Butterflies

I ordered the painted lady caterpillar kit.  My husband thought it would be wasted on our teens.  I argued that I owed it to them.  I was the mom that promised my girls long ago that I would let them "grow" butterflies.

Raising these caterpillars has been such a neat experience... better than I expected.

We took pictures of them as caterpillars with our zoom lens, and noted their growth.  Each morning we'd check to see which caterpillar had made a chryasalis, then we'd discuss which one might be next based on their size and eating habits.

Out of 11 chrysalides (new vocabulary!), we've watched 7 butterflies emerge.  Our evenings consist of watching the butterflies unroll their tongues to eat, hang on the side of the habitat, and flit around.  We've debated if the painted ladies are all one gender (how do you tell?) and if they are communicating with their wings.  I've loved every minute of our butterfly-centered conversations.

I'm so pleased with this experiment.  It's shown me how important it is to give your children experiences. 
This is definitely one I'm glad we shared.