“There are two lasting bequests we can give our children:
one is roots.  The other is wings.”  

 

Although going to the zoo is currently off-limits, there’s no reason to stop your child from enjoying the hands-on learning and endless exploration that the animal kingdom can provide. If your littles love to watch caterpillars crawl and retreat into their cocoons or are fascinated by fragrant and blooming foliage, this is the perfect at-home activity for you!

How?

Planting a butterfly garden is quick, easy, fun, affordable, and all the materials needed are still accessible at your local home improvement store, which is considered to be essential businesses and therefore, has remained open. All you need to get started is a little imagination, some garden space, a shovel, flowering plants (for adult butterflies), and host plants (for the caterpillars) to bring your outdoor insectarium to life.

What?

Some of the flowers, bushes, and shrubs you can expect to plant in your butterfly garden include lilac, summersweet, blueberry, mock orange, and spicebush. To explore the full variety of butterfly-attracting foliage along with an in-depth explanation on how to execute this fun spring project from start to finish, visit Kids Gardening.org.

When?

The ideal time to start this project is during the spring to fall months, meaning now is the perfect time to get the seeds and saplings into the ground. Although it only takes approximately 3 hours to complete the garden, it will also take an additional few weeks to bud, bloom, and begin attracting some vibrant-winged visitors. When choosing your plants, be sure to select a good variety of annuals and perennials that bloom at different points throughout the growing season to keep the butterfly habitat healthy and bountiful. 

We know that celebrating the spring season during quarantine is challenging. Still, small projects like these can help retain normalcy and provide educational value without the stress of workbooks and virtual classrooms. Your kids will love playing in the dirt and checking in on their flying friends, while you enjoy the mood-elevating benefits of vitamin D by spending time in the sun.

Plus, what better time than now to stop and smell the flowers.