We kicked off butterfly week today with one of my favorite experiments – discovering why butterflies only eat liquids!
Honestly, it can be hard for kindergartners to understand how a butterfly’s mouth works. If we’re going to be using the word “proboscis,” however, I want to make sure it’s not going over their heads every time I say it!
The materials are pretty simple:
-2 cups per student
-1 straw per student (I used colored straws so students at the same table didn’t mix them up)
-Cereal too large to fit up a straw
-Juice (I used fruit punch to represent nectar)
Every student got a cup with some fruit loops, a cup with some juice, and a straw.
I had students stand with the straw in their mouth and their hands behind their back. They couldn’t touch anything and they had to listen for each direction.
First, students tried to suck up the cereal with the straws. Obviously, this won’t work! We got a lot of laughs as some students managed to get cereal out of the cups, but couldn’t eat it.
Then students tried to suck up the juice. Of course, this time it worked!
We talked about how butterflies also have straws for mouths (the proboscis) and discussed which one we thought would be easier for them to eat (the liquid, of course)!
Together, we reflected and wrote about our experiment and what we learned. And then we ate fruit loops! 😉
Would your students love to learn all about butterflies? Find this experiment and much, much more in this fun Butterfly nonfiction unit: