Science Week Free Resources: Day in the Life of a Butterfly

Week 2: Day in the life 

The second installment in our Science Week 2024 series, this free resource not only links to key points in the National Curriculum, but also naturally follows on from the theme of our live lesson. 

This opening paragraph to a story about the typical day in the life of a butterfly will prompt pupils to consider how a butterfly behaves, how they interact with other organisms, how they ensure the survival of their species and how long it takes for them to do certain activities. To complete this activity, ask your class to copy down or read the opening paragraph and then complete the rest of the narrative themselves. To link this activity to an established unit, have a look at one of Developing Experts’ units on living things or life cycles. So, combine literacy and biology and immerse your class in the world of butterflies with this free resource for science week! 

KS2 Opening: 

In a sunlit meadow, amidst a sea of wildflowers, lived a remarkable butterfly named Flutterwing, a proud member of the Lepidoptera order. Each day, as the sun's warmth awakened the world, Flutterwing emerged from underneath the leaf where she was resting. Her morning ritual began with basking in the sunlight. As a cold-blooded insect, the warmth was essential for regulating her body temperature. With each delicate flutter of her wings, she warmed herself up, preparing herself for the day's activities.

Today, Flutterwing had a particular mission: depositing her eggs on the undersides of leaves. Firstly, Flutterwing decided to…

KS1 Opening: 

In a sunny meadow filled with colourful flowers, there lived a special butterfly named Flutterwing. Every morning, as the sun woke up, Flutterwing, with her beautiful wings, would flutter out of her cozy sleeping place. Flutterwing loved to start her day by sitting in the sunshine. The warm sun helped her get ready for all the exciting things she wanted to do. She had tiny eyes that helped her see lots of flowers and friends around her.

Today, Flutterwing had a special job. She was going to lay her eggs underneath plant leaves. Firstly, she…

Ask your class to continue the story, describing what activities Flutterwing would complete throughout the day and how long it would take for her to do them. For KS1 pupils, you could read the opening together as a class and then ask them to complete a story-board of drawings to complete their own narrative. If they need prompts, some ideas could include: 

• Extracting nectar from flowers as a food source 
• Exploring her habitat to find a suitable environment for laying eggs 
• Pollinating 
• Avoiding predators, such as birds or spiders. 

To take this activity further or to implement a challenge for an upper KS2 class, you could ask pupils to complete the same activity for a mammal, bird, reptile or amphibian of their choice. You could also ask your pupils to extend their story into the week, month or even year in the life of a butterfly, allowing them to include events such as Flutterwing’s eggs hatching and going through metamorphosis.