Simple Egg Carton Caterpillars
Cut the bumpy botton of an egg carton in half. Let children paint or decorate with felt pens and stickers. Attach pipe cleaner antennae, and draw on eyes and mouth.

Egg Carton Caterpillars 2
white craft glue
cardboard egg carton (cut lengthwise)
shirt cardboard
pipe cleaner
poster paint or markers

Cut off the lid of the egg carton. Cut carton cups in half lengthwise. Cut the shirt cardboard into s strips - long enough to stick out from under the carton on both sides for legs. Turn the carton over and glue the cardboard strips across the underside of each cup.
Poke two short pieces of pipe cleaner into top of the first cup for antennae. Paint the caterpillar with poster paints or color with markers.

Paper Caterpillars
Take 2 long strips of paper and fold back and forth until all paper is used and it looks like a small square. Tape top and bottom together and spread out. Add a construction paper circle for the caterpillar head and add face.
Submitted by Ruth (RUTHJRC)

Paper Caterpillars 2
construction paper in variety of colors
white glue
pipe cleaners

Cut enough circles in a variety of colors, the same size, so that each child has 8. Have them glue the circles in line to make a caterpillar. Add a face, and pipe cleaner antennae to the last circle!

Butterfly Prints
finger-paint (in a variety of colors)
finger paint paper

Fold paper in half lengthwise. Open the paper and lay flat on table. Ask the children to "finger-paint" on one half only. When they are finished, have them fold the paper onto itself....and press firmly. Open to let their "butterflies" fly!

Cocoons
Make butterflies and place into a t.p. tube with a piece of twine attached. Have children wrap cotton on the tube and attach to a stick. Have the butterflies 'emerge' from their cocoons and fly by using the twine.
Submitted by Ruth (RUTHJRC)

Wax Paper Butterflies
Shave old crayons and place between a sheet of waxed paper on newspaper. Cover with another piece of waxed paper. Press with a hot iron for a few seconds. Cut into butterfly shape and hang in front of a window.

Feet Butterflies
Have children take off shoes, dip feet into shallow pan of pastel paint. Step onto a piece of paper so feet are going outward from the heels together. When dry, add antenna with markers.

Baggie Butterflies
Fill the snack size ziplock bags with scraps of tissue paper and cellophane and then gather them in the middle with a half of a chenille stem. Twist and bend the stem into antennae.

Cupcake Liner Butterflies
Flatten out colored cupcake liners and color with markers or crayons many different colors. Pinch liners in the center and wrap with pipe cleaners using the left over to make antennae.

Inkblot Butterfly
Cut out a shape of a butterfly and fold it in the center. Have the children paint on one side. Fold and rub lightly, then unfold. The sides will be identical.

Pompom Caterpillars
Glue three middle size pompoms together. Glue on googly eyes and pipe cleaner antennae. Add a magnet to the back!

Stained Glasss Butterflies
Precut a butterfly shape out of construction paper. After cutting out the shape, cut out holes in various spots in the butterfly shape. The children can glue squares of colored tissue paper over the holes. Glue sticks work well for this...have children glue around hole and place tissue on top of glue. Trim around edge of butterfly if any tissue paper is overhanging.

Clothespin Butterflies
Put stickers on a square piece of tissue paper - clip the tissue paper with the clothes pin and voila... 2 wings and a cute butterfly. Again, you can add pipecleaners for antennae. I usually paint the clothes pin, but with that many, you may just want to provide crayons or markers or just leave it natural.

Clothespin Butterflies
Make a face on a clothespin. Add tissue paper for the wings and black pipecleaner for the antenna.
Submitted by Sandy (SANDYINFL)

Scrunchie Caterpillar
Take a long piece of fabric tube and attach a piece of sewing elastic the thin kind works best) to the middle - staple (I use a glue gun at this point, but with that many children, you will want to staple it, you could have this already done before they come). The fabric tube should be much longer than the elastic. The child simply scrunches the fabric until it is all on the elastic. When you staple the other end, the caterpillar will stay scrunched because of the elastic.

Blotto Butterflies
Add paint to one side of a butterfly shape and fold to make symmetrical wings. To make this craft "non messy" just use dabber paints or fill paint into roll-on deoderant bottles (the roller pops off and can be filled with paint - the children simply roll to get the paint onto the paper).

Tissue Paper Butterflies
Cut butterfly shapes from white construction paper. Set out assorted colors of 1-inch tissue paper squares, small containers of water and paintbrushes. Have the children paint the butterfly shapes with water and place the tissue paper squares randomly on the shapes. Have them count to ten, then remove the wet tissue paper to view their colorful creations.

Flying Butterflies
old a piece of construction paper like a fan. attach a pipecleaner to the center and twist it at the top for the antennae. The "fans" become the wings. Add a piece of twine or attach to a straw so the children can fly their butterflies.

Butterfly Windsocks
Cut the end off of a paper lunch bag, tape a pipecleaner around one opening for support and attach to a tongue depresser or large popsicle stick. Add tissue paper or construction paper wings to the top of the windsock.

Foamie Butterflies
Cut a butterfly shape out of fun foam and have foam shapes available to make the patterns on the wings - a magnet can be added to the back if you wish

Butterfly Clip
Paint a wooden clothes pin black. Let dry. Cut butterfly wings that will slip into the clothespin out of fun foam. Glue in place - careful not to glue the clip closed! Add small black pompoms for the butterfly body, pipecleaners for the antenna, and decorate the wings with foam shapes. Add a magnet to the back and place on fridge to hold notes.
Submitted by Ruth (RUTHJRC)

Butterfly Suncatchers
Cut a butterfly shape from black paper. Cut out the inside of the wings to make patterns, leaving a frame of black between the shapes. Cut coloured celophane into squares and glue to the back of the butterfly. When dry, place in window for a sun catcher.
Submitted by Ruth (RUTHJRC)

Butterfly Garden
Encourage butterflies by setting up a butterfly garden and putting out butterfly houses.

Submitted by Penni (COPPERM)

Fuzzy Little Caterpillar
Fuzzy little caterpillar
Crawling, crawling on the ground
Fuzzy little caterpillar
Move hand forward, wiggle thumb.
Nowhere to be found.
Though we've looked and looked
And hunted everywhere around.

Roly Poly Caterpillar
Roly-poly caterpillar
Creep index finger along arm.
Into a corner crept,
Spun around himself a blanket
Spin hands around one another.
Then for a long time slept.
Rest head on hands, eyes closed.
Roly-poly caterpillar
Wakening by and by
Open eyes and stretch.
Found himself with beautiful wings
Changed to a butterfly.
Hook thumbs together and wave hands.

I'm A Little Butterfly
(sung to I'm A Little Teapot)

I'm a little butterfly
I have wings
I fly around
And see all things.
When I see a flower
That looks great
I call out
To all of my mates.

The Butterfly
(Sung to: "Up on the Housetop")

First comes a butterfly and lays an egg
Out comes a caterpillar with many legs
Oh see the caterpillar spin and spin
A little chrysalis to sleep in

Oh, oh ,oh, wait and see
Oh, oh, oh, wait and see
Out of the chrysalis, my oh my
Out comes a pretty butterfly

Way up in the Sky, The Butterflies Fly
(Sung to: "Way up in the Sky, The Little Birds Fly")

Way up in the sky
The butterflies fly.
While down in their nests
The butterflies rest.
With a wing to the left
And a wing to the right
The sweet little butterflies
Sleep all through the night.

SH-h-h-h they're sleeping. (said)

The bright sun comes up.
The dew falls away.
Good morning, good morning
The butterflies say.

Butterfly, Butterfly
(Sung to: "Bluebird, Bluebird through my Window")

Butterfly, butterfly through my window
Butterfly, butterfly through my window
Butterfly, butterfly through my window
Won't you be my darling.

Find another butterfly and tap him on the shoulder
Find another butterfly and tap him on the shoulder
Find another butterfly and tap him on the shoulder
Won't you be my darling.

Children stand in a circle holding hands and placing them in the air to make a window. One butterfly flies in and out the children until the tapping on the shoulder part. The 'butterfly' taps a friend on the shoulder who then joins him/her on the butterfly flight. Continue until all children are fluttering butterflies.
Submitted by Ruth (RUTHJRC)

Butterfly Salad (Serves one)
2 pineapple rings
lettuce leaf
cottage cheese
green olives sliced in 1/2
food coloring
2 celery or carrot sticks

1. Place lettuce leaf onto a paper plate
2. Slice each pineapple ring in 1/2 (makes 2 sets of butterfly's wings). Place on top of lettuce leaf to form 2 butterflies.
3. Place carrot/celery stick in center of wings as the body.
4. Put a dab of cottage cheese inside each "C" of the butterfly wings.
5. Decorate the cottage cheese with food coloring, pineapple slices and olives