels

2 Corinthians 5:17  Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person.  The old life is gone; a new life has begun!  When you accept Jesus into your life you begin a new life.

Today, we finished our last butterfly craft.  

1. Drop food coloring in containers of water.  The more drops, the darker the paper towel will be.

2. Fold the paper towel in halves until it's a square.

3. Dip the paper towel into the different colors.

4. Unfold the paper towel...and...

the colors are symmetrical!

5. Dry out the paper towels (it took a day).

Once the paper towels are dry, you will need pipe cleaners and beads.

Wrap the pipe cleaners around the paper towel then put beads through the "feelers".

I hung them with thread under our light fixture for more Easter decorations at our table.

I think the butterflies go well with our Empty Tomb Garden and Easter placemats.  
We had so much fun making our life cycle snack, playing Tic Tac Toe, and creating our milk jug craft.  But, it was now time to say goodbye to our butterflies.  Yesterday, we let them free!

Close-up in the grass.

Yes, I was excited too.

They must like red...

Milk Jug Window Craft

Just like a caterpillar, Jesus was created into a new life.  We have been learning about the butterfly life cycle for the past 3 weeks.  I ordered them from Insect Lore Shop and we now have Monarch Butterflies!  Because it's been raining for the last 3 days (ugh), I have been trying to think of crafts to do with the kids.
Milk Jug Window Craft
First, I cleaned out empty milk jugs and cut them into large pieces.
Next, we found a picture of a Monarch Butterfly from a book to trace.

I cut out the butterfly when my oldest disciple was done, then taped it to the window with Scotch Tape.
Then, I cut out crosses to color as well. 

Older kids would be able to make a Stained Glass Cross design, but my kids were too young to care:)

Last, we now have a beautiful window craft to look at.  Can you tell how cloudy and rainy it is? (ugh)

For more butterfly ideas click on Butterfly Life Cycle Snack and Butterfly Tic Tac Toe. 

Butterfly Tic Tac Toe and Books

This is the caterpillar and butterfly tic tac toe game I created.  You can print and share it here.  It's a great skill for preschool aged kids.

We read MANY books about butterflies that we checked out from our public library.  Here is a list:
Are you a Butterfly by Judy Allen
Born to be a Butterfly by Karen Wallace
Monarch Butterfly by Gail Gibbons
Butterflies by Emily Neye
Butterflies by Donna Bailey
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

I have also recently posted the Butterfly Life Cycle Snack.

Enjoy!!

Butterfly Life Cycle Snack

A couple of weeks ago, I purchased a Butterfly Garden off of Insect Lore's website.  We have had so much fun observing them daily while reading books from the library. 

2 Corinthians 5:17  Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person.  The old life is gone; a new life has begun!  (I thought this Bible reading was perfect for the butterfly life cycle)

Butterfly Life Cycle Snack
Ingredients: lettuce and marshmallows (eggs on a leaf), celery, peanut butter, pretzels, green olives (caterpillar), lasagna noodles (chrysalis), gum drops (butterfly)

This is the life cycle chart that I created on a large piece of paper.  After we prepared each part of the life cycle, we placed them on the correct part of the circle.

"Eggs on a Leaf"- marshmallows on lettuce

"Caterpillar"- spread peanut butter on celery, break pretzels for the legs, green olives for the eyes.  The caterpillar represents Jesus here on Earth.

"Chrysalis"- lasagna noodle wrapped around the caterpillar.  The chrysalis represents the tomb.

"Butterfly"- peanut butter to hold the gumdrop to the pretzel.  The butterfly represents the resurrection into Heaven.

Friends came to help us do the snack!

It took a lot of concentration...and eating:)

 Finished Product!

2 Corinthians 5:17  Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person.  The old life is gone; a new life has begun!