Inspire Learning in Your Home with an Insect Lore Butterfly Garden

If you are looking for a great gift that will inspire learning in your home; consider the Insect Lore Butterfly Garden. I purchased this butterfly garden for my daughter when she was in Kindergarten, and she immediately feel in love with it. When she opened the garden at Christmas time, I explained that her caterpillars would arrive in a few days and we were going to "grow" butterflies in our kitchen. For the next few days, she anxiously awaited the mail delivery to see if her caterpillars had finally arrived. By the time our caterpillars arrived, she was nearly busting at the seams with anticipation.

Setting up the Butterfly Garden

Setting up the Butterfly Garden from Insect Lore is incredibly easy. Everything you need to accomplish this experiment, sans the caterpillars, comes with the kit and the instructions are extremely easy to follow. Better yet, the garden is collapsible, reusable, and easy to clean. In fact, my daughter and I have grown butterflies in this same garden several times. Every time we want to recreate the project, we simply order more caterpillars from Insect Lore.

Documenting the Caterpillars Transformation

My sister, an elementary teacher, suggested that I have my daughter journal the caterpillar's transformation. As soon as the garden was set up and the caterpillars were at home in their new habitat, my daughter would document what was happening everyday. It was wonderful to watch her get excited as the caterpillars turned to butterflies. We were even lucky enough to watch two of the cocoons hatch. After watching our butterflies for a week or so, my daughter and I set them free outside. It was an amazing experience, and one we have enjoyed several times over the years.

Planning is Important

My only tip for parents, grandparents, or other grown-ups who purchase this kit is that you must realize the caterpillars don't come in the kit. Instead, you receive a voucher for caterpillars that must be mailed in with a processing fee and then your caterpillars will be mailed to you. You can pre-order your caterpillars and specify a date that the insects should arrive. To ensure you recipient isn't disappointed with your gift, I would suggest sending in the voucher with a pre-determined date as soon as you purchase the garden.

Insect Lore has Several Insect Experiments that Inspire Learning

Since my daughter had so much fun with the Butterfly Garden, I also purchased the Ladybug Land from Insect Lore. Together, we raised Lady Bugs in a plastic container, and eventually set them free as well. This learning toy is great for kids of any ages and boys and girls alike.