Second Grade Life Cycle Lesson Plans and Activities
Butterflies
One of the most exciting life cycle lessons to do in an elementary classroom is the butterfly life cycle.
The butterfly life cycle is a joy and wonder for students of all ages to watch. Metamorphosis is the complete change from one form to another. It’s one thing to learn about this change in print, videos, and pictures- it’s quite another to actually see the change take place!
There are lots of ways to do this. The most common way is to order caterpillars from a reputable company like Insect Lore. Depending on how many “cups” you order, your class can see anywhere from 3 or more caterpillars grow and change.
Another way to do this is to simply use the environment around you. Does your house or school have butterflies flying about? Research which ones are common in your area. Once you know what kind of butterfly it is, you will need to research the types of plants it likes. Most importantly, you need to know the types of plant the caterpillars eat. Butterflies lay their eggs on these plants- so this is where you will find their caterpillar counterpart! Be sure to have something to house the caterpillars in, have plenty of food and water, a stick for them to form their chrysalis on, and voila! Once the butterflies emerge, you will want to have some fresh flowers (again- research what the type of butterfly likes), sugar water, or cut up oranges.
Either way, I recommend NOT leaving the butterflies in your classroom long term. A day or two at most. Butterflies need plenty of space to fly, or their wings will not form correctly and you risk harming (or killing) them.
Depending on the type of caterpillars/butterflies you are observing will determine how long this project will last.
Painted Lady Butterflies are common (and are the ones sent by Insect Lore because the life cycle is quick.
So, you have the caterpillars in your room. What next?
I am happy to offer my readers a free lesson plan and free activity! The two can be used together or by itself!
Frogs
"frog"by dchallender is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Another common life cycle to study during this Science unit is the frog life cycle. Like the butterfly, frogs go through a complete metamorphosis. The changes a frog goes through is pretty incredible.
If you’re fortunate enough to live near a pond, you might be able to bring the frog life cycle to your students! If you’re like me, however, you will need to rely on books, photos and videos to teach your students all about this life cycle.
If you do not already have one, be sure to sign up for an account from Epic Books. Epic gives you access to lots of books and videos. It is free for educators! I highly recommend this site!
There are also a lot of videos on Youtube. Be sure to preview videos before showing them in class, however.
Readworks.org is another incredible (and free) resource to use for read alouds.
Ladybugs
"Another Ladybug"by chiral_mirror is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Being known to students at my school as “The Ladybug Queen,” it’s no surprise that I would feature ladybugs on my life cycle blog Due to my love of ladybugs, my students always look forward to studying the ladybug life cycle.
As with the butterfly life cycle, Insect Lore sells a ladybug habitat and ladybug larvae. Your students will be able to watch in real time as your ladybugs grow from larvae to adult ladybugs.
One thing that I have found that always amazed students was seeing the ladybug larva. To them, it’s hard to imagine that they are, in fact, “baby ladybugs.” We are blessed to have a large tree in our school’s courtyard that is home to many ladybugs. Every fall we can see the eggs on the tree and then the larvae around the playground surrounding the tree. They always enjoy finding the “baby ladybugs.” It also warms my heart to hear them educating students other classes about what the “little black bugs” are.
In my ladybug life cycle freebie, you will find resources to go along with watching the life cycle in action, but you can substitute this with watching a number of videos.
Just like with the butterfly life cycle, I highly recommend releasing the ladybugs as soon as it is safe. Their primary food source arr insects known as aphids, however they also are attracted to pollen. They are attracted to the scent of cilantro. Parsley, mint, dill, and geraniums are also great plants to have around to attract ladybugs.
Insect Lore is an excellent source for ladybug larvae. You can also purchase ladybugs from garden stores.
So, you have the ladybugs and/or larvae? What next? Be sure to check out my free lesson plan and free life cycle activities!
The two are designed to be used togehter, but you can certainly use the activites without the lesson plan.
Chicken
Coming Soon!
Interactive Notebooks are another great way to learn about life cycles. I use them in my own classroom. If you’re interested, please check out my post about them!