As a mother of two toddlers, I am always looking for activities to keep my girls entertained. Bonus points if it's easy to assemble and budget friendly. This afternoon, I put together this fun Play-Doh kit that merged my kids' love for butterflies and nature with purposeful play. Although Play-Doh can sometimes be a mom’s worst enemy, it truly is a great tool to use with the little ones. Developing fine motors skills is of upmost importance for toddlers. This activity works on strengthening their hands and improving their dexterity and control. It's also a great way to learn about butterflies and expose them to new vocabulary.
Here is what you'll need:
- Play-Dough
- Safari Ltd Butterflies TOOB
- Plastic tray (I got mine at the Dollar Tree)
- Blue pebbles (I got mine at the Dollar Tree)
- Rocks (I got mine at the Dollar Tree)
- Flowers TOOB or Plastic flowers with leaves
The best part of this activity is that all you have to do is set it up and then sit back and enjoy your kids. Allow your kiddos to get creative and make their versions of a beautiful butterfly garden. My girls and I made the first one together, so they had a better idea of what we were doing.
They had a blast as they created various gardens. The Safari TOOB we used includes 8 types of butterflies. Each masterpiece they made included different butterflies. The Red Glider and Orange Barred Sulphur were the definite favorites in my house because of the vibrant colors.
The hardest part of this activity was fighting the urge to tell them where to put things. I had to silence the perfectionist in me and let them lead the way. I was pleasantly surprised at the gardens they created and their thought process behind it. One of my daughters wanted to create a pond and the other wanted everything to be symmetrical or "the same on both sides" as she kept saying. It's always so interesting when they do things that remind me so much of myself. This mama is into symmetry!
I thought we would be done playing in about 20 minutes, but to my delight we were still at it 45 minutes later. We had started off outside to set the mood and enjoy the sunlight. However, the 90 degree Miami heat made us move this butterfly party inside.
If your kids are past the toddler stage, this is a great way to teach them about the different species included in this set: Red Glider, Green Swallowtail, Orange Barred Sulphur, White Angled Sulphur, Evenus Regalis, Anaea Clytemnestra, and a Papilio Garleppi Butterfly.
Countless butterfly gardens later, I can confidently say this is something me and my girls will be doing again in the future. Each time refining their skills and having a different outlook on the task at hand.