Flying Butterfly Experiment

My kids love science experiments like this week’s flying butterfly experiment.  If I can be honest, I did not grow up loving science!  But seeing my kids love for science has brought me around, at least a little!  And enjoying some science experiments during Four O’Clock Fun is an easy way to have fun and maybe even learn something while we are at it!!

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What You Need for Movie Making Activity:

Butterfly Printable  (free at the end of this post)

Empty Shoebox

Markers or Crayons

Strong Magnets

Tape 

String

Paperclip

Scissors

How To Play:

First print out the butterfly printable and color it.  Or you can make your own butterfly craft.  Just make sure it is small enough to fit in your shoebox!  Then cut your butterfly out.  Don’t worry about making it perfect, just cut a big circle around it.  Next, you will need to cut a string.  Make sure it is longer than the shoebox, but not too long.  Tape one side of the string to the back of the butterfly and also tape your paperclip to the top of the backside of the butterfly.

Now you will want to put the shoebox on it’s side and then tape the other end of the string to the bottom.  Check to make sure when the butterfly comes up that it reaches just below the top of the shoebox.  Finally you will want to put a magnet on the top of the shoebox.  You will want to make sure you are using a very strong magnet.  Regular refrigerator magnets won’t be strong enough.  We had some very strong disc magnets and I used a few of them to make it strong enough.

Now it’s time to make the butterfly float.  You will want to hold the butterfly up and then watch how the magnet draws it in.  You could even experiment with different kinds and amounts of magnets.  What combination will draw the butterfly up from the farthest distance.  This experiment will give you the chance to talk about magnetic forces too!

Are you ready to play today?  Grab my butterfly coloring template below when you become a subscriber! 

Looking for more ways to teach your preschooler at home?  Check out my Preschool Made Easy Program for 30 weeks of home based instruction.

Or check out the posts below for more FREE Four O’Clock Fun Activities.

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