Life Cycles
Standard
The student will investigate and understand that plants and animals undergo a series of orderly changes as they mature and grow. Key concepts include:
– animal life cycles
Essential Knowledge/Skills
– describe changes in the life cycles of a butterfly (egg/pupa, caterpillar/larvae, cocoon/chrysalis, butterfly/adult)
– white-tailed deer (fawn, yearling, buck/doe)
– compare and contrast life cycles of a butterfly and a white tailed deer
– construct and interpret models/diagrams of animal and plant life cycles
Read Aloud Books
Butterfly Harvesting
Students observe the butterfly life cycle using a kit from our science program.
Pasta Butterfly Life Cycles
Create a butterfly life cycle using pasta and paper plates.
Materials
Green construction paper (leaves)
Rotini pasta
Bowtie pasta
Shell pasta
Rice
The student will investigate and understand that plants and animals undergo a series of orderly changes as they mature and grow. Key concepts include:
– animal life cycles
Essential Knowledge/Skills
– describe changes in the life cycles of a butterfly (egg/pupa, caterpillar/larvae, cocoon/chrysalis, butterfly/adult)
– white-tailed deer (fawn, yearling, buck/doe)
– compare and contrast life cycles of a butterfly and a white tailed deer
– construct and interpret models/diagrams of animal and plant life cycles
Read Aloud Books
- From Tadpole to Frog by Wendy Pfeffer
- A Monarch Butterfly’s Life by John Himmelman
- From Caterpillar to Butterfly by Deborah Heiligman
- From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons
Butterfly Harvesting
Students observe the butterfly life cycle using a kit from our science program.
Pasta Butterfly Life Cycles
Create a butterfly life cycle using pasta and paper plates.
Materials
Green construction paper (leaves)
Rotini pasta
Bowtie pasta
Shell pasta
Rice
Edible Butterfly Life Cycles
Students can use food to make butterfly life cycle modes:
Frog Foldable
Using a green frog body on green 9 x 12 construction paper, students color, cut, and glue the stages in the frog life cycle in order. I have them write in description of what happens at each stage:
Eggs
– covered in jelly
Early Tadpole
– swims like a fish using a tail
– breath using gills
– lives in water
Late Tadpole
– grows front legs, then back legs
– breaths using gills
– lives in water
Adult Frog
– loses tail
– breaths using lungs
– lives on land (near water)
White-Tailed Deer (Supports Virginia SOL Objective 2.4)
Students can use food to make butterfly life cycle modes:
- Golden Butter Crackers – butterfly
- Tootsi Roll – cocoon
- Gummy Worms – caterpillar
- Marshmallow – egg
Frog Foldable
Using a green frog body on green 9 x 12 construction paper, students color, cut, and glue the stages in the frog life cycle in order. I have them write in description of what happens at each stage:
Eggs
– covered in jelly
Early Tadpole
– swims like a fish using a tail
– breath using gills
– lives in water
Late Tadpole
– grows front legs, then back legs
– breaths using gills
– lives in water
Adult Frog
– loses tail
– breaths using lungs
– lives on land (near water)
White-Tailed Deer (Supports Virginia SOL Objective 2.4)
Discuss new words:
Fawn
– baby deer
– has white spots on its fur
Yearling
– young deer
– white spots disappear
Doe
– adult female deer
– has larger ears than a yearling
– does not have antlers
Buck
– adult male deer
– has large antlers
Students will look for these vocabulary words in videos below:
Bambi – My Mother
Fawn
– baby deer
– has white spots on its fur
Yearling
– young deer
– white spots disappear
Doe
– adult female deer
– has larger ears than a yearling
– does not have antlers
Buck
– adult male deer
– has large antlers
Students will look for these vocabulary words in videos below:
Bambi – My Mother
Students will color and illustrate a fawn, yearling, and buck in its habitat.
Plant Foldable
Sid the Seed
Sid the Seed
Color, cut, and glue the stages of the plant life cycle.
Plant Life Cycle Pieces
Greenhouse GerminationMake mini greenhouses to observe the germination of a seed. We will observe our seeds in two DIY greenhouse environments: a plastic bag (with no soil) and a plastic cup (with soil).
My Little Sprout House
Plant Life Cycle Pieces
Greenhouse GerminationMake mini greenhouses to observe the germination of a seed. We will observe our seeds in two DIY greenhouse environments: a plastic bag (with no soil) and a plastic cup (with soil).
My Little Sprout House
Materials
Sandwich bags
Seeds (be sure to soak these beforehand)
Paper towels
Greenhouse Template (via)
Sprout House Template (via)
Plastic Cup Greenhouse
Materials
Clear, plastic cups – 2
Tape
Topsoil
Seeds
Sandwich bags
Seeds (be sure to soak these beforehand)
Paper towels
Greenhouse Template (via)
Sprout House Template (via)
Plastic Cup Greenhouse
Materials
Clear, plastic cups – 2
Tape
Topsoil
Seeds