15 May An Intense Visit to the Butterfly Exhibit

Since we are currently learning about caterpillars and butterflies, I was so excited to see that the local mall was hosting a butterfly exhibit. They brought in an entire greenhouse full of thousands of monarchs.  How perfect is that?!  I wanted to get the kids out of the house, so one afternoon we went for an intense visit to the butterfly exhibit.  

My Struggle with Creepy Crawly Things

Butterflies are delicate, beautiful little creatures.  There is definitively a sense of wonder when surrounded by these vibrant beings.  Please tell me I’m not the only person who is creeped out by butterflies landing all over them! I had to struggle to hold back a few screams when they got in my hair and back, with their ticklish little feet. I did managed to pull myself together (eventually).  Mostly, I don’t want to convey that horror to my children.  

“With regard to the horror which some children show of beetle, spider, worm, that is usually a trick picked up from grown-up people.”

Charlotte Mason

The butterflies were fascinating to Clark. He took the little sugar swabs he had been given and quickly enticed a monarch onto it.  He was soon covered in butterflies and he was perfectly delighted about it. 

Luci, on the other hand, didn’t appreciate the butterflies landing on her AT ALL.  She may or may not have witnessed her mother squawk and shake her clothing and hair in a panic when a butterfly landed on her.  In fact, Luci did the exact same thing, which quickly made me realize the truth in Charlotte Mason’s words.  Once I pulled myself together, so did Luci and after a couple of squeals, she began to enjoy herself. 

Wear Brightly Colored Clothing

I should mention that I took a few minutes before leaving the house to look up what clothes and colors would attract the butterflies. The information I found suggested wearing brightly colored clothes. We chose bright oranges and that worked really well!

There were several different type of butterflies and moths in the enclosure.  Clark would wait for them to land on his hand or would get them on his sugar swab and examine them very closely, noting all of the characteristics that we had talked about at home. This is active learning in progress, and it is the most beautiful thing ever to watch!

 “An observant child should be put in the way of things worth observing.”

Charlotte Mason

By the end of our visit, Luci was just as comfortable as Clark was with the butterflies.  She thought it was hilarious to get them to land on her and then put them all over me!

We finished our outing at the mall’s playground, a favorite.  There are always lots of kids to play with, crazy things to climb on and some fun rides to beg to ride on. It was a perfect end to a perfect, although intense visit to the butterfly exhibit.