Care to get lost in a daydream? Laying in my hammock on a spring or early summer day does it for me. Winter was always my favorite time of year growing up—the quiet that envelops the world, probably the snow days and the sledding as well!—but now that I have children of my own, I appreciate the warmer weather for outdoor play. All that open space for them to play … the thought of not answering questions and settling disputes for a few precious minutes while the kids run free appeals to me more and more these days. (Perhaps that says something about my age?)

Tomorrow, March 14th, is National Learn About Butterflies Day. Fortunately, this month is also the perfect time to start getting outside more. Everyone is tired of being cooped up in the house all winter, but finally spring is on the way. While the days are getting warmer, they still have that cool gentle breeze. The sun is warm enough to entice us back outdoors but not hot enough to scorch us. Signs of new life are everywhere, from buds on trees and flowers in the fields to the birds singing songs while they build their nests. Suddenly the whole world has come to life again. You start seeing beetles scurrying this way and that, awakened from their winter sleep. And my favorite, the butterflies are beginning to emerge, like little garden fairies.

For the past several years my kids have been gathering up caterpillars in the fall. As long as we can identify the species—online caterpillar and butterfly identification guides are very helpful for this—and easily find a host plant, I don’t mind the kids trying to overwinter them. We have several of those little mesh butterfly habitats. If you find a variety of caterpillar that needs to burrow in the ground, you can just add a small dish of soil to the cage. This year, a friend gave us maple moths (which my girls wanted to hatch simply because the moth emerges a beautiful pinkish-rose color). Once moths or butterflies have hatched, we observe them for a day or so, then release them outside.

We had the cutest little chubby tomato horn worm, but it was infested with parasitic fly larva and didn’t make it. (Another reason I suggest you always overwinter caterpillars in a zip-up mesh cage: you never quite know what is going to crawl out of the cocoon!) We have had other caterpillars in the past that were also infested with parasitic fly or wasp larva. While I know horn worms are considered a pest, and the parasitic flies and wasps are natural pest control, it still always makes us sad to see that little hole in the end of the cocoon and know our newfound pet is dead … and as a result, my children may or may not take a little too much pleasure in squishing the fly pupae that we find in the habitat!

Don’t worry, it’s not too late in the game to get in on the fun this spring. You can always attract the already-emerged butterflies to your yard by planting some herbs, or a variety of nectar- and pollen-rich blooms. The trusty Farmer’s Almanac has a guide to planting flowers that will attract butterflies, and this online butterfly identification guide will identify what kind of butterflies you can attract to your area (based on your zip code).

A kid-sized butterfly garden can be lots of fun, but remember not to use pesticides on your plants. You are planting an insect dinner party, after all! Even some organic pest control methods can harm beneficial insects or the butterflies you are trying to attract, so be careful.

Add a source of water to your garden, and you have all the makings of a five-star insect resort!

Butterflies are some of the prettiest insects to observe. Their quiet grace charms the wildest child to be quiet and still, just so they’re able to watch them longer. A little person’s curiosity is stirred by the delicate way butterflies flit and flutter from plant to plant, pollinating as they go. And every homeschool mama knows: when your child is intrigued, you have found the makings of a wonderful science unit study each spring!

So, what are some ideas for those unit studies?

• Study the life cycle of a butterfly.  Where do female butterflies lay their eggs, and how many do they lay?
• Order live butterfly larvae and hatch some painted butterflies. Insect Lore has some great kits to help you do this.
• Learn about (and track) the migration patterns of the monarch butterfly. They usually travel to Mexico or Southern California where it stays warm year round. Find out how many miles a butterfly will travel during migration, and how far they migrate in a single day. Once they reach Mexico, what kind of tree do they hibernate in?
• If you have a young child, get a copy of The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle … always a favorite in our house! Check out these free educational printables for the book.

A few more of our favorite books are:

• The Life Cycles of Butterflies: From Egg to Maturity by Judy Burns 
• A Butterfly is Patient by Dianna Aston
• Caterpillar Green by Marla Martin

This Learn About Butterflies Day, I hope you’ll enjoy a breath of fresh air, get your crew outside and soak up God’s creation. Do a little research and discover something you didn’t already know about these beautiful creatures! A little outdoor science unit study is a great cure for that tricky time every spring, when I just feel done with homeschooling and need a break. As homeschoolers, it might be tempting to just forego spring break and press on, but I’ve started to think it may be necessary for everyone’s sanity!