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For parents, teaching a child about how nature works is an essential thing. This is why raising a caterpillar can be a good tool for rousing curiosity, prodding them to ask questions about how things work. When kids begin to ask questions, they begin to learn by themselves.

Raising caterpillars is the first step to raising butterflies, so it can be a good opportunity for children to learn to become responsible for a living creature. But the really nice thing about it is that they’ll get to watch the transformation from a caterpillar to a beautiful butterfly. They’ll look at it as if it was something magical, what they don’t know is that they are actually seeing a science lesson in action.

You have two options on how to acquire caterpillars. You can either get them from a local supply store or hunt them yourself.

Buying Caterpillars

Buying caterpillars from your local stores saves you a lot of hassle. You can simple bring them home and wait until it transforms into a butterfly. You can also choose to purchase eggs instead so you see the process from the start of its life cycle.

The disadvantage of this is that children don’t get to observe them in their natural habitat. Consequently, they won’t see what they eat, or what type of plants they like to live in. The thrill of finding caterpillars hiding behind the plants will also not be experienced by them.

Hunting a Caterpillar Yourself

Finding a caterpillar yourself with children teaches them what kind of plants caterpillars like to live in as well as all sorts of knowledge that only a firsthand observation can teach. However, it can be time consuming, and not every trip can result in success.

Raising a caterpillar and waiting for it to become a butterfly will give children invaluable lesson in nature and science. This is why it is fast becoming popular hobby for parents and children alike.