life cycle Archives - Look! We're Learning!

Paper Plate Butterfly Life Cycle Craft for Kids

Selena Robinson — Tue, 12 Apr 2022 10:00:00 +0000

Have you been studying butterfly life cycles with your students?

I always love this topic, because it’s so cool for kids to see how animals grow to become adults – just like they’re doing.

If you’re looking for a hands-on way to reinforce this concept, this paper plate butterfly life cycle craft is perfect!

With this easy science craft for kids, you can practice fine motor skills, get some artistic practice, and learn a science lesson. Win!

Read on to get the full project instructions and to pick up the printable template you’ll need to make this craft.

Need more ways to teach this to your class? Don’t miss our printable Butterfly Life Cycle Sequencing Activity!

Easy Paper Plate Butterfly Life Cycle Craft

To make this easy butterfly life cycle craft, you’ll need the following: (Affiliate links are used below. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

Printer (with ink)
Printer paper
Child-safe scissors
Construction paper
Washable markers
Pencil
Craft glue
Paper plate
Printable Butterfly Life Cycle Craft Template

To get started, print out the Butterfly Craft Template, which includes the pieces you’ll need to make this project.

Use scissors to cut out the pieces. Then lay them on construction paper and use a pencil to trace each outline.

Cut out those pieces and you’re ready to get to work!

If you’re doing this with several children, you can prepare the body pieces beforehand. Then students can simply assemble the craft on their own.

How to Make the Paper Plate Life Cycle Craft

This butterfly life cycle craft project features four stages: egg, chrysalis, caterpillar, butterfly.

Start by assembling the egg stage.

Glue the leaves onto the branch piece. Then glue the three “eggs” on top.

Now, move on to the chrysalis. Glue the chrysalis pod onto the lower branch, then attach the rounded corner on the left side.

If you like, you can use a marker to add ribbed lines along the right side.

Now it’s time to assemble the caterpillar!

Start by gluing the antennae and legs onto the body pieces.

Then use glue to attach the body pieces together and form the caterpillar.

Add a happy face with a marker.

We can finally make the butterfly!

Glue the wing sections onto the wing template. Then glue the body section in the center of the wing template.

Add a happy face to the butterfly.

Once you’ve assembled all four life cycle stages, it’s time to place them in the right order.

Start by cutting out a piece of construction paper to fit inside the paper plate.

This is a good point to talk with students and ask:

Which stage is the first in the butterfly life cycle?
After that, which stage comes next?

Proceed through the entire cycle and, once students have identified the correct order, have them glue the stages onto the plate.

And we’re done!

It’s a craft, a science project, and a fine motor skill strengthener – all in one!

Get the printable project instructions below.

Paper Plate Butterfly Life Cycle Craft for Kids

Learn about how butterflies grow from egg to adult with this fun paper plate butterfly life cycle craft!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Active Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Difficulty Easy

Materials

Printer paper
Construction paper
Washable markers
Pencil
Craft glue
Paper plate

Tools

Printer (with ink)
Child-safe scissors

Instructions

Start by printing out the Printable Butterfly Life Cycle Craft Template.
Cut out the template pieces.
Trace the pieces onto construction paper.
Cut out the construction paper pieces.
Assemble the egg stage: Glue the leaves onto the first branch piece. Add the eggs on the leaf.
Assemble the chrysalis stage: Glue the chrysalis pod onto the second branch piece. Add the rounded section to the left side.
Assemble the caterpillar stage: Glue the antennae and legs onto the body circles. Glue the body circles together to form the caterpillar. Use a marker to draw a happy face.
Assemble the butterfly stage: Glue the wing sections onto the wing template. Glue the body section in the center of the wing template. Use a marker to draw a happy face.
Cut out a piece of construction paper to fit the center of the paper plate. Glue it down.
Add the life cycle stages to the paper plate in the following order: butterfly at the top, then egg stage on the right side, caterpillar on the bottom, and chrysalis on the left side.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Try some of these other spring craft projects for kids!

The post Paper Plate Butterfly Life Cycle Craft for Kids appeared first on Look! We're Learning!.

Flower Life Cycle Sequencing Activity for Kids

Selena Robinson — Tue, 29 Mar 2022 10:00:00 +0000

Are the flowers blooming where you are?

We always have an early blooming period before winter actually ends and then another frost before spring begins.

Now, though, we’re seeing flowers begin to bloom for the season.

So I wanted to share a printable science resource that’s perfect for spring – this flower life cycle sequencing activity!

This is a great way to teach early learners how flowers grow from seed to plant!

And because it’s interactive, it makes a fantastic science center activity.

Read on to see how to get your copy.

And, for more fun with flowers, try our simple Coffee Filter Flower Craft for kids!

Flower Life Cycle Sequencing Activity for Kids

To use this flower life cycle sequencing activity with students, you’ll need the following: (Affiliate links are listed below. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

This resource includes a flower life cycle mat, along with life stage circles.

There is a completed version inside that you can use to teach this sequence to your students.

Afterwards, they can practice completing the cycle in the correct order for themselves.

Students who are already writing can use the labeling version to write the name of each step in the cycle.

A full blackline version is included too!

How to Teach Early Learners about the Flower Life Cycle

This resource features a teaching script to help you introduce this topic to your class.

After you’ve opened with an initial discussion, you can use this activity in a few ways.

Use the labeled circles for students who are already reading words on their own.

The unlabeled circles are best for young or pre-reading students. They’d be good for ELL learners also!

If you’re using the labeling version of this flower life cycle sequencing activity, you can laminate the pages and let students write the names with dry erase markers.

Then you can just wipe them down and reuse them with the next group.

This is also a fantastic activity for science centers! Print the completed life cycle and then let students recreate the correct sequence on their own mat.

See this resource in action in the video below!

Scroll down to get your copy of this Flower Life Cycle Sequencing Activity!

Don’t miss these other spring teaching ideas for early grades!

To get your copy of this flower life cycle activity for early grades, visit my Teachers Pay Teachers store or pick it up below!

The post Flower Life Cycle Sequencing Activity for Kids appeared first on Look! We're Learning!.

Printable Mini Frog Life Cycle Book for Kids

Selena Robinson — Thu, 03 Mar 2022 11:00:00 +0000

Learning about how animals grow is always a fun unit for early learners.

Which is why I wanted to share this printable mini frog life cycle kids can color for themselves!

This printable animal science resource is a perfect way to talk about the life cycle of frogs with kindergartners and first graders.

Plus, you can even use it for a spring unit or a spring animal unit you may be planning.

Read on to see how to get your copy – free!

And, be sure to take a look at how printable frog life cycle sequencing activity as well!

Printable Mini Frog Life Cycle Coloring Book for Kids

To use this coloring book, you’ll need the following: (Affiliate links are used below. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

After you’ve printed all of the pages, you can hand them out to students.

Walk them through each life stage on the coloring sheets – starting with the egg stage and progressing through to the adult frog stage.

Ask your class to recite the stages in order with you to make sure they understand the correct order.

How to Make a Frog Life Cycle Book with Early Learners

To make this mini book together, let the students color each page.

Then, they can use child-safe scissors to cut out each one and place them in a stack.

Make sure they put the pages in the correct order!

Staple the pages together on the left edge and have them add their name to the front.

Done!

Get a look at the completed frog life cycle book in the video below!

Scroll down to get your copy of this mini frog life cycle book!

Take a look at these other spring learning ideas for early grades!

To get your copy of this free mini coloring book for kids, click the image or the link below to have it sent directly to your inbox!

You’ll also get our newsletter – coming this Sunday!

>>> Frog Life Cycle Coloring Book <<<

The post Printable Mini Frog Life Cycle Book for Kids appeared first on Look! We're Learning!.

Printable Plant Growing Journal for Kids

Selena Robinson — Tue, 15 Feb 2022 11:00:00 +0000

Do you remember growing your first plant?

I do. We did a plant growing experiment when I was in elementary school and all of us grew sprouts from beans.

Then we planted the sprouts in dirt-filled styrofoam cups and watched them grow next to the windowsill.

I had that experiment in mind when I decided to make this printable mini plant growing journal!

If you’re working on a spring or plant unit, this is a great (and simple) resource to add.

And it complements a plant growing experiment perfectly!

Keep reading to see how to get your copy – free!

And, for more about how plants grow, take a look at our list of children’s books about flowers!

Mini Plant Growing Journal for Kids

To use this mini picture journal, you’ll need the following: (Affiliate links are listed below. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

This printable is a foldable four-page journal for early elementary students to document how their plants grow.

On each page, they can draw what the plant looks like after two, three, and four weeks.

Both color and blackline versions are included.

How to Use the Plant Growing Journal with Early Learners

A simple way to use this is ask the class some of these questions:

Does anyone know how a plant grows?
Do any of you have plants at home?
What do you think a plant needs to grow?

As you discuss the questions with your class, talk about how plants begin as seeds and then gradually grow over time – thanks to water, sunlight, and good soil.

If you decide to do a plant-growing experiment in the classroom, you can hand the journals out on the first day.

Then have the students report on their plant’s progress each week afterwards.

Scroll down to get your copy of this mini growing journal – free!

Try some of these other spring teaching ideas!

To get your copy of this printable Plant Growing Journal, click the image or the link below to have it sent directly to your inbox!

You’ll also get our weekly newsletter this Sunday!

>>> Mini Grow A Plant Journal for Kids <<<

The post Printable Plant Growing Journal for Kids appeared first on Look! We're Learning!.

Oak Tree Life Cycle Sequencing Activity

Selena Robinson — Tue, 19 Oct 2021 10:00:00 +0000

It’s autumn and leaves are falling everywhere we look.

We live in a neighborhood that has a ton of oak trees. Okay, not a literal ton, but you get the idea.

So every fall, there are acorns as far as the eye can see.

Which gave me the idea to create a new life cycle activity: this Oak Tree Life Cycle Sequencing Activity set!

Oak trees are excellent topics for science with primary grade students. Depending on where you live, you can actually see steps in this process with your class in real life!

Read on to see how to use this hands-on life cycle lesson with students.

And, for more ways to learn about plant life cycles, don’t miss our Apple Life Cycle Activity!

Oak Tree Life Cycle Sequencing Activity for Kids

To use this printable oak tree life cycle sequencing activity, you’ll need the following: (Affiliate links are given below. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

This plant science resource includes a completed life cycle mat, which you can use to review the steps in the sequence with the class.

Then there’s a blank mat for students to complete with labeled or unlabeled picture sequence circles.

There’s also a version of the activity mat that includes space for students to label the steps for themselves.

And a blackline version is included too!

How to Teach the Oak Tree Life Cycle Sequence

To start discussing this topic with your class, review the completed life cycle and walk the students through each step.

If you can get acorns or oak tree leaves, they’d make great visual aids or sensory objects at centers too.

Once you review the sequence, you can talk about the names for each stage in the growth process.

This will be very helpful if you plan to use the labeling activity mat.

If you have pre-readers or ELL students in your class, swap out the labeled circles for the unlabeled picture circles.

Use the differences in each picture to help them remember the process without worrying about spell or pronouncing each stage.

My personal favorite way to use this resource is as a reusable center activity.

I prep it once and it can be used over and over again.

But it works well as a one-time cut and paste activity for each student too.

Another way to reuse this resource is to laminate the labeling mat. Students can write in the correct stage names with dry erase markers.

Then just wipe it clean to use it again.

See this resource in action below!

Scroll down to get your copy of this Oak Tree Life Cycle Activity!

Take a look at these other science ideas for early grades!

To get your copy of the Oak Tree Life Cycle Resource, visit my Teachers Pay Teachers store or check it out below!

The post Oak Tree Life Cycle Sequencing Activity appeared first on Look! We're Learning!.

A Frog’s Life! Frog Life Cycle Sequencing Activity

Selena Robinson — Mon, 11 May 2020 10:00:00 +0000

Growing up out in the country, I didn’t see many frogs. We saw a lot of toads.

Which, to me, are some of the cutest animals ever.

Once I moved to the suburbs, though, frogs were a much more common sight.

They’re usually sticking to the door of our back patio. In fact, when we walk up to the door, we can almost see through their bellies and make out their internal organs.

It’s pretty cool.

Frogs go through an incredible life cycle, transforming from water animals to land animals in the process.

Which makes this hands-on frog life cycle sequencing activity a fantastic science lesson for kids!

This is a simple way to teach students about how animals develop and how frogs, in particular, transform from living in one environment to another.

It’s also a good activity for teaching early learners how to remember sequence of events.

Keep reading to find out how to get your copy of this lesson as a print activity or a digital activity for distance learning.

And, for more life cycle lessons, don’t miss our Butterfly Life Cycle Sequencing Activity!

A Frog’s Life! Frog Life Cycle Sequencing Activity

To use this frog life cycle sequencing activity, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

This product includes:

Two frog life cycle mats (one color and one line art)
Two pages of frog life cycle circles (one color and one line art)
And two completed life cycle mats (one color and one line art)

Let students cut out the life cycle sequence circles and then use the completed mat to learn the correct order.

Then they can glue the steps in the right sequence to show how frogs grow over time!

If you use the line art version, kids can color the steps as they go along.

Or turn this into a reusable activity for science centers!

Just laminate the pages and then add hook and loop sticky dots so that students can move the steps around as needed.

Scroll down to get your copy of this Frog Life Cycle activity!

Try these other science learning ideas for early elementary students!

To get your copy of A Frog’s Life! Frog Life Cycle Sequencing Activity, click the image or the link below to visit my Teachers Pay Teachers store!

> A Frog’s Life! Frog Life Cycle Science Activity <

Prefer to use this science lesson as a digital activity? Get the digital version below!

>> Digital Frog Life Cycle Sequencing Lesson <<

The post A Frog’s Life! Frog Life Cycle Sequencing Activity appeared first on Look! We're Learning!.