Child's Butterfly Party

Flutter by for a terrific time! (Some of the suggestions for this party need some advanced planning.) Six weeks before the party, order a butterfly garden. Then, when it arrives, four to five weeks before the party, send in the certificate for the caterpillars. (The metamorphism of the butterfly from caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly takes approximately 21 days. Plus, you may want a few days to watch the butterflies as a family.)
Three to four weeks beforehand, order the butterflies party kit, the butterfly wings, the bug toobs, the butterfly light catcher and the butterfly finger puppets. Send out butterfly invitations and get butterfly loot bags. (The above items are both party favors and party activities.)
The day beforehand or the day of the party, decorate with flowers, balloons, and butterflies throughout the party room. Also, hide (appropriate for the age) the bugs out of the two bug toobs.
When all the children arrive, the first project would be to create the beautiful tulle butterflies. These need approximately 30 minutes to an hour to dry. (These take approximately 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the age of the children.)
The second fun item on the agenda is to go on a bug hunt. (It is a good idea to have them only find a certain amount, for example, "Each child gets to find 4 bugs." If desired, it can be in a different area so the children can't see it beforehand. (This is basically an egg hunt with bugs. This takes about 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the age of the children.)
The third activity is dress up as butterflies. The children can fly around like butterflies. The butterfly finger puppets can be added to this activity. (This can last from 10 to 25 minutes.)
This would be a good time to take a break if you are going to open presents, sing happy birthday and have cake. (This will take approximately 30 minutes.)
The fourth activity is the butterfly light catchers. Children personalize their very own butterfly light catcher. (20 to 30 minutes.)
The fifth activity is very special. It is the releasing of the butterflies out of the butterfly garden. Gather around the butterflies & talk about them. You can discuss how they started out as tiny, tiny caterpillars, and then explain all the steps of the lifecycle of the butterflies. Once the children are done looking at the butterflies and stopped asking questions, it is time to release the butterflies. Bringing flowers is a great. Sometimes, the butterflies will ride the flowers out of the butterfly garden. Often, the butterflies will hang around the area, especially ones with flowers, for a while. (20 to 30 minutes)
Send the children home happy with the party favors of the tulle butterflies, the bugs, the butterfly wings, the butterfly light catcher and the butterfly finger puppet. The kids will never for get such a special party!

An additional idea for this party is Pin the Butterfly on the Flower. Get a large, fake flower or draw one on a large piece of paper. Get some butterfly shapes or cut them out. Get something to cover the child's eyes. This is a version of Pin the Tail on the Donkey.