Butterflies!

In early April, a new butterfly came out of each chrysalis in our butterfly habitat.  Over the course of two days, we had five new butterflies.  It was neat to see them let their wings dry and then flit around.  At that point we started to feed them sugar water.  We let the butterflies go free on Holy Saturday.

A newly hatched Painted Lady Butterfly.

Yay, it finally opened its wings!

On Holy Saturday, we brought the habitat outside.

One last look at the butterflies.

First Anne reached in...

...and got a butterfly on her finger.  It soon flew away.

Catherine also got one on her finger.  The boys were unable to do so before their butterflies escaped.

It was a fun, easy project to do.  The kids really enjoyed watching the transformation of the tiny caterpillars into big, beautiful butterflies. 

Legos, Art, and Butterflies

At the end of March, we went to Lego Club at the library.  This month the theme was Castles!

Dominic and Joseph built one together.

Anne and Catherine each made their own.

Anthony was too young to join in, but he liked to watch the others at work.

Catherine with her "castle in ruins."

They had a great time.

One morning, Anthony spent a long time turning an empty cereal box into his own little creation.

"Cheeeeese!"

Kept him occupied for a long time.

One Saturday, Catherine and I went shopping for an Easter dress for her.  While we were there, Catherine picked out a tie for Daddy and we sent him a picture of it.

Silly tie!

The Christmas before last, we got the kids a live butterfly garden kit.  Included in the kit were a netted enclosure and a coupon to send off for the caterpillars.  I finally remembered to send off for the caterpillars at the right time of year and in March we got a container with 5 caterpillars.  Inside the container was all the food they would need as caterpillars.  The kids were fascinated, watching the caterpillars get bigger every day and frequently shedding their skins as they grew.  When the caterpillars were big enough, they attached themselves to a paper at the top of their container and each one formed itself into a chrysalis. 

We moved the paper with the chrysalides to the netted habitat.

Thus began the waiting game for butterflies!

Field Trip to Great Plains Nature Center

In early July, I took the kids to the Great Plains Nature Center in Wichita for a summer class.  The four big kids got to make their own butterfly nets and learn about butterflies and insects.  Then the class all went outside and tried to catch some insects in their nets and identify them with the help of the nature center staff.  During the class, Anthony and I went on a hike on some of the nature trails. 

Here's the map, which way should we go?

We saw some ducks.

An egret.

Anthony on the boardwalk.

Wildflowers, complete with butterfly.

A shady trail by the creek.

Anthony had a great time hanging out with Mommy.

Turtles.

A line of ducks.

A row of turtles sunning themselves on a log.

After our hike, we went inside to check on the big kids.  They were busy finishing their nets and listening to the staff.

Joseph and Catherine.

Learning about butterflies.

The big kids were doing just fine, so Anthony and I went to check out the indoor exhibit.

It is not a large exhibit, but it is really nice.

Look out for the coyote!

I got seven different pocket guides pertaining to Kansas wildlife and vegetation.  They were free!  I left a donation, however.  They are great little guides and the kids have been putting them to good use since that day in July.

One of the pocket guides.

The kids, meanwhile, had gone outside to hunt for butterflies and other insects.  Anthony and I waited at the gazebo for them to come back.

Joseph leading the pack.

Catherine, with Dominic and Anne behind.

The twins looked for more treasures to catch.

The class was over, but the kids got to keep the nets they made.  It was a great experience!