Inspired by The Hungry Caterpillar: Burnley reception children hatch butterflies from chrysalises

After being inspired by The Hungry Caterpillar, reception children at a Burnley school have nurtured 30 tiny caterpillars as they made their chrysalises and emerged as butterflies.
By Jack Marshall, Reporter
Published 3rd Jun 2019, 13:32 BST
After caring for the caterpillars, they emerged from their cocoons as butterflies.After caring for the caterpillars, they emerged from their cocoons as butterflies.
After caring for the caterpillars, they emerged from their cocoons as butterflies.

Having loved The Hungry Caterpillar as all children do, the reception students at Reedley Primary School were surprised by a special delivery as 30 tiny black caterpillars arrived ready to be cared for and nurtured into butterflies.

The children carefully helped put the tiny black caterpillars in their own individual containers which had food in them, setting up an area with magnifying glasses so that they animals could be observed by the children.

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"The children made predictions about how the caterpillars would change into butterflies then we researched the life cycle of a butterfly," said Mrs Claire King, the class teacher. "Every day the children would gather round and speak about the changes the observed."

The children watched as some of the butterflieslanded on their hands.The children watched as some of the butterflieslanded on their hands.
The children watched as some of the butterflieslanded on their hands.

Watching as the caterpillars ate more and grew every day, the children soon saw them build their chrysalises. Two weeks later, they emerged as butterflies, which the children agreed were "beautiful".

Releasing their new friends, the children watched as some of the butterflies landed the children, resting on their hands before flying off as the children waved goodbye.

Related topics:Burnley