Emily Ann Theater Butterfly Houses

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Third graders are raising butterflies that will be released at the Emily Ann Butterfly Festival. The Emily Ann Theater provides all materials including caterpillars, food, butterfly houses, and spray bottles. Students begin with tiny caterpillers. They watch them eat and grow each day and make daily observations in a butterfly journal. Students watch as caterpillars move into the next stage (the chrysalis) and observe the butterflies emerging from the cocoon. Students watch the newly emerged butterflies dry and expand their wings, and finally take their first flight. Students also observe the body parts of the butterfly and how they are used. Lastly, butterflies are returned to the Emily Ann Theater. Students and families are invited to the theater for a Butterfly Festival, where the butterflies are released into the wild. Students that participated in raising butterflies can watch as their specific butterfly cage is opened and their butterflies are set free.