Guest Posted August 2, 2004 Posted August 2, 2004 I just thought that some of you might understand this and think it amusing.... We were supposed to be going on holiday this week to LA (a six hour drive from us). However, a little while ago, my children were sent an unexpected present of a butterfly house and some tiny caterpillars! We have watched these tiny caterpillars grow to an incredible size, and then a few days before our trip, they climbed to the top of their container and changed into chrisalides. The children have been captivated by it. But of course, they are due to emerge as butterflies right in the middle of our holiday! We contemplated taking them with us, but decided that a six hour drive, the heat, and disturbance may damage them. We also contemplated giving them to a friend and buying some more when we got home, but the children's faces said it all........... So, the holiday was cancelled, all for five little caterpillars. Hopefully we'll make it to the beach later in the summer. But of course most people think we're crazy Quote
Guest Really Posted August 2, 2004 Posted August 2, 2004 After experiencing a butterfly house for the first time this year, I can fully understand why you have cancelled!!!!! Quote
Sue R Posted August 2, 2004 Posted August 2, 2004 I like to think I'd have done the same! Your children have wonderful parents. Sue Quote
Guest Posted August 2, 2004 Posted August 2, 2004 What a magical moment - the children have got their priorities right. The beach will wait. Quote
hali Posted August 3, 2004 Posted August 3, 2004 Made me smile... Sounds like the right decision to me..... Quote
Beau Posted August 3, 2004 Posted August 3, 2004 Nicola, You must let us know when they emerge! Sounds much more exciting than a holiday to me. Quote
Gezabel Posted August 3, 2004 Posted August 3, 2004 Ohhh Definitely the right decsion. I had one of those butterfly boxes where I worked a few years ago, the caterpillars were miniscule and we all watched them go through the process - the little pots provided were named with childrens names and the whole experience was magical. When they had turned into beautiful butterflies we had a sort of ceremony in the garden - we let them all go and the children waved goodbye to the butterflys (or flutterbys, frillybyes as some little ones said!) we watched for ages as they landed on flowers, flew around etc etc and I MUST DO IT AGAIN!!!!! Quote
Guest Posted August 3, 2004 Posted August 3, 2004 They just emerged this afternoon! Three came out while I was out with the children. I'd forgotten to turn my cellphone on and my husband was trying to call me to get me to rush back! Luckily, we got home in time for the last two. When they do emerge, it's quick, and we missed number 4 until he was out. But then I just stood there watching until number 5 emerged, adn yelled the children the moment I saw movement. It was magical. We then had fun gathering flowers in the garden and laying out a bouquet for them at the bottom of the butterfly house. Then mixing sugar water and dropping it on the petals. Sooo much scope for learning! Next we looked up what else they like to eat, and found watermelon on the list. I'd just bought a watermelon this weekend, so we chopped up small pieces to make little 'bowls' to fill with melon juice or sugar water (we want to see which they prefer). Wonderful stuff!! And better than the beach, which as someone says, will wait for us another day............ Quote
hali Posted August 4, 2004 Posted August 4, 2004 Fantastic news..the miricle of life hey....... Quote
Beau Posted August 4, 2004 Posted August 4, 2004 Fantastic Nicola! The excitement of that must have far surpassed anything that a beach holiday could bring. Quote
Guest Posted August 4, 2004 Posted August 4, 2004 WOWWWW how fantastic are you guys, your children will remember this forever, what a great family experience.................yes and the beach will be there forever............... julia Quote
Rea Posted August 4, 2004 Posted August 4, 2004 Hi, this sounds a really lovely experience. In between the farm arriving and the butterflies emerging , do they need much looking after? We share the premises and are not allowed to leave anything out of our cupboard. Would they survive these conditions, having to be moved around. What sort of conditions do they need? Nice to hear yours are now butterflies Nicola, your children must be really excited. Quote
Guest Posted August 5, 2004 Posted August 5, 2004 Rea, it was really simple. They came in a plastic pot with food inside, so you don't even open it. You have to find somewhere safe to keep the caterpillars, out of direct sunlight and a reasonable temperature, so it would be better before the British winter sets in I would imagine. And not in summer where you could have a heatwave, I guess. You watch them grow, and eventually they climb to the top of the pot and make their crysalids. Once they are all formed, you open the pot and pin the lid inside the butterfly farm. They hang out there for a while, then emerge - ours took about five days then all emerged within two hours, start to finish. After that, you can decorate the butterfly house with flowers and you feed them sugar water (great science here too, dissolving the sugar in water, and seeing which flowers the butterflies like best). You can also give them slices of fruit, which we did too. We are going to let them go tomorrow, a big emotional experience for my children. My three year old said this afternoon that she was a 'little bit happy but a little bit sad too' about the fact that they will go free tomorrow. At first, she was really adamant that she wanted to keep them forever, but after seeing them flying around their house today she realised that they will be happier outside. Now we just need to make sure that we don't have a disaster letting them go - a local preschool let theirs go a while back and a gruop of birds swooped in and ate all the butterflies immediately, to the children's dismay! It's somethign the children will talk about forever. A lesson in food chains and the circle of life, but not one you particularly want to happen to you! Our plan is to take out some musical instruments and scare any hovering birds away before we let our butterflies free tomorrow. Quote
Guest Posted August 5, 2004 Posted August 5, 2004 Just to add that ours came via a USA company, so I don't have a UK website. But will try to find one, unless anyone else can help out? Quote
Helen Posted August 5, 2004 Posted August 5, 2004 They have various kits on: www.insectlore-europe.com Nicola, you've inspired me to get one for next term! They say that they deliver between March and September, so I'm just in time Quote
Guest Posted August 5, 2004 Posted August 5, 2004 Helen, ours came from insectlore-usa, so it's the same company. The person who sent it is a reception teacher and did the UK version with great success, so it's the same kit. Maybe different butterflies though. We can do it year round because of the mild weather. The good thing is that the first kit includes the butterfly house, which you can re-use. After that, you can just order more caterpillars, so you could repeat it each year for minimal cost. They also do other fascinating insects - I met someone the other day who said she had silkworms from them when she taught kindergarten. Wonderful stuff! Quote
Guest Posted August 6, 2004 Posted August 6, 2004 Hi Nicola, I've grown (is that the right word?) butterflies twice this year with the children in my pre-school. The second time was during a hot spell in June and I thought I might have killed the caterpillars as it was so hot they stopped moving and eating for a couple of days. I was about to try and explain to the children what had happened when the caterpillars recovered, (I'd put them in a cooler spot) and the cycle continued as if nothing had happened! I have to say that it is a magical experience for the children and for the staff, who at times got more exited than the children! One member of staff even came in on her day off to watch the butterflies being released. I can fully understand why you delayed your holiday! Kaybee PS The butterflies we get are Painted Ladies, what butterflies do you get in the USA? Quote
Guest Posted August 7, 2004 Posted August 7, 2004 Painted Ladies here too - I think they are the most common type. They are native to all the states here. My children are desperate for me to get more caterpillars as soon as possible, but I've said that we're having a holiday first this time! Quote
Guest Posted August 7, 2004 Posted August 7, 2004 How fantastic!! I must give it a go, so if anyone can find any ,let us kow. My daughter is just getting into SEa Monkeys! Not quite sure whether they'll be as magical though. Quote
Steve Posted August 7, 2004 Posted August 7, 2004 Ah yes, Sea monkeys - I remember them. Don't they wear clothes and have kings that wear crowns and stuff? Or was that just in the advertisement pictures... I always wondered what they really looked like! Quote
Sue R Posted August 7, 2004 Posted August 7, 2004 OK, Showing my age - ????? Sea monkeys????? Please enlighten.......... Sue Quote
Steve Posted August 8, 2004 Posted August 8, 2004 Actually Sue, it's probably more a question of you not having had a misspent youth! Back in the seventies when I were a lad and used to read the old American superhero comics (superman, batman etc), Sea Monkeys were always being advertised. But the pictures showed really elaborate social groups of grinning very human looking creatures, wearing all sorts of clothes and jewellery etc. I'm almost sure Sea Monkeys aren't really like that. I think they're probably simple little sea creatures, like prawns or something, which don't grin and wear crowns.... But since I've never seen any real ones I could be wrong! There may well be a complete civilised race of superintelligent creatures that only Marvel comics have access to. Hopefully Kate can let us know! Quote
Sue R Posted August 8, 2004 Posted August 8, 2004 Mmmm. Fascinating! I spent most of the 70s being newly wed and struggling to pay the mortgage! Well, I'm having a misspent later life !!! Please tell us more, Kate! Sue Quote
Sue R Posted August 8, 2004 Posted August 8, 2004 As an addendum, for anyone sad enough to care, I found a website dedicated to these creatures! They are also known, or related to, brine shrimp and can remain dormant for YEARS before they hatch, So there! Also, you can buy them on the 'net. Hmmm? Sue Quote
Beau Posted August 8, 2004 Posted August 8, 2004 They're really not at all exciting. They are so tiny you can hardly see them. Or maybe ours died before they got a chance to grow big enough. We tended them for several weeks and slowly we all began to lose the will to live...........It was a most disappointing experience. Quote
Guest Posted August 9, 2004 Posted August 9, 2004 Great story...I can imagine doing the same myself ! The U.K. website is : www.insectlore-europe.com/ They do a great catalogue with loads of supporting games, books etc. too. I get a set every year now for our Nursery / Reception classes and it is magical. Every time we have released the butterflies the children sponotaneously wave and say goodbye....they do get very attached to them... and the adults do too ! It brought a tear to the eye..... Enjoy the rest of your holiday Quote
Guest Posted August 9, 2004 Posted August 9, 2004 Ooops sorry I missed the 2nd page of posts so thewebsite has already been posted ! I must be in holiday mode ! Quote
Rea Posted August 10, 2004 Posted August 10, 2004 Thanks for all the info on the butterfly farm. I will definetley get one, committee meeting next week so I will tell treasurer how important it is for the children that they access this vital learning tool. Do you think that will do it?? Quote
Guest Posted August 10, 2004 Posted August 10, 2004 Rea, it should do!! Invite the committee to the ceremony when you set the butterflies free, and they'll be hooked and want to do it every year! We are now aiming to go down to LA on Saturday. We can only do a long weekend, but even so I had to tell the chidlren that we simply cannot buy any more caterpillars until we return! They want more right away as they "miss our butterflies sooooo much" Right now, though, mum is insisting on holiday first, butterflies later. Where has the summer gone? If we don't go away before school starts up again, we won't do it until next year. More butterflies can wait until after I've had a few days on the beach!! Quote
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