Math for Breakfast

We did spontanious hands-on math at breakfast today. We openned a new box of Fruit Cherioes cereal. I usually don't get colored cereal, but it was on sale and I had a coupon for it as well. The kids started telling what colors they had on their spoon which prompted me to start making a pattern and having them add to it. We have been discusing repeating patterns and sorting recently in math so this went along with what we have been doing.

After several patterns we sorted them by color.

Then I grouped them in small groups and had them add them together to find the total.

We also have released our second butterfly this year. It was not a monarch! I was surprised. After checking my butterfly book I learned that it was a queen, another kind of milkweed butterfly. It looks very much like a monarch when the wings are folded, but when they are open it is definatly different. It doesn't have the black lines that the monarch has.

Science with little ones

We have been reading and studying on the water cycle. It is a bit hard for my kids to understand since we live in a very dry area and there is not much natural water cycle happening. The curriculum that I am using for the twins called for an experiment to demonstrate the water cycle, and it really seemed to help them understand it. First I filled a pan 2/3 full of water and brought it to a boil. I removed it from the heat, set it on a hot pad on the table where everyone could watch, and put a cookie sheet covered with ice cubes on top of the pan. After about a minute we lifted the pan and watched the water vapor rise, meet the cold tray and turn into tiny water droplets on the bottom of the tray. When the drops got big enough they “rained” back into the pan. Monday we released our first monarch for this year. I have one caterpillar that will soon make his chrysalis. I also have a baby caterpillar and two eggs that we found Monday when we released the monarch. It has been fun listening and trying to answer all the questions that this has brought up. I wish I could remember them all so I could list them here.

Milkweeds

For those who may want to try raising monarch butterflies, here are photos of the milkweeds we have growing here. I often see milkweeds along roadsides, edges of fields, and near waterways. Milkweed is the only plant that the monarch caterpillars eat, so feeding them is easy. Finding a butterfly egg on the milkweed is a little more challenging, since the egg is very tiny - smaller than a pin head. The egg hatches four days after it is laid. I have a very tiny caterpillar crawling around on a leaf right now. When it hatches it is white with a black dot for a head, so it is hard to photograph. After a day or two you will start to see stripes. Here is a site that has some great pictures of the eggs. There is other information and photos of the monarch's life cycle. I encourage you to give it a try, especially if you have children, this is a great science project.

Eggs and caterpillars

The chicken eggs did not hatch. I did something wrong, but I don't know what. Anyway, I found monarch butterfly eggs!! I know how to take care of them. They hatch in about four days and then just feed the caterpillars milkweed. Milkweed is sacred around our property. I told my husband not to cut it down, so I now have about four weeds growing near our property line. If you want to read more about butterflies that we raised last year check my post here.

The second butterfly

Today the second monarch hatched. Robert was awake and got to watch this time. I let them stay up from their naptime so they could watch. All three were awake when we released the monarch.

We have a butterfly!

Last night after we got home from church I noticed that the chrysalis had started to change colors. It was no longer green, but black and orange.

Then this afternoon shortly after lunch Abby and I got to watch the butterfly emerge from the chrysalis!

It hung upside down, resting, letting the wings dry for a while.
Then it climbed to the jar rim. I got it to climb onto my finger and I took it outside to release it.
The other chrysalis should hatch tomorrow!

Chrysalis

Well I no longer need to collect leaves to feed hungry caterpillars! Here is what they look like now. I can only photograph one since the other one made its chrysalis under a leaf where I can't see him.

This is the first caterpillar on Thursday evening.

This is both caterpillars on Friday.

By Friday evening both caterpillars looked like this. The lines that look like cracks on the jar is the silk that it spun to attach itself to the jar. Abby keeps asking my "Why is the jar cracked?"

Caterpillars are still eating and growing

Here are some more photos and a video of the caterpillars.

They are quickly eating everything I put in the jar. We all enjoy watching them eat.

Monday - Aug 25

Tuesday - needed to replace milkweed

Wednesday - they were eating fast, and I had to replace milkweed, again!

Robert and Abby watching them eat.


Thursday - Aug. 28th

I believe they have reached their full size and will soon form their chrysalis.

Update on monarch caterpillars

The caterpillars have been busy this week eating, pooping, and growing. Today we moved them to a larger home. Abby and Robert have been full of questions about them. “When will they fly? What is that black stuff? Can I touch them? Why is there a hole in the leaf?” and many more. By the end of next week they should start forming their chrysalis. Here are more photos of their growth.

Thursday, August 21st

The new home - a used pickle jar.

Larger caterpillar - Saturday, Aug. 23rd

Smaller caterpillar - Saturday, Aug. 23rd